The Charlotte Checkers were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team began as the Baltimore Clippers in 1954, playing in the Eastern Hockey League. When the arena in Baltimore burned down, the team briefly played as the Charlotte Rebels, before permanently relocating to the Charlotte Coliseum in 1956, becoming the Charlotte Clippers. The team was renamed the Checkers in 1960, and played its final four seasons in the Southern Hockey League, before folding in 1977. The Clippers/Checkers franchise won five playoff championships in its existence, and were the first team to be based in the Southeast United States.
Baltimore Clippers, 1954–1956
The Baltimore Clippers began play in the Eastern Hockey League during the 1954–55 season, with Andy Brown as coach. Herve Lalonde led the team, scoring 22 goals, and 50 assists, winning the John Carlin Trophy, as the league's top scorer. In the playoffs, Baltimore defeated the Clinton Comets 3 games to 1 in the first round, but lost the finals in four straight games to the Washington Lions. On January 23, 1956, midway through the Clippers' second season, their home arena, Carlin's Iceland, burned down.
Charlotte Rebels, 1956
Without an arena, the Clippers searched for a temporary home to finish the season. Local businessmen in Charlotte offered the one-year-old Charlotte Coliseum as a temporary site. The Baltimore Clippers played six of their remaining 12 games in Charlotte, using the name Rebels. The first professional hockey game in Charlotte was played on January 30, 1956, attended by 10,363 fans, with approximately 3,000 more unable to find a ticket. The Rebels lost the game 6–2, to the New Haven Blades. The six games played in Charlotte by the Rebels drew more than 40,000 fans. By comparison, the Clippers typically drew 2,000 fans per game in Baltimore. The combined record of the Clippers and Rebels was 47 points for fifth place, missing the playoffs.
Charlotte Clippers, 1956–1960
Buoyed by the Rebels' strong attendance figures in Charlotte, owner Charles Rock chose to move the team there full-time for the following season as the Charlotte Clippers. In the 1956–57 season, the Clippers earned 101 points, to finish first place, and win the Walker Cup as regular season champions. The season included a winning streak of 21 games before the playoffs, and the team earning the nickname, "Dixie Dandies." Al O'Hearn lead the league in scoring with 46 goals, 71 assists, and 117 points, to win the John Carlin Trophy. In the playoffs, Charlotte defeated the New Haven Blades in six games in the first round, and defeated the Philadelphia Ramblers in seven games, to win the Atlantic City Boardwalk Trophy as playoff champions.
In the 1957–58 season, Charlotte repeated first place in the regular season with 77 points, and a second Walker Cup. In the playoffs, Charlotte defeated the New Haven Blades in seven games in the first round, but lost in the finals to the Washington Presidents in seven games.
In the 1958–59 season, Charlotte dropped to sixth place, and missed the playoffs. The team also ran into financial troubles, which led to the Charlotte Coliseum Authority taking over the team in 1959. A citizen's group raised $25,000 from stockholders, to keep the team on the ice.
In the 1959–60 season, coach Andy Brown moved on, and the EHL split into northern and southern divisions. Evel Knievel tried out with the Clippers in 1959, but decided that a traveling team was not for him. Pete Horeck led the team as a player-coach, the Clippers finished second place in the south, won the first round playoff series in three games versus the Greensboro Generals, and lost to the Johnstown Jets in the second round.
Charlotte Checkers
Eastern Hockey League, 1960–1973
The team was renamed the Charlotte Checkers, resulting from a name-the-team contest. Gordon Tottle became the player-coach, and despite the new name, Charlotte finished fourth place and missed the playoffs in the 1960–61 season. Joe Crozier was named coach in the 1961–62 season, but the team still finished fourth place and missed the playoffs. He returned for the 1962–63 season, and the Checkers placed third in the southern division. In the playoffs, Charlotte upset the second place Knoxville Knights in five games, then lost in five games to the Greensboro Generals in the second round. Turk Broda took over the coaching duties for the 1963–64 season, and led the team to a fourth-place finish in the south, and a first round playoff loss to Greensboro in three games.