ECHL hockey: Florida Everblades lose in Teddy Bear Toss; statue dedicated to Craig Brush

A statue dedication, skunk apes, and teddy bears.

Saturday was quite the combination for the Florida Everblades at Hertz Arena, but it didn't result in a win. Instead, the Trois Revieres Lions completed a three-game sweep with a 6-3 victory before a sellout of 7,358.

The Blades, dressed in Skunk Ape jerseys, started out more like just the skunk part, with the Lions scoring three goals on four shots, and goalie Tomas Vomacka getting pulled.

"I think we showed a little bit of inexperience on the back end and unfortunately we didn't get the saves early in the game to settle things down," Blades coach Brad Ralph said. "I was proud of our resiliency. We tried to fight back."

Down 3-0, Florida captain John McCarron finally got the flurry of Teddy Bears and stuffed animals cascading from the stands, stealing the puck on a penalty kill and scoring on a breakaway with 5:41 left in the first period.

"John's a big-game player, no doubt about it," Ralph said. "He always comes through when you need him to, and he came through with a big goal for us."

But McCarron was called for spearing at the end of the period and received a match penalty. Florida (8-6-2-3) closed within 4-3 in the second on Blake Winiecki's goal after he came on to complete a line change, but the Lions answered with 7:12 left, then added another in the third.

Peter Abbondonato had a hat trick in the first, and finished with four goals for the Lions (10-7), who had five power plays in the first period and eight overall. Bobo Carpenter had the second goal late in the first for the Blades, who finished 0 of 7 with the man advantage.

Florida's Kyle Neuber provided a late highlight, winning a fight with Cedric Montminy with about four minutes left.

"It was obviously disappointing on a big night for us," Ralph said. "We've got a good hockey team here. We're learning some tough lessons right now and we'll be better for it in the end."

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All of the stuffed animals collected will be donated to benefit Golisano Children's Hospital and other local causes. The Skunk Ape jerseys — the skunk ape is a creature of folklore that has supposedly been sighted around Florida, including the nearby Big Cypress National Preserve — are being auctioned off to raise money for Bear Necessities, a pediatric children's research nonprofit.

Brush honored with plaque on statue

Ninety minutes prior to the game, the large hockey player statue in front of the arena was dedicated to Craig Brush, the current general manager whose idea it was to bring hockey and the arena to Southwest Florida 25 years ago.

"For me this night is humbling, but I'm also very proud," Brush said.

"Without Craig, I don't think there'd be an arena, and I don't think we'd have a hockey team in Southwest Florida," said Blades and Hertz Arena owner David Hoffmann, with his wife Jerri whose Hoffmann Family of Companies purchased both in September 2019. "It's all due to this guy right here.

"We're just thrilled we to get to honor Craig and his great family for his contributions not only today, but you're going to see it for many, many years to come."

Then-Everblades Arena opened in late 1998 and its main tenant, the Everblades, quickly became a hot ticket in the area, selling out routinely for their first several years. The team was and still is a staple in the ECHL, winning the league's Kelly Cup in 2012 -- then-coach Greg Poss was in the crowd and was acknowledged by Brush during his presentation — "I'll always be indebted to (him) because we got a cup," he said.

The Blades also have been to the Kelly Cup Finals three other times, and earned four Brabham Cups for the ECHL's best regular-season record, including last season.

Brush and almost his entire family were there for the pregame ceremony. He introduced all of them, and also credited many longstanding employees, including three who have been with the arena for 23 years.

He gave appreciation to Hoffmann for what he's done with the arena since buying the team just over two years ago, and also what Hoffmann did for employees. While some were laid off, others were furloughed or took pay cuts during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

"To this man's credit, he's paid everybody back — every cent that they would've got, they have received back," Brush said. "That really is remarkable."

Brush also thanked Peter Karmanos and the late Tom Thewes, whose KTB Sports, Inc., partnership was the inaugural ownership group, "for the confidence that they had in me way back when to get this thing started," he said. "It was a leap of faith on their part, and I'm just so pleased that it worked out."

Former Blades star Ernie Hartlieb spoke on behalf of several players who also took in the 30-minute ceremony. He talked about how many of the players met their wives when they played for the team, and when Everblades star Tom Buckley's young daughter Piper died suddenly, Brush had Hartlieb organize a charity game between alumni players and the current team.

That connection was just part of the experience that Brush gave the players who have come through the franchise.

"Growing up it was your ultimate goal as a hockey player to play in the NHL," Hartlieb said. "It's a tough road and not a lot of guys get there. Even a lot of us here didn't get there. I want to thank you Craig, because this was like our NHL."

Brush always dreamed big

"Dream Big" is the bolded inscription on the plaque adorning the statue, which arrived during last season, with wording underneath and a likeness of Brush.

Brush's dream of having hockey and an arena in Estero was indeed a big one, and to many an unlikely one. He remembered the first press conference at nearby Wildcat Run Golf & Country Club, and what he termed bemusement by some of the 50 people in attendance that this was for real.

"They heard a lot of stuff over the years," Brush said. "They didn't really expect this to happen. Well, it did happen."

An "ice breaking" happened in January 1998, and the arena was completed 10 1/2 months later — the inaugural team had to play its first 13 games on the road.

Ralph thanked Brush, and each of the current players shook hands with Brush on their way back into warm up before the game.

Many of Brush's family members, including wife Kyle, wore Cornell University hockey jerseys. Brush played for the undefeated NCAA champion Big Red in 1970.

"I think it's fitting that this statue's been christened 'Dream Big' because this man, I don't think anyone dreams bigger," Kyle Brush said. " ... This idea about coming to Florida and building a hockey arena in Southwest Florida when there was nothing to do with hockey? People rollerbladed."

Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Florida Everblades lose Teddy Bear Toss; Craig Brush statue dedicated