ESTERO, FLA. — They are one of the most successful minor league hockey teams in the U.S. and enjoy a fervent fan following from Fort Myers south to Marco Island. Now, the three-time Kelly Cup Champions, the Florida Everblades, will be getting its first-ever dedicated coverage on broadcast television in Southwest Florida.
In an announcement made Thursday morning by its media partner, WBBH-2, the NBC affiliate acquired by Hearst Television from Waterman Broadcasting in one of the biggest transactions in recent memory, will be teaming up with the ECHL team as the 2024-2025 season gets underway.
The Everblades are now an affiliate of the St. Louis Blues, and the HD multicast signal associated with WBBH’s Heroes and Icons Network has secured the exclusive television broadcast rights for “select” Everblades home games.
“We’re thrilled to expand our sports programming by bringing the Florida Everblades to the WBBH H&I Network.” Hearst Vice President Darrel Lieze-Adams, who leads WBBH-2 and WZVN-7 in Southwest Florida, said. “As a channel that celebrates American heroes and icons, the Everblades’ passion, dedication, and relentless competitive spirit perfectly align with the values we champion in our programming. We look forward to sharing their journey with our viewers this coming season.”
What games are scheduled for broadcast?
- Saturday, November 23, 2024
- Saturday, December 7, 2024
- Friday, January 18, 2025
- Friday, February 8, 2025
- Saturday, March 29, 2025
- Saturday, April 12, 2025
FloHockey will remain the exclusive streaming partner for the Florida Everblades; all games not televised on H&I will be streamed on FloHockey.
Audio coverage for the Everblades, which has been in place for several season, will remain associated with Beasley Media Group’s “ESPN Southwest Florida” or the Mixlr platform, depending on station availability. The complete radio broadcast schedule will be announced soon.
Voices of the Everblades Jake Maurice and Mike Kelly return along with newcomer Trey Matthews.
“We are incredibly excited to offer our fans a wider variety of ways to experience Everblades hockey this season,” team President Craig Brush said. “The partnership with Heroes and Icons brings our team to a wider audience, while FloHockey remains the perfect platform for fans to catch every game. We’re also thrilled to bring back dedicated radio broadcasts on ESPN SWFL and have Jake, Mike, and Trey back in the booth.”
