At Cape Coral High, you might notice the new sports logos on students’ hoodies or shirts, mainly being hockey teams. The game is becoming no stranger to the students of CCHS and is rising in popularity.
As a result of successful sports teams, hockey is becoming an increasingly popular sport throughout the state of Florida. The Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League won two straight Stanley Cups whilst making three straight final appearances in a row. The Florida Panthers made it all the way to the finals as an underdog team, beating the record-breaking Boston Bruins in the opening round.
Looking at a local level, the Florida Everblades of Estero in the Eastern Conference Hockey League recently won two straight Kelly Cup titles back-to-back. The fan bases of all these teams have grown along with the rise of hockey watch-time in the state.
With hockey on the rise in Florida, schools have taken notice. An example is in Fort Myers with Canterbury School. The private school has given itself a hockey team and has been extremely successful on the rink.
The school has also managed to produce talent worthy of the major leagues. Retired NHL goaltender Mike Dunham played for Canterbury when he was in high school. In 1990, he was drafted 53rd overall by the New Jersey Devils of the NHL.
In Dunham’s 394 games played at the major level, he acquired 141 wins while putting up a .908 save percentage with an average of 2.74 goals against on average (according to NHL.com.) Dunham is a great example of how Florida hockey can grow a player’s career on the rink.
Florida as a whole have raised many superstar and even franchise players in the game of hockey. The Hughes brothers (Jack, Quinn, and Luke) were all raised in Orlando.
Jack and Quinn have become the face of the New Jersey Devils and the Vancouver Canucks respectively. Luke Hughes, playing alongside Jack, has also become a superstar for his team.
The Hughes brothers are a great example of what a state like Florida can produce. Even though the term hockey does not match with Florida’s image of sun and heat, our state makes it possible.
With this in mind, it is a great opportunity for CCHS to grow its sports by incorporating hockey in the list. While the school does not have a rink, that does not stop the idea. As a matter of fact, Florida Gulf Coast University plays their D2 hockey at Hertz Arena in Estero where the Florida Everblades call home.
School is all about growing a student’s awareness of the outside world and what they would like to do when they graduate. With an increase of hockey fans in SWFL, it would be perfect to incorporate hockey into an orange and blue Seahawks uniform.
