Tim Tebow is combining his football expertise with hockey.
The ECHL board of governors approved the expansion application for a minor league hockey team in Lake Tahoe, with play beginning in the 2024-25 calendar year.
Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback who most notably played for the Denver Broncos, will be a co-owner of the franchise. The 35 year old will co-own the team with David Hodges, the CEO of Hodges Management Group LLC, which owns auto dealerships and real estate investment firms in Georgia.
"I love that sports can bring people together from all over to enjoy camaraderie, competition, and community impact," Tebow said in a statement. "I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be part of a group bringing hockey to the Tahoe area for fans and families to create memories for years to come."
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The franchise will work with fans to produce a name, along with the team colors and logo. Zawyer Sports & Entertainment will run the operations having previously done so for the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen and Savannah Ghost Pirates, two teams Tebow has been a minority partner with.
Games will presumably be played at Tahoe Blue Event Center, a venue with a 4,200-person capacity, as building operations are expected to begin later in July.
Lake Tahoe previously had a minor league team from 2013 to 2018 that played in the Western States Hockey League, a junior league that is now defunct.
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The city was also the location of the NHL Outdoors series in 2021 that hosted two games, which were played without fans on the south shore of the lake. The series served as the replacement for the 2021 Winter Classic and Stadium Series games that were canceled due to COVID-19.
