The ECHL’s Greensboro, North Carolina expansion franchise, which is slated to open play next season, is expected to announce its name and logo Tuesday night. However, Tuesday morning there was some more big news surrounding the ECHL’s newest team.

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On the popular Spittin’ Chiclets podcast Tuesday, hosts Ryan Whitney, Paul Bissonnette, Keith Yandle and Mike Grinnell announced that they have each acquired an ownership stake in the Greensboro team. The club’s majority owner is Zawyer Sports And Entertainment which also owns the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen and Savannah Ghost Pirates, and manages operations for the Tahoe Knight Monsters. The group also owns the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.

Bissonnette, Whitney and Yandle all played in the NHL, while Grinnell has been the long-time producer of the Barstool Sports-branded podcast. Additionally, Whitney and Bissonnette have gotten into the beverage business starting with New Amsterdam Vodka’s “Pink Whitney” brand.

Ladies and gentlemen, it has finally happened…

The boys are now co-owners of an @ECHL hockey team‼️✍️ @ZawyerSports @GSOProHockey https://t.co/H2asmmniJU pic.twitter.com/WLUYB4zTa0

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 14, 2025

Bissonnette, better known by many by his nickname and social media handle BizNasty, is an alumnus of the ECHL as a player. He played over 100 games over parts of three seasons with the Wheeling Nailers while he was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. He played 202 games in the NHL, primarily in the Phoenix Coyotes.

In addition to his work on Spittin’ Chiclets, Bissonnette also is a between-periods analyst for TNT’s NHL coverage and has become among the most popular figures in the sport.

"I'm going to see my role as like a Jerry Jones/Lou Lamoriello," Bissonnette said jovially during Tuesday's podcast. "I'm going to have my hands on everything. I will be doing media hits. I'm going to run the s--- out of this team to multiple championships."

Whitney is one of the founding members of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, following his NHL career that saw him play 481 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. He also won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Yandle, who was just announced as a new full-time host on Spittin’ Chiclets Tuesday, retired after 1,109 games in the NHL spent mostly with the Coyotes, but also the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers.

He broke the record for most consecutive games played in the NHL and saw his legendary ironman streak end after 989 games. The record was passed the following season by Phil Kessel, but had stood for 35 years before Yandle broke it.

Whitney and Bissonnette have long made known their interest to get involved in ECHL ownership. They have been extremely active in promoting the league and its players through their podcast and also getting involved in various promotions.

During the coronavirus pandemic that saw many players without a place to play as many teams opted out, Bissonnette championed a player relief fund to help players and their families deal with the job loss. The ECHL and Pro Hockey Players Association formalized the fund with assistance from some of the donations Bissonnette was able to secure.

Additionally, each year you can find some of the Spittin’ Chiclets cast at an Orlando Solar Bears game for their annual “Pink Whitney Night” where the team wears co-branded pink jerseys and fans get to interact with the podcast hosts.

Now the popular crew will be taking their investment in the sport to a new level.

The Greensboro team will play in the First Horizon Coliseum and have a professional hockey history that dates back as far as the late 1950s. The ECHL last had a team in the city from 1999 to 2004.

The ECHL has been on a path towards more rapid expansion as the Greensboro team will be the sixth new team added since 2021-22.

The ECHL is the premier “AA” hockey league in North America. Each of its current 28 teams are affiliated with an NHL franchise. It is not yet known which NHL team will be affiliated with the new Greensboro outfit.

The team name and logo will be announced at 6:30 p.m. ET during a press conference.

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