The Pensacola Ice Flyers are a professional ice hockey team of the
SPHL
The SPHL (formerly the Southern Professional Hockey League) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league based in Huntersville, North Carolina, with teams located primarily in the southeastern United States as well as Illinois and India ...
. The team played their first season in
2009–10. Home games are played at the
Pensacola Bay Center, previously home to the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
's
Pensacola Ice Pilots from 1996 until their folding in 2008.
The "Ice Flyers" name has a double meaning – it is both a tribute to Pensacola's heritage in naval aviation (
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United Sta ...
is home to the legendary
Blue Angels
The Blue Angels, formally named the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, are a Aerobatics, flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.. Blue Angels official site. Formed in 1946, the unit is the second oldest formal aerobatics ...
and the
National Museum of Naval Aviation) and a homage to original owner
Tim Kerr, who previously played eleven seasons with the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
's
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
.
On April 14, 2013, the Ice Flyers beat the
Huntsville Havoc
The Huntsville Havoc are a professional ice hockey team in the SPHL. They play their home games at the Von Braun Center in downtown Huntsville, Alabama.
History
The team began play in the 2004–05 season, following the defunct Huntsville ...
2–0 in game three of the
President's Cup finals to win the franchise's first President's Cup. The win also solidified the city of Pensacola's first professional sports championship. The Ice Flyers have since won the playoff championship in 2014, 2016, and 2021.
Season-by-season records
Regular season
Post season
Former Ice Flyers who represented their country internationally
* Roman Andrejev - Andrejev played for the Ice Flyers during his only season of North American professional hockey in 2013–14. Andrejev represented Estonia prior to his time with the Ice Flyers at both the U18 and U20 levels but he made his debut with the
Estonian National Team at the
2014 IIHF World Championship Division II, Group A where he was second on the team and tied for third for in the whole tournament in scoring as the Estonians gained promotion to
2015 IIHF World Championship Division I, Group B. He and the Estonians have competed in Division I, Group B since and have avoided relegation back down to Division II, Group A.
*
Joey Hughes - Hughes played his rookie professional season, and last season in North America, with the Ice Flyers during their inaugural season. Hughes had represented Australia in the World Championships prior to playing for the Ice Flyers and was unable to play in the 2010 World Championship due to the SPHL Playoffs. He made his return to the
Australian National Team for the 2011 World Championships and also competed in the 2012 edition.
See also
*
Pensacola Ice Pilots
References
External links
Pensacola Ice Flyers websiteThe Southern Professional Hockey League website
{{Florida Sports
SPHL teams
Ice hockey teams in Florida
Pensacola metropolitan area
Sports in Pensacola, Florida
Ice hockey clubs established in 2009
2009 establishments in Florida