Images of Sports Charlotte is considered the birthplace of professional hockey in the South. The city of Charlotte, home of the Checkers (originally known as the Clippers), is the greatest Southern town in the history of professional hockey, winning the most play-off championships: three Eastern Hockey League titles, two Southern Hockey League titles, and one East Coast Hockey League title. Several Charlotte players and coaches starred in the National Hockey League including Walter Turk Broda, John Brophy, Fred Creighton, Bill Cowboy Flett, Mike Hartman, Pat Kelly, Jackie Leclair, and John Muckler.