The Greenville minor league hockey team will be branded the Swamp Rabbits.
The new name follows a new five-year lease with the Bon Secours Wellness Arena last March. Owner Fred Festa, chairman and CEO of W.R. Grace and Co., signed off on the Road Warriors in 2012.
The Swamp Rabbits, according to the team, pays homage to the legacy of the historic train line, but also provides a brand that better appeals to fans of all ages.
First known as the Carolina, Knoxville and Western line, and later becoming the Greenville and Northern railroad, the intent of the railroad was to connect Greenville with the rich coal fields of Tennessee, providing the Carolinas with a direct line over the mountains and access to cheaper coal.
The railroad received its nickname, the “Swamp Rabbit” by locals who would use the freight train as a means of transportation to picnic in northern Greenville County.
Completion of the rail line proved to be more of a financial commitment than expected, leaving the project at a halt near the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A railroad marker is located beside the “Swamp Rabbit” Pedestrian Bridge, which crosses over the Reedy River just off of South Main Street.
The Swamp Rabbits play their first regular season home game versus the South Carolina Stingrays on Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.