Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States.

Its population is about 21,500,000.

Its capital is Tallahassee and the largest city is Miami.

History of hockey in Florida

see also: Florida Amateur Hockey (1963-1992)

The first ice hockey game in Florida was played on December 10, 1938, when the Miami Clippers edged the Miami Beach Pirates 3-2 in the opening match of the minor professional Tropical Hockey League. The league, based out of the Metropolitan Ice Palace in Miami, composed of the Clippers, Pirates, Coral Gables Seminoles, and Havana Tropicals (based in Miami), only lasted one year, concluding on April 2, 1939.

Hockey resumed in Miami on July 14, 1940, and a so-called Miami Amateur Hockey League started up, continuing until January 1941. A new version of the Tropical Hockey League was played in June and July 1941. After a hiatus of over a decade, the sport returned to Florida in 1952, the South Florida Hockey League being formed at the Coral Gables Coliseum. The league did not last long, and folded after the 1953 season.

Hockey was again dormant in the state until the fall of 1963, when the South Florida Hockey Association began play at the Winterhurst Arena in Fort Lauderdale. The association was divided into Pee Wee, Junior, and Senior leagues. It was active until1 1965, when the arena closed down. The Jacksonville Rockets joined the Eastern Hockey League in 1964-65, calling the Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum their home, though they also played some home games in St. Petersburg (starting in 1965-66), West Palm Beach (in 1967-68) and even Macon, Georgia (in 1968-69). The club folded in 1972. The Jacksonville Barons, who resulted from the relocation of the Cleveland Barons, played in the American Hockey League from February 1973 to 1974. The first hockey games at the West Palm Beach Auditorium were played on October 17 and 18, 1967, with the Columbus Checkers beating the Canadian All-Stars 9-6 and 8-7.

The Miami Screaming Eagles were Miami's first attempt at a professional ice hockey team. They were set to play in the World Hockey Association for the 1972-73 season, but could not find a suitable arena to play in and were running out of money from their player signings, so they moved to Philadelphia and became the Philadelphia Blazers. The Atlanta Flames beat the Minnesota North Stars 3-2 at the Lakeland Civic Center on September 26, 1975, and defeated them again by a score of 5-2 at the same venue on September 22, 1976. The New Jersey Devils edged the Minnesota North Stars 6-4 at the Orlando Arena on September 24, 1989. In another Orlando game, the USA Selects beat Sokol Kiev 5-2 on December 19. On September 19, 1990, a crowd of 25,581 packed into the Suncoast Dome in St. Petersburg to see the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Los Angeles Kings 5-3. Three days later, the Philadelphia Flyers thumped the New York Rangers 4-1 at Orlando Arena.

The Tampa Bay Lightning became the state's first National Hockey League franchise in 1992-93. The next season, the Florida Panthers, based in the Miami suburb of Sunrise, joined them in the NHL. The Lightning have enjoyed significant success, winning three Stanley Cups.

List of minor pro franchises

• Jacksonville Rockets - (1964-1972) - (EHL)
• Suncoast Suns - (1971-1973) - (EHL)
• Miami Screaming Eagles - (1972, never played) - (WHA)
• Jacksonville Barons - (February 1973-1974) - (AHL)
• Suncoast Suns - (1973) - (SHL)
• St. Petersburgh Renegades - (1992-1993) - (Sunshine HL)
• Jacksonville Bullets - (1992-1995) - (Sunshine HL)
• Dayton Beach Sun Devils - (1992-1995) - (Sunshine HL)
• Lakeland Ice Warriors - (1992-1995) - (Sunshine HL)
• West Palm Beach Blaze - (1992-1995) - (Sunshine HL)
• Tallahassee Tiger Sharks (1994-2001) - (ECHL)
• Jacksonville Bullets - (1995-1996) - (SHL)
• Lakeland Prowlers - (1995-1996) - (SHL)
• Jacksonville Lizard Kings - (1995-2000) - (ECHL)
• Orlando Solar Bears - (1995-2001) - (IHL)
• Dayton Beach Breakers - (1995-1996) - (SHL)
• West Palm Beach Barracudas - (1995-1996) - (SHL)
• Pensacola Ice Pilots - (1996-2008) - (ECHL)
• Miami Matadors - (1998-1999) - (ECHL)
• St. Petersburgh Parrots - (2002-2003) - (ACHL)
• Jacksonville Barracudas - (2002-2003) - (ACHL)
• Florida Seals - (2002-2003) - (ACHL)
• Florida Seals - (2003-2004) - (WHA2)
• Miami Manatees - (2003-2004) - (WHA2)
• Jacksonville Barracudas - (2003-2004) - (WHA2)
• Lakeland Loggerheads - (2003-2004) - (WHA2)
• Jacksonville Barracudas - (2004-2008) - (SPHL)
• Florida Seals - (2005-2006) - (SPHL)
• Pensacola Ice Flyers - (2009-present) - (SPHL)
• Orlando Solar Bears - (2012-present) - (ECHL)
• Jacksonville IceMen - (2017-present) - (ECHL)

American States

US Capital: Washington, D.C.

Alabama - Alaska - Arizona - Arkansas - California - Colorado

Connecticut - Delaware - Florida - Georgia - Hawaii - Idaho

Illinois - Indiana - Iowa - Kansas - Kentucky - Louisiana

Maine - Maryland - Massachusetts - Michigan - Minnesota - Mississippi

Missouri - Montana - Nebraska - Nevada - New Hampshire - New Jersey

New Mexico - New York - North Carolina - North Dakota - Ohio - Oklahoma

Oregon - Pennsylvania - Rhode Island - South Carolina - South Dakota - Tennessee

Texas - Utah - Vermont - Virginia - Washington

West Virginia - Wisconsin - Wyoming