Tim Tebow will be part of ownership team bringing minor league hockey to Lake Tahoe

LAKE TAHOE — Tim Tebow will be part of an ownership group bringing an expansion hockey team to Lake Tahoe, the ECHL announced Monday.

The league, in conjunction with Zawyer Sports & Entertainment, said the team will begin play in the 2024-25 season. The Lake Tahoe team expects to announce an NHL affiliation in February 2024.

Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL player, will partner with David Hodges, the CEO of Hodges Management Group LLC, in the venture. The team, currently unnamed, will play at the new Tahoe Blue Events Center and help expand the league’s reach.

“I love that sports can bring people together from all over to enjoy camaraderie, competition, and community impact,” Tebow said in a release. “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.”

Tebow is already a minority partner in the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen and Savannah Ghost Pirates,

The team will be the 29th in the league, “expanding our geography in the western part of the continent, and creating natural rivalries for visiting fans with the Idaho Steelheads, Utah Grizzlies, and the entire Mountain Division,” ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin said.

The ECHL currently has affiliations with 28 of the 32 NHL teams. There have been 740 players who have gone on to play in the NHL after starting their careers in the ECHL.