Macon Whoopee (1996-2002)

Central Hockey League (1996-2001)
East Coast Hockey League (2001-2002)

Background

The second iteration of the Macon Whoopees was an expansion team in the second edition of the Central Hockey League (CHL), though the new version of the club dropped the “S” from the nickname. In the spring of 1996, the franchise was awarded as an expansion team in the Southern Hockey League (SHL).⁵They’re Macon Whoopee on Ice, AP via The News, Mar 6, 1996 The SHL, heading into its second season, reprised the name of the league the original Whoopees were members of in 1973.

The new Macon Whoopee wound up joining the CHL⁶Transactions, The Record Journal, Jul. 18, 1996 when the SHL suspended operations that summer. Like their predecessors, the team took up residence in the Macon Coliseum. Unlike the old Whoopees, fans turned out to see them. The new team averaged over 3,600 fans in its first season, more than three times the 1970s team’s average.

Early success

For opening night, team officials got actor and comedian Whoopi Goldberg to autograph three pucks to be used during the game. In return, Goldberg got the very first puck used, signed by all the Macon players.⁷Whoopi helps with Macon Whoopee, AP via The Albany Herald, Oct. 6, 1996

The Whoopee had a winning record in their first four seasons and made the playoffs each time. The fans continued to show up too. They exited in the first round in their first three postseason appearances, and lost in the second round in their fourth.

Starting with the team’s second season, a new logo was adopted. The original was a blue fig leaf with “Macon Whoopee” inside in white letters, loosely based on the Toronto Maple Leafs logo. It was replaced by a menacing whooping crane being harassed by a bee, subtly suggesting a birds-and-the-bees theme. The new logo proved to be quite popular. Meanwhile, the team leaned into the sexual innuendo behind the name, calling one section of seats in the Macon Coliseum the One Night Stands.⁸For Georgians, hockey’s as fun as Macon Whoopee, AP via The Herald-Journal, Feb. 23, 1997

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Though they were having success on the ice and drawing strong attendance, the front office was not on solid footing, as the original investment group of five had dwindled to two by the start of season three. It was around this time that the team needed to draw 600 more fans per game to be profitable.⁹Hockey in Macon is a success, Knight Ridder Newspapers via The Cedartown Standard, Nov. 12, 1998

The Whoopee dropped to last place in the Eastern Division for their final CHL season, 2000-01. They almost didn’t play that season. In June of 2000, the team briefly suspended operations.¹⁰Macon Whoopee halt operations, The Albany Herald, Jun. 22, 2000 After winning concessions from the city and the Macon Coliseum, the team was able to move forward with the 2000-01 campaign.

Move to ECHL

Despite a last-place finish and a corresponding drop in attendance to just over 3,100 fans a game, the Whoopee moved to the East Coast Hockey League in June of 2001.¹¹Whoopee bound for new league, The Albany Herald, Jun. 8, 2001 Before the switch, the team was purchased by Canadians Jean Gagnon and Michel Cadrin operating as the Elmore-Tuttle Sports Group. They, in turn, leased it back to the team’s original ownership group. Neither the move nor the new ownership structure improved the team’s fortunes as they finished 7th in the ECHL’s eight-team Southeast Division and missed the playoffs. On June 28, 2002, Gagnon and Cadrin announced the franchise would be relocated to Lexington, KY.

The following year, the city welcomed the almost as cleverly named, but not as sexy, Macon Trax, who played three seasons, one each in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, the WHA2, and the Southern Professional Hockey League. In 2015, the SPHL’s Augusta RiverHawks relocated to Macon and became the Macon Mayhem.

Links

Central Hockey League Media Guides

Central Hockey League Programs 1992-2014

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