Huntington Hornets
The Huntington Hornets were the first professional hockey team in the state of West Virginia, playing in the IHL for the 1956-57 season. The team moved to Huntington from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they spent six season as the Rockets. The team finished third in the IHL, winning 26 of 60 games, but faired poorly at the box office. After only one year, they were relocated to Louisville, Kentucky, where they became the Rebels. It would take nearly half a century for minor pro hockey to return to West Virginia, when the Wheeling Thunderbirds moved from North Carolina in 1992.Â
