The Wandering Disciple

Joe Cox of the Florida Everblades sets up a breakaway during a 2018 East Coast Hockey League game against the Jacksonville Icemen. The Everblades are minor league hockey team in the South Division of the ECHL and have player development contracts with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL and the Nashville Predators of the NHL. They play at the Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida. The Everblades have won 1 Kelly Cup, 4 conference championships and 7 division championships in their 22 year franchise history. (Photo: February 24, 2020)

The Florida Everblades paid tribute to the public safety heroes on Saturday night as they hosted Public Safety Night at Germain Arena.  For the game, the Everblades wore special edition jerseys that honored law enforcement and fire/EMS. The jersey were auctioned off at the end of the night to benefit MDA.  (Photo: March 17, 2018)

Estero, Florida:  It may be warm outside in Southwest Florida, but inside Germain Arena, the ice is cold and the action is hot.  It is here in this frozen palace where the hockey stars of tomorrow get their chance to shine and fight to be on of only a few who make it all the way to the NHL. I grew up attending AHL hockey games as a kid in Pennsylvania.  Many of nights were spent at Hersheypark Arena watching the Hershey Bears play.  When I moved from PA, I kind of lost sight of live games.  While I still enjoyed the games on TV, it really didn't feel like hockey weather when its almost 90 degrees in winter.  For years I have wanted to take the hour drive south to Germain Arena but never really made it down there.  But on a Saturday night in February, I pulled the trigger and headed to a game. Saturday night's game featured the hometown Florida Everblades hosting the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in an ECHL regular season game.  The ECHL is a mino...