‘An awakening’: With success on the ice, hockey popularity takes off in southern Florida

NHL fans in Florida have had it pretty good over the last few years.

A Florida team making it to the Stanley Cup final is something of a fait accompli – at least for the past six seasons.

That has kids in Florida who grew up on the beach heading to the rink instead to strap on their skates.

“It’s 95 degrees outside (35 Celsius) and 100 per cent humidity, you can come in here, it’s 60 degrees (15 Celsius), and you can learn something,” said Jay Delgado, the owner of Pines Ice Arena in Pembroke Pines, Fla.

When Delgado opened the ice rink complex nearly 30 years ago, it was one of the few in the entire state of Florida.

“At that time there were only three facilities,” he told CityNews. “All the way from West Palm to Miami.”

But with three Stanley Cups in the last five years between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers, Delgado says he’s seen more and more people getting turned on to the sport.

Tampa also won a Cup in 2004 – making that four trophies for the Sunshine State in the past two decades.

“For Florida, I think it’s been kind of an awakening to really what the sport has to offer as an entertainment. Even if you’re not born into that culture,” Delgado said.

The sight outside Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on Panthers’ game days confirms what Delgado is saying, with kids decked out in team gear.

Ryan Rocknowski is one of them. He tells CityNews it took one glimpse at the action on the ice to want more.

“I went to one of the games here, I wanted to play it,” Ryan said when asked how he got into hockey.

Ryan’s dad John says hockey has become so popular in their household, football is now an afterthought for young Ryan.

“First game, I want to say he was two, this was before he could walk,” John Rocknowski said. “And the run these guys have been on, it’s just incredible. Dolphins? He doesn’t even think about the Dolphins anymore.”

For all the success Florida kids are enjoying, it’s meant years of disappointment for those in Canada.

The Edmonton Oilers are trying to bring a championship back to the Great White North for the first time since 1993, while at the same time making sure a Florida team doesn’t win a fourth Cup in six years.