the first professional hockey team to be based in green bay was the green bay bobcats who started playing in 1958 when the brown county veterans memorial arena was built. there is some confusion over what league the team played in during its early years or if the team played in multiple leagues. some sources cite that the bobcats played in the u.s. central hockey league, a predecessor to the current united states hockey league (ushl). other sources claim that the bobcats did not start playing in the uschl until 1961. the green bay bobcats franchise folded after the 1980-1981 season and 23 years of play. however, since the 2008-2009 season the green bay gamblers have used a yellow bobcat prominently in the teams logo as well as having a bobcat by the name of "ace" as the teams mascot.