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66-587: The Carolina Thunderbirds were one of five teams that played during the inaugural season of East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The Thunderbirds won the first ever ECHL championship and were awarded the Riley Cup for the 1988–89 ECHL season. The team changed its name to the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds before the start of 1989–90 season and the team remained in the ECHL until the end of the 1991–92 season when it

132-573: A 6–3 win for the Thunderbirds in game two. Game two had a combined 226 penalty minutes between the teams breaking the record from the year before. Greensboro won 5–1 at home in game three. Game four, also in Greensboro, went into double overtime time with the Monarchs winning. Game four was the longest game in ECHL finals history up to that point, but has since been surpassed. Each team had 67 shots on goal in

198-407: A centre's winger is being attacked along the boards, the centre can take position behind the net to receive the pressured winger's pass. Behind the net is a natural place for some centres to play. It is a very difficult position to defend because it forces the opposing defensemen to leave the front of the net. It also gives the centre a clear view of the ice and most importantly the slot area. From here

264-522: A defenceman, whereupon the defending team can reset the trap. This tactic was pioneered by the New Jersey Devils in the late 1990s and has been used extensively in the NHL and all levels of hockey since. When employing the left wing lock strategy, the centre's role is typically to shadow the puck carrier or provide token pressure in the opposing team's zone to force them to try to pass the puck up ice into

330-443: A few weeks to evaluate the team but realized the team would fold if he left. Dudley proposed that he would stay with the team and try to sell the franchise for Gusky and if that did not work, he would buy the team himself. After three of the seven teams had folded during the season, the league decided to end early and set the playoffs with the four remaining teams by geographical area to save on travel expenses. In their inaugural season,

396-544: A poor 12–16 record to start the season, including 11 straight losses, he was replaced by another former Thunderbird player, Pierre Hamel . The team finished the season 23–31–2 with 48 points, enough for the fourth seed in the playoffs. The team lost in the semifinals to the Virginia Lancers in five games. Despite the team's down year, the Thunderbird's Doug McCarthy led the league in both assists and points and Scott Knutson

462-463: A total of 124 points, was awarded the team's second ACHL MVP after the season. Goaltender Ray LeBlanc was a first team selection to the ACHL All-Star team and Irving was a second team selection. Dave Watson, who only played in nine games during the season, played in his last playoffs as he would retire after the season. In the 1986 finals, the Thunderbirds and Blades faced off for the third time, with

528-441: A turnover. When playing the trap, the centre typically spearheads the defence by placing himself/herself in the middle of the ice between the red line and blue line in defensive position. This forces the puck carrier to either side board where the centre and puck side winger close him in, "trapping" him/her between the two defending players and the boards. Here the attacking player has very few options, and generally must retreat to

594-459: Is almost universal now that the centre reverses his lower hand and takes the faceoff on his backhand in order to gain more strength when pulling the puck. Bigger, heavier, and stronger centres may prefer to use strength tactics such as tying up the opposing centre and winning the puck with his feet or overpowering the opponent by ripping the puck away using sheer strength. Smaller, quicker centres may employ swiftness tactics such as trying to contact

660-450: Is made easier to play because the centre has more time to look over the ice surface, and is not pressured by the defenders as much. Again the centre's role is to move the offence through himself/herself looking for passing lanes to open players or roving the slot area looking for deflections and rebounds. The centre's role in the Neutral zone on the attacking side if he/she possesses the puck,

726-474: Is sometimes used to take advantage of the opponent's sloppy transition game. In this set, the defenceman directly passes to the centre curling at the faceoff dot. The centre can then carry the puck out himself/herself or try to pass to the streaking weakside winger up the ice. The penalty killing unit normally consists of two forwards and two defencemen. The centre's role does not differ appreciably from any other forward, though they are almost always included on

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792-414: Is to bring the puck into the offensive zone by carrying or dumping the puck in. Although any player may carry the puck into the zone, centres are most often counted on because of their speed, quickness, and ability to stickhandle. If another player possesses the puck attacking into the zone, the centre's job is to provide support if the puck carrier needs to pass to another player across the blue line. Once

858-569: The American Hockey League in 2018–19. In 2019, the Eagles' ownership did not return the Kelly Cup to the ECHL before the playoffs, leading to the league creating a replacement trophy for the 2019 Kelly Cup playoffs . The Eagles' ownership eventually returned the cup before the 2019–20 season, and the league returned its status to be the primary trophy. The 2019 Kelly Cup was the fourth copy of

924-555: The Hershey Bears and their ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays both won. The Kelly Cup playoffs is an elimination tournament, consisting of four rounds of a best-of-seven series. The format has changed often throughout the years. Since 2016–17, the top four point earners from each division qualify. The first two playoff rounds are played within each division, followed by the conference finals (contested between

990-519: The National Hockey League . All-time and season leaders: Average per game: Riley Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL . The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997 . Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup , named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley . The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly ,

1056-577: The Southern Hockey League from 1973 to 1977. The Thunderbirds began in the inaugural 1981–82 season of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) and played their home games at the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum , with capacity of 5,500 for hockey games. During the season, Gusky called recently retired former Buffalo Sabres ' player Rick Dudley and asked for help with the struggling team. Dudley originally planned on staying for

1122-541: The Virginia Lancers , they met the Blades again in the 1985 finals with the Thunderbirds defeating them in six games to win their second league championship. Watson led the league in assists during the playoffs with 14 while Brian Carroll was awarded the ACHL Playoff MVP award for his 11 goals and 9 assists. In the 1985–86 season, the team had a 49–14–0 record. Center Joe Curran, scored 42 goals and league best 82 assists for

1188-564: The Thunderbirds faced the Johnstown Chiefs . The Thunderbirds lost game one at the Chiefs 8–1 as the Chiefs scored four power play goals during the game. After losing the first two games by a combined score of 14–2 in Johnstown, the Thunderbirds won the next three games to take a series lead 3–2, putting the Thunderbirds one win away from the title. Game two had a combined 186 penalty minutes between

1254-477: The Thunderbirds played at the Johnstown Chiefs in the first game in ECHL history. The team's 1988–89 regular season was mediocre and the team went through four different head coaches. Incumbent head coach Brian Carroll was replaced early in the season by Joe Selenski. Keith McAdams then filled in as head coach for one game before the team hired Brendon Watson as head coach on February 19 with only 13 games left in

1320-414: The Thunderbirds to the top of the ECHL standings before a power struggle between him and general manager Jay Fraser led to Fraser replacing McSorley as head coach for the remainder of the season. Len Soccio , Joe Ferras and Trent Kaese all finished in the top four of the league scoring, while goaltenders Paul Cohen and Kenton Rein both finished the season in the top five for goals against average (GAA) in

1386-548: The Thunderbirds winning in five games to become the only team to win consecutive ACHL championships. Bob Doré was awarded the ACHL Playoff MVP award. After winning three championships in four years, Dudley moved up to become the head coach of the Flint Spirits in the International Hockey League and former Thunderbird player Mark Huglen was hired as the new coach. Huglen was unable to get the same results and after

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1452-400: The boards act as an extra defender and the defending team often will try to enclose a puck carrier between the boards and two or more defenders to force turnovers. The centre's general responsibility is to provide support to other players that engage opposing puck carriers in puck battles on the boards by giving the primary defender (normally a defenceman in the defensive zone) an outlet to move

1518-483: The centre has clear passing lanes and minimizes the distance and difficulty of passes to nearly any part of the slot. Many centres use their mobility and freedom to take advantage of the slot area, the area in between the faceoff dots, about 5 to 15 feet from the goal. The slot area is notorious goal-scoring territory because of its proximity to the net and the difficulty the opposing team has in defending it. Many centres like this area because of its openness. Possessing

1584-419: The centre will mainly focus on skating and shadowing opposing puck carriers to try to force turnovers. They are responsible for the middle of the ice, and try to cut off long passing lanes to attacking players. If the defending team successfully does force a turnover, the centre is most often responsible for turning the direction of play around or receiving the first pass from a winger who has successfully forced

1650-405: The championship in five games. Bill Coffey assumed team ownership from Rick Dudley in 1984. The team had their best regular season during the 1984–85 season with a 53–10–1 record with Watson again leading the team with 85 points. John Torchetti began his professional hockey career with the Thunderbirds, while Irving and Bob Hagan were named first team ACHL All-Stars for the season. After defeating

1716-457: The flow of the game moving, and generally handle, and pass the puck more than any other position player. Because of this, most good centres tend to score significantly more assists than goals because the play goes through them as they try to find open teammates. His or her responsibilities in the zone are analogous to the classic number 10 playmaker in soccer . Because the range of offensive styles teams like to use, exactly how centres are used in

1782-597: The four division winners), and ending with the Kelly Cup finals (featuring the two conference champions). Centre (ice hockey) The centre (or center in American English ) in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the sideboards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and therefore often end up covering more ice surface than any other player. Centres are ideally strong, fast skaters who are able to backcheck quickly from deep in

1848-512: The game and buy as much rest for the few players he had available as possible. In spite of this set back, in the final game of the series, The Thunderbirds beat the Chiefs 7–4 to win the first ECHL Championship, and were awarded the Riley Cup for the season. Goaltender Nick Vitucci was named the Most Valuable Player for the playoffs. In the series, John Devereaux and E.J. Sauer lead the Thunderbirds in goals with five each, Bob Wensley lead

1914-465: The game for a 134 total, all of which are ECHL finals records as of 2018. Monarchs' goaltender, Wade Flaherty , made 64 saves as the Thunderbird's goaltender, Kenton Rein, had 63 saves. The series returned to Winston-Salem, but the Thunderbirds lost game five and the championship four-games-to-one. During the finals series, the Thunderbirds were led by Troy Vollhoffer with four goals, Dave Doucette and Len Soccio with five assists each, while Soccio also lead

1980-401: The game, in an effort to protect the league's image, ECHL commissioner Pat Kelly suspended three (Steve Plakson, Bill Huard and Michael Lanouette) of the Thunderbirds' players. As a result, the Thunderbirds were forced to face the Chiefs in the seventh and deciding game with just 11 skaters. Coach Watson used a plan of changing personal on every whistle during game seven to slow down the pace of

2046-438: The ice, and is responsible for the greatest percentage of ice in their own zone than of any position. The centre's first and foremost responsibility is defending the slot area from opposing forwards. This is the most difficult area of the ice to defend because of its proximity to the net and its being situated in the middle of the ice. The centre is not only responsible for the opposing centre, but other forwards who venture into

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2112-450: The ice, as they are expected to play the role of the third player in defense, after the defencemen . Centres usually play as part of a line of players that are substituted frequently to keep fresh and keep the game moving. Centres are required to cover a good portion of the ice in all three zones. Where the centre tends to play in the offensive zone is usually a matter of coaching and personal preference. Centres are responsible for keeping

2178-544: The league was aligned to include two separate divisions, East and West. The Thunderbirds were placed in the West Division, posted a record of 20–41–3 and failed to make the playoffs for the first time. Fraser stepped down as head coach mid-season to return to only general manager duties and Marcel Comeau, previously the head coach of the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League before being let go earlier in

2244-578: The league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning team for one year and is returned at the start of the following year's playoffs, although the trophy itself has been replaced three times with the first two iterations preserved in the Hockey Hall of Fame . The Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player award is also given out as part of the Kelly Cup Championship ceremonies. Nick Vitucci , Dave Gagnon and Cam Johnson (ice hockey) are

2310-598: The league. The team finished as regular season champions with a 38–16–7 record and 82 points. The team was awarded the Henry Brabham Cup trophy, given regular season champions. The team defeated the Nashville Knights in five games to reach the finals. In the finals, the team faced their in-state rival Greensboro Monarchs. The teams split the first two games in Winston-Salem, with a 5–3 Greensboro win in game one and

2376-412: The lock. This is a much older strategy and is less commonly employed at elite levels, however it was most recently used extensively by the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes on their way to their first Stanley Cup . Unlike their offensive responsibilities, the centre's defensive responsibilities are relatively straightforward. Again the centre must be able to use their skating ability to cover vast portions of

2442-412: The net itself because in case of a turnover, it is much harder to get back in position defensively. Some centres will play the half boards . This position is especially important to a centre on some powerplay sets. Again it gives the centre a clear view of the ice surface and many different options. From here he may choose to pass back to a defenceman on the point, go down the boards to a winger behind

2508-429: The net, or drive the net itself hoping to draw defenders to him. The disadvantage of this position is that it is easily defended, and the centre generally does not have much time to survey the ice looking for an open teammate. Powerplay sets are also quite varied, so the centre's role can range a lot. Many times though the centre will choose to operate in the slot area or on the half boards. The half board position here

2574-428: The offensive zone is as varied as the players themselves. Generally the centre's role on offence is to move the offence through himself, setting up other players, and providing support for puck battles. They roam around most areas of the ice in the zone and have a lot of freedom in decision making. They are also expected to constantly be in motion causing defenders to have a hard time tracking them. The matter of bringing

2640-563: The only players to win the award on multiple occasions, with Johnson the only player to win the award in consecutive years. Eighteen different teams have won the ECHL Championship, with nine ( Alaska , Allen , Cincinnati , Colorado , Florida , Hampton Roads , Idaho , South Carolina , and Toledo ) winning multiple times. The Florida Everblades hold the record for most championships won with four. The Colorado Eagles , who won it in 2018 for their second consecutive title, moved to

2706-407: The opposing net in hopes that the onrushing wingers can beat the opposing defenders to it and gain control. The centre's role here is to provide support for the wingers if they become engaged in a puck battle, and give the battling winger an option to try to move the puck to, or to try to scoop up loose pucks as they become available. Once the puck is freed the offence can then set up as normal. When

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2772-627: The opposing team. The centre is expected to play the deepest in the offensive zone but also the first of the forwards to backcheck . On the backcheck, the centre should take the first opposing player not covered (usually "the third man back "). It is generally the centre's job to handle faceoffs for their team. Centres employ many different tactics to win faceoffs that take advantage their strength or swiftness. Faceoff techniques and preferences vary widely from player to player depending on that player's skill at taking faceoffs, speed, strength, and agility. Although faceoff techniques differ greatly, it

2838-405: The opposing zone. Generally, centres are expected to be gifted passers more so than goal scorers, although there are exceptions - typically larger centres who position themselves directly in front of the net in order to score off rebounds. They are also expected to have exceptional "ice vision", Hockey IQ, intelligence, and creativity. They also generally are the most defensively-oriented forwards on

2904-409: The penalty killing unit for the purpose of taking the faceoff. Depending on what formation the penalty kill uses, the centre along with the other forward on the ice will play high side defence, trying to cut off passing lanes in the slot. Secondarily, they pressure offensive players on the boards if they do not have clear possession. The centre should always be prepared for a quick break-out pass by

2970-540: The playoffs. The following season, Watson was limited to 29 games during the regular season, but he was healthy again for the playoffs. Goaltender Pierre Hamel and Irving became first team selections to the ACHL All-Star team following the regular season. The Thunderbirds beat the Mohawk Valley Stars in the playoffs to return to the finals. In the finals, against the Erie Golden Blades , the Thunderbirds lost

3036-458: The puck before his opponent has a chance to get his stick in the dot, or the slide technique where he allows his opponent access to the dot easily so he can slide his stick underneath and pull the puck back out. Faceoffs are critical to a team's success on offence or defence. To this end, centres that may be deficient in other areas, especially offensively, can still have value to a team if they are excellent faceoff takers. Faceoffs are often used as

3102-505: The puck here gives the centre many different options, as well as a central position in the offensive play. From here the player can choose to shoot the puck on net, attempt to draw defenders away from the net by skating, or find open players closer to the goal cage. Additionally, without the puck, the centre can choose to occupy this space looking for deflections of long shots or rebounds. Aside from some larger centres who focus on scoring off rebounds, centres rarely set up directly in front of

3168-400: The puck in the zone generally is accomplished in two ways. The first involves the team's best puck carrier (usually the centre) using their speed and quickness to cross the blue line with the puck and set up the offence. The second is colloquially called a "dump in", in which an attacking player (almost always a defenceman or centre) shoots the puck from the neutral zone into either corner behind

3234-413: The puck to if he/she is able to win the puck from the offensive player, though the centre does on occasion participate in these puck battles if they must. When the puck is turned over by the offensive team, the defence must be able to exit the zone fluidly. In a basic fundamental break-out, the puck is controlled by the defence behind the net who then passes up the boards to a forward. The centre curls at

3300-609: The season at 2.94 per game. In the playoffs, the Thunderbirds lost to the Richmond Renegades in the first round in five games. After the end of the 1991–92 season, it was announced by co-owner Ed Broyhill that Winston-Salem would move to West Virginia to play as the Wheeling Thunderbirds . List of Carolina Thunderbirds/Winston-Salem Thunderbirds alumni who played more than 25 games in Carolina and 25 or more games in

3366-554: The season, was named as his replacement. The team placed in the East Division the following season. Doug Sauter was hired as the new head coach before the 1991–92 season and improved the team to a third-place finish in the East Division with a 36–24–4 record, winning the ECHL Coach of the Year award. Goaltender Frédéric Chabot led the league with the best goals against average (GAA) during

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3432-500: The season. Watson and Michel Lanouette earned first team selections to the ACHL All-Star team, while Brian Carroll and Randy Irving had second team selections for their performances. Watson continued to lead the team in the postseason, leading the league in scoring with 14 points. They won their first Bob Payne Trophy , awarded to the playoff champion, in 1983 after defeating the Mohawk Valley Stars in four games, going 8–0 through

3498-418: The season. Watson coached the team to 8 wins in the final 13 games before the playoffs. The team struggled on defense during the regular season, with a 5.48 goals against average (GAA) per game. With a 27–32–1 record, the team finished in fourth place in the five team league. As the fourth seed, the Thunderbirds swept the regular season champion Erie Panthers in four games. In the inaugural ECHL championships,

3564-410: The slot as well. Like defencemen, centres are often relied upon to block long-distance shots while patrolling the slot. Because there are no boards in the slot area, it is difficult to play physically on opposing forwards so centres must be good at using their sticks to defend via poke checks , sweep checks , stick lifts, and other stickwork. The perimeter is an advantageous position for the defence,

3630-460: The strong side faceoff dot and begins to break out alongside the puck carrying winger. The winger, if undefended, may skate the puck out himself/herself, in which case the centre provides a passing option in the neutral zone, or if the winger is pressured, can make the break-out pass to the centre moving up the ice. Here the centre can carry the puck out of the zone on their own, or look for the weak side winger coming across centre ice. A quick break

3696-403: The team with eight assists, and Randy Irving lead the team with nine points from three goals and six assists. As of 2018, three Thunderbirds' players still held the top three spots for the ECHL record for the most penalty minutes in a finals series from that year; Steve Plaskon with 95, Michel Lanouette with 68 and Bill Huard with 58. Six Thunderbirds scored one power play goal each and Sauer scored

3762-488: The team with seven points. John Torchetti scored the team's only power play goal (during game four) and Vollhoffer had two of the team's three short-handed goals. Soccio was the ECHL playoffs scoring leader with 17 points. Irving retired after the season as the team leader in seasons with the team, all-time games played and all-time postseason assists, and as one of the only two players with the Thunderbirds to play in all five playoffs championships. The following 1990–91 season,

3828-487: The team won four consecutive ACHL regular-season championships. The team improved to finish with a league-best 51–10–7 record in their second season. The team allowed only 208 goals (3.06 per game), the lowest per game average in team history, while also leading the league in scoring. Defenseman Rory Cava led the league with 60 assists during the season and was awarded with the ACHL Most Valuable Player (MVP) after

3894-525: The team would finished 14–33–3 under head coach Curry Whittaker. The Salem Raiders defeated the Thunderbirds in five games in the playoffs. After the first season, Dudley bought the team from Gusky and replaced Whittaker as the head coach. Dudley then rebranded the team as the Carolina Thunderbirds. Former Colorado Rockies player Dave Watson also joined the team and led the league in scoring with 102 points, 53 goals, and 49 assists. Starting in 1982

3960-489: The team's only short–handed goal, during game three, of the series. In 1989, the team name changed back to the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds. The team also began playing at the new Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex after the old Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum was demolished. Chris McSorley was hired to replace Brendon Watson as head coach before the season, McSorley's first experience as head coach. McSorley led

4026-427: The teams. During the series, the ice at Winston-Salem Coliseum melted prior to game four because a compressor shut down during the night. The originally scheduled game five in Johnstown became game four and the Thunderbirds hosted game five back at home. The Chiefs' Tom Sasso scored two shorthand goals to help his team even the series in game six by defeating the Thunderbirds 7–4, a game that included several fights. After

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4092-695: The trophy, but was allowed to be kept by the Newfoundland Growlers when the previous cup returned to circulation. On one occasions an ECHL club has won the Kelly Cup coincidentally with its NHL affiliate winning the Stanley Cup: 2023 when the Florida Panthers and their ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades both won this also occurred with its AHL affiliate winning the Calder Cup: 2009 when

4158-427: The zone has been gained the offence may proceed to set up as they see fit. On dump ins, the centre's role is to provide support to the wingers as they battle for possession in the corners, and hunt for loose pucks. Many different strategies have been devised to defend the neutral zone. Often successfully defending the neutral zone leads to fewer opportunities for the opposing team to have offensive possessions. Here

4224-584: Was a first team AAHL All-Star. Torchetti also was named the AAHL MVP after the season. In the AAHL playoffs, the Thunderbirds were beaten by Virginia in the championship series to finish their only season in the AAHL. The team was one of the founding five teams to form the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) in the 1988. Bill Coffey sold the team to minority owner John Baker during the season. On October 28, 1988,

4290-555: Was announced by co-owner Ed Broyhill that Winston-Salem would move to West Virginia to play as the Wheeling Thunderbirds . The new franchise in Winston-Salem was awarded to a Cincinnati group headed by businessman Dave Gusky in 1981. The team was named the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds and were the second professional hockey team to be based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina , after the Winston-Salem Polar Twins , who played in

4356-647: Was awarded with the ACHL Rookie Of The Year. In 1987, the ACHL merged into the All-American Hockey League (AAHL). Hamel started the season as head coach but was replaced by another former Thunderbird player, Brian Carroll, mid-season. The Thunderbirds went on to finish second in the standings with a 34–15–0 record, 68 points, and seven points behind the first place Virginia Lancers . John Torchetti set season records with 63 goals scored and 134 points and

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