The Pee Dee Pride was a minor-league hockey organization housed in Florence, South Carolina

Florence, South Carolina

-Municipal government and politics:The City of Florence has a council-manager form of government. The mayor and city council are elected every four years, with no term limits...

, where they played from 1997 until 2005. The organization, which is one of the five charter members of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL

ECHL

The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...

), was originally housed in Knoxville, Tennessee

Knoxville, Tennessee

Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...

 and was known as the Knoxville Cherokees

Knoxville Cherokees

The Knoxville Cherokees were an East Coast Hockey League team based in Knoxville, Tennessee.-History:The franchise was formed in 1988 along with the ECHL...

. The Pride played at the Florence Civic Center

Florence Civic Center

The Florence Civic Center is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Florence, South Carolina. It hosted the infamous eighth WWF In Your House pay-per-view in 1996, during which a storm knocked out the power and thus the broadcast signal during the event. The card was retelecast two nights later from...

, which seats 7,426 fans. The name of the organization comes from the region of South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

 in which Florence is located, known as the "Pee Dee

Pee Dee

The Pee Dee region of South Carolina is the northeastern corner of the state. It is the area of the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, named after the Pee Dee Native American tribe. Its center is Florence...

" region. The team's name was changed to the Florence Pride for the 2003-04 season but, reverted back to the Pee Dee Pride after that one season. The team's mascot was Paws the Lion. The organization never won the Kelly Cup, the ECHL championship trophy. However, the Pride were previous winners of the Palmetto Cup for best team in South Carolina, and the Brabham Cup for best regular season record. In-state rivals of the Pride included the South Carolina Stingrays

South Carolina Stingrays

The South Carolina Stingrays are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Stingrays play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at the North Charleston Coliseum. The Carolina Ice Palace, also located in...

, the Greenville Grrrowl

Greenville Grrrowl

The Greenville Grrrowl were an ECHL hockey team located in Greenville, South Carolina. They played their home games at the BI-LO Center. In the 2001-02 season, they won the Kelly Cup....

, and the Columbia Inferno

Columbia Inferno

The Columbia Inferno are an ECHL team based in Columbia, South Carolina. The team is currently on voluntary suspension awaiting construction of a new arena in suburban Lexington County. They played their home games at the Carolina Coliseum. They planned on playing in a new arena during the...

. Reports have circulated that the owners of the organization will attempt to relocate the team to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...

. However, arena construction on the campus of Coastal Carolina University

Coastal Carolina University

Coastal Carolina University is an independent, state-supported, liberal arts university in Conway, South Carolina, USA, located eight miles west of Myrtle Beach. Founded in 1954, Coastal became an independent university in 1993. The University enrolls approximately 8,300 students on its campus...

 has been stalled, and at the ECHL

ECHL

The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...

league meetings in June 2009, the membership was returned to the league, ending the franchise's lineage.