Savannah Ghost Pirates Set To Haunt ECHL

It was revealed this week that Savannah's new hockey team will be called the "Ghost Pirates".  Seems like a fitting name for a city steeped in paranormal and pirate history.  I can't tell you how many times I have accidentally said "Ghost PEPPERS" already.  

The name-the-team contest leaders were "Spirits" and "Spectres".  There was also an entry for "Frozen Bananas" which was a play on the Savannah Bananas collegiate baseball team.  I had submitted the name "VooDoo" but I'm okay with "Ghost Pirates".   At least it isn't anything stupid.

The Ghost Pirates will begin play in the ECHL next season.  The new 9,500 seat Enmarket Arena will be completed soon and will be their home.  It should also open the door for other professional sports for the Coastal Empire which was lacking in a facility for years.  Basketball and arena/indoor football leagues are likely to put teams in Savannah.  Years ago I attended a game between the Savannah Spirits and Tampa Bay Thrillers in the defunct Continental Basketball Association (CBA).  

Will hockey work in Savannah?  Oddly enough I think it will.  The city already hosts the Collegiate Hockey Classic every winter which features the South's hockey programs from the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State and the University of Florida.  The Ghost Pirates will have an opportunity to take advantage of an area that has been without professional sports.   It does get cold in Savannah.  I lived there for a couple of years during my junior and senior years of high school.  We actually had some snow flurries one winter.  So, I think Savannah will have some "hockey weather" to get them in the mood.   Savannah has also never had a hockey team so this will be a new experience.  It will be interesting to see how they fare against local high school and college basketball.  High school basketball is big in Savannah.

Who will the Ghost Pirates play?

The team will compete in the ECHL.  It used to be called the East Coast Hockey League but they changed to only using the acronym after merging with Western United States teams several years ago.  The ECHL is billed as the premier AA hockey league which has been around since 1988 and currently has 27 teams.  The closest teams the Ghost Pirates will play are South Carolina Stingrays (Charleston, SC), Atlanta (GA) Gladiators, Greenville (SC) Swamp Rabbits and Jacksonville (FL) Ice Men.  I anticipate they will develop a rivalry with their closest neighbors in South Carolina.

I think the Ghost Pirates will be a hit. 

For more information go to ghostpeppers.com