Obviously, Athens is best known sportswise for college football, but it’s become something of a hockey town since UGA’s club team began playing at the Classic Center 10 years ago.
The Ice Dawgs routinely sell out their games at the Classic Center’s Grand Hall, which seats 1,000 in temporary bleachers for sporting events, and a newer women’s club team also plays there. But now, a professional minor league hockey team will call the Classic Center’s new arena home.
The 5,500-seat arena, now under construction behind the Foundry Street Warehouses and the Multimodal Transportation Center, will host a yet-to-be named Federal Prospects Hockey League team, officials announced Thursday. The home opener is slated for Oct. 26, according to Scott Hull, executive vice president of Athens Pro Hockey, the team’s owner.
The FPHL currently has 11 teams spanning the entire eastern half of the U.S., from Baton Rouge, LA to Watertown, NY, on the Canadian border. League commissioner Don Kirnan described the style of play as fast and physical, and said he expects the Athens team to develop a “tremendous rivalry” with the River Dragons in Columbus, GA. “The battle for the leading team in the league is likely to be right here in Georgia,” Kirnan said.
A fan vote will be held to decide the team name. The options are: The Athenians, Rock Lobsters (a reference to a B-52s song), Athens Owls (a symbol of the goddess Athena) and Classic City Panic (after another famous Athens band, Widespread Panic).
Whatever the name, the team is slated to play 28 home games during the 2024-25 season. Both UGA hockey teams will also play about 10–15 games at the new arena.
The Classic Center had originally signed a contract to move the Greenville, SC East Coast Hockey League team here, but a new owner bought the franchise and didn’t want to follow through on the deal, according to Classic Center President and CEO Paul Cramer.
The $151 million arena, funded partially with local sales tax revenue but mostly through private sources, is expected to be completed late this summer. It will also host large conventions, concerts, high school athletic tournaments and family shows like Disney on Ice—all told, over 100 events per year, some of them multiple days. Depending on the type of event, the arena can be expanded to seat 6,500 or hold 8,500 for conventions.
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