Greensboro Generals (1959–77)

The Greensboro Generals were a minor league ice hockey team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Greensboro was part of the Eastern Hockey League from 1959 to 1973, and then played in the Southern Hockey League from 1973 to 1977. The team was founded when the Troy Bruins of the International Hockey League were relocated by owner Ken Wilson and admitted to the EHL, to play in the recently built Greensboro Coliseum.[1][2]

Greensboro Generals
CityGreensboro, North Carolina
LeagueEHL (1959–73)
SHL (1973–77)
Operated1959–77
Home arenaGreensboro Coliseum (1959–75)
Piedmont Arena (1975–77)
ColorsGreen, gold, white, orange
                   
AffiliatesNHL (1967–77)
WHA (1972–75)
Franchise history
1951–59Troy Bruins
1959–77Greensboro Generals
Championships
Playoff championships1963 EHL

History

The team was owned by a group of local investors led by Carson Bain, who brought in Roland McLenahan as the team's first coach.[2][3] The Eastern Hockey League was classified as amateur, although Generals players were recruited and paid.[2] The Generals debut game at the coliseum was a 4–1 victory versus Washington, played on November 11, 1959, in front of a crowd of 3,014.[3] Goaltender Norm Defelice won the George Davis Trophy for the lowest goals against average in the 1959–60 season.[4]

Ronnie Spong took charge of the Generals as player-coach in 1960, and remained in that role until 1971, leading the Generals to a winning record in all but one of those seasons.[2] The Generals reached the championship finals three years in a row from 1962 to 1964, and won the league title in 1963. Centerman Don Davidson won the John Carlin Trophy in the 1963–64 season as the league's scoring champion.[4] The Generals had solid goaltending in the late 1960s with Peter McDuffe winning the EHL Rookie of the Year in 1967–68, and Ernie Miller winning the George Davis Trophy in 1969–70 for the lowest GAA in the EHL.[4] Greensboro returned to the league finals in 1970, but finished as runners-up.

In the spring of 1971, Bain and his partners sold the Generals to Tedd Munchak, owner of the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association.[3] Don Carter became player-coach in 1972, then was replaced by Bob Smith as goaltender and coach in 1973.[2] At the end of the season, the Generals along with three other teams, announced that they would leave the EHL to form the Southern Hockey League.

Ted Lanyon became head coach for the 1973–74 season, but struggled in the new league dropping to third place.[5] The Generals moved to the smaller Piedmont Arena in 1975 due to financial difficulty,[3] and Ronnie Spong returned as head coach.[5] The Generals finished last place in each of the final three seasons of play. On January 4, 1977, the Generals folded mid-season due to continued financial problems. Three other SHL clubs folded the same week, and the league folded on January 31.[3]

Major league affiliations

The Generals were primarily affiliated with the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1975, but also had secondary National Hockey League affiliations from 1967 to 1977.[6][7]

YearsAffiliations
1967–71Chicago Blackhawks
1971–72Toronto Maple Leafs
1972–74Los Angeles Sharks
1974–75Michigan Stags, Baltimore Blades, New York Islanders
1975–76Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals
1976–77Atlanta Flames, Cleveland Barons, Colorado Rockies

Notable players

Notable Greensboro Generals players that also played in the National Hockey League or World Hockey Association:[8][9][10]

Results

Season-by-season results in the EHL and SHL.[2][5]

SeasonLgeGPWLTPtsPctGFGAPIMStandingPlayoffs
1959–60EHL6426335570.4452362538413rd, southernLost in round 1
1960–61EHL6440222820.6413392577531st, southernLost in round 1
1961–62EHL6836302740.5442842585051st, southernLost in finals
1962–63EHL6840262820.6033052635881st, southernWon championship
1963–64EHL7241292840.5832942578771st, southernLost in finals
1964–65EHL7237332760.5283333016192nd, southernLost in round 1
1965–66EHL7237314780.5422912637853rd, southernLost in round 1
1966–67EHL7235370700.4862652799973rd, southernLost in round 1
1967–68EHL7246206980.6813642489061st, southernLost in round 2
1968–69EHL7241229910.6323502796811st, southernLost in round 2
1969–70EHL7445227970.65533324111231st, southernLost in finals
1970–71EHL7344218960.65834023411322nd, southernLost in round 2
1971–72EHL73342712800.54828425212292nd, southernLost in round 2
1972–73EHL7640288880.57939131513822nd, southernLost in round 1
1973–74SHL7133371670.47228531011683rd, SHLLost in round 1
1974–75SHL7223472480.33326238412805th, SHLOut of playoffs
1975–76SHL72184212480.33322131712126th, SHLOut of playoffs
1976–77SHL4015241310.3881401737986th, SHLfolded
TOTALSEHL9925423816911530.58144093700124187 division titles1 championship
TOTALSSHL25589150161940.38090811844458  

References
  1. Telaar, Tom (2014). "EHL Franchise History". theehl.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  2. "Greensboro Generals hockey team [EHL] statistics and history at hockeydb.com". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  3. Crossley, Drew (2014-08-30). "Southern Hockey League 1973 Archives". Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  4. Telaar, Tom (2014). "EHL All Star Teams and Awards". theehl.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  5. "Greensboro Generals hockey team [SHL] statistics and history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  6. "Greensboro Generals [SHL] Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  7. "Greensboro Generals [EHL] Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  8. "NHL Player Search -- Players by Team -- Greensboro Generals". Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  9. "Greensboro Generals [EHL] all-time player list". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  10. "Greensboro Generals [SHL] all-time player list". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
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