When it comes to the sport of ice hockey, Florida isn’t Canada. The game isn’t a conversation starter at every bar in the state, and it certainly isn’t woven into the fabric of Florida’s culture as it is in some of the world’s colder climes.
“Because we’re in Florida, nobody appreciates hockey,” said senior and avid hockey fan Jodice Woody.
However, to say that there is no hockey following in Florida is to overlook a sizeable group of the population that actually, you know, likes hockey.
Woody continued, “[Hockey]’s fast-paced, requires a lot of skill, and is one of the highest-paying professional sports.”
Others in Florida agree. For the 2011-2012 hockey season, Florida had 11,721 registered players and 5,277 registered youth players, according to a membership report by USA Hockey. This was a 1.3% increase over the previous year, and continued a upwards trend in Florida’s hockey player population which has seen growth of over 50% over the past decade.
Seminole County residents in a hockey state of mind don’t have to go far to find a rink to play on and a league to play in, either. The RDV Ice Den in Altamonte Springs offers many levels of recreational and club hockey leagues for both youth and experienced players. In addition, this year the Orlando Solar Bears began the Central Florida High School Hockey League to encourage growth of the youth game in the area.
Not only are more Floridians entering the game as players, but more Floridians are following the game as fans as well. For example, the average home attendance for the two National Hockey League teams in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers, was higher in 2012-2013 than in 2011-2012. The Panthers saw attendance rise from 16,628 per game to 16,991 per game, while the Lightning saw an increase from 18,468 to 19,055 per game. These gains are even more remarkable given that a labor lockout in the NHL resulted in a shortened season for the league, demonstrating the resolve of Floridian hockey fans in supporting their teams.
In addition to those professional teams, the Orlando Solar Bears made a return to the rink in 2012 after disbanding in 2001. They compete in the East Coast Hockey League, a minor league of the NHL. The team averaged 6,668 fans in attendance per game, third most in the 23 team league.
Sophomore Olivia Xiang took a different angle. “Hockey’s played on ice, and it’s a nice break from the hot Florida sun,” she noted.
Children in Florida aren’t given hockey sticks at birth as in some places, true—but hockey is definitely bigger in this state than many people think.
To read the other side of this heated hockey debate, click here.