Florida Everblades The Florida Everblades are an ECHL ice hockey team playing in the Southeast Division . The team is based in Estero , Florida and plays at Germain Arena ( Formerly Teco Arena ) . The team has existed since 1998 . The Everblades are affiliated with the Charlotte Checkers and the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League ( AHL ) , the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League ( OHL ) and with the Carolina Hurricanes and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . The Everblades are thought of as a model franchise for the ECHL , as they have not missed the playoffs in any of their eleven seasons and have made two appearances in the Kelly Cup Finals . The Everblades ' fanbase is also considered to be one of the best in the league , as many games at Germain Arena sell out , especially Saturday night games . Many fans of different NHL and minor - league teams , as well as international fans , come out to watch the Everblades . The team was founded by current owner Craig Brush in 1998 . Prior to the building of the Germain Arena , the arena sat on an empty cow pasture on what is now Everblades Parkway near Interstate 75 in Estero . Brush was said to be reading a free copy of a National Geographic magazine that featured articles on the Florida Everglades , when he envisioned the idea to bring a minor - league hockey team to Southwest Florida . The team ' s name derives from the former Kentucky Thoroughblades AHL franchise . The Everblades ' logo features a gator - head design fused in the form of an ice skate . The logo was designed by a Vancouver graphic design company affiliated with Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos , who came up with the idea of choosing the Everblades colors as blue and green , in tribute to the Hartford Whalers team that Karmanos moved to Raleigh , North Carolina . The Everblades ' inaugural home opener featured a pre - game ceremony in which a large alligator was brought onto the ice to pay tribute to the team ' s name and logo , as well as Florida ' s vast population of reptile species . As of March 15 , 2009 , the Everblades are currently in first place in both the Southeast Division as well as the entire ECHL , followed in second by the Alaska Aces , who lead the Western Division . Both teams have secured a postseason in the playoffs . Awards and Trophies . E . A . Gingher Memorial Trophy . The Everblades have won the E . A . Gingher Memorial Trophy in both 2004 and 2005 . In 2004 , the trophy was given to the champion of the Eastern Conference and to the American Conference champion in 2005 . In both years , the Everblades lost to the winners of the Bruce Taylor Trophy . In 2004 the loss was to the Idaho Steelheads of the Western Conference and to the Trenton Titans of the National Conference in 2005 . Brabham Cup . In the 1999 – 2000 season , the Everblades won the Brabham Cup . This trophy is given to the team that has the best position in the standings for the entire league . The Everblades took the trophy with 108 points ( 53 - 15 - 2 ) , but fell in the first round to the Augusta Lynx . In the ECHL in 2000 , there was no overtime period , with play going directly to a shootout . Therefore all losses in a shootout are designated as ties . Historic games in Everblades History . 2005 Playoff Brawl . One famous event that stands out among Blades ' fans was during the 2005 ECHL playoffs . With the Everblades hosting the Greenville Grrrowl on April 22 , 2005 for the first game of the American Conference Semifinals , the Everblades and Grrrowl would engage in a third - period line brawl that would see both teams combine for 197 minutes in penalties . The brawl stemmed from previous incidents throughout the game . Prior to the brawl , then - Everblades forward Greg Hornby checked Greenville ' s Vladimir Gusev hard into the boards behind the net . Gusev would leave the game injured , and as a result , the pace of the game as well as checking , would pick up . With the Blades up 4 - 1 with under six minutes to play in the third period , then - Greenville pest Krys Barch would screen the net during a Greenville shooting attempt . Everblades defenceman Tim O ' Connell checked Barch from behind numerous times , hoping to clear him from in front of the net . Barch , having been fed up with being pressured , turned around hoping to sucker - punch O ' Connell . Instead , O ' Connell quickly skated away from the crease before Barch turned around , and Barch would end up punching Everblades goalie Tyler Mackay . O ' Connell jumped on top of Barch , resulting in a dog pile . All players on the ice dropped the gloves for a wild line brawl that would see Florida goalie Tyler Mackay and others getting ejected for fighting . After all the mayhem , Craig Kowalski would take Mackay ' s place as netminder . Shortly thereafter , the Everblades ' Simon Tremblay would scrap with Greenville ' s Adam Nightingale to end the fiasco . The Everblades would go onto win the game , 4 - 1 , and sweep the series , three games to none . Ironically , game 2 featured no fights as the Everblades won an overtime thriller by a score of 3 - 2 . 2004 American Conference Finals . Game 5 in the 2004 American Conference Finals was quite a memorable series for the Everblades . The Blades would face the Reading Royals in five games in what would be an epic series . Reading evened the series at home , winning Game 3 and Game 4 , respectively . With the score knotted at two for Game 5 , the game was sent to overtime . Jon McNabb of the Everblades would score on a breakaway goal to defeat the Royals in front of a record crowd of 7 , 080 fans at Germain Arena . Year by Year Records . Individual records . Individual records Individual Streaks Retired Numbers . Both players ' numbers were retired during a pre - game ceremony on Oct . 19 , 2007 , as the Everblades hosted the Mississippi Sea Wolves , in what would be the Sea Wolves ' first official regular season game after being placed on a two - year hiatus due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina . Banners made with their jersey numbers were hung to the rafters of the Germain Arena . Current roster . < small > As of October 21 , 2009 .