Why is Hockey Becoming More Popular in Florida?

 If you watch professional hockey, you’re familiar with its fast-paced and aggressive nature. Hockey is played on a thick layer of ice with a round, flat disk called a “puck” that moves very quickly across the rink. The players wear pads that cover their whole body and helmets to protect themselves from the aggressive hits that happen in the rink. They use a L-shaped stick to hit the puck in the goal. Many other sports share similarities with ice hockey, including floor hockey, field hockey, and roller hockey.

    Growth  

    Ice hockey is known for being a cold, up-north sport, but recently, hockey has been

expanding its population to the south. Keeping ice cold in Florida’s hot climate is challenging, which is why most hockey played in Florida is roller hockey. Minnesota, known as the “state of hockey,” has over 220 ice hockey rinks, while Florida has expanded to about 17 to 20 rinks. The NHL (National Hockey League) started with six teams in 1917 and has grown to 32 teams today. Shane, a Jupiter Middle School student and ice hockey player, says, “I have seen a growth in ice hockey with more people in the practices, games, and in general.” Ice hockey has not only been expanding in Florida, but it is also becoming a more popular sport worldwide.

   Florida Panthers  

   The Florida Panthers, an NHL team based in Sunrise, Florida, are a widely recognized hockey team for winning the Stanley Cup in consecutive years.  The Stanley Cup is an award given to the team that wins the playoffs among all NHL hockey teams. When a team wins, all the players’ names are engraved on a part of the trophy. They were also awarded their rings for their amazing 2025 season.  The ring was awarded to the team on October 6, 2025. The Florida Panthers have players in all different countries, including Canada, Finland, and Russia. Not only are they a dominant team, but they have also expanded the growth of hockey in Florida.   

 Playing Hockey In Florida

  People don’t play hockey in Florida because the climate outside is the opposite of the sport’s climate. With only a couple of ice hockey rinks in Florida, JMS’s seventh grader Shane Reed has to drive about two hours every week to practice and games. Shane says, “When we play hockey, we have to wear a lot of gear and pads, which makes us really hot, even hotter than outside, and walking outside just makes it even hotter”. Ice hockey is not a very popular sport in Florida because of the year-round climate, yet it is still a competitive sport with a growing population.

   Ice hockey is a sport that is rapidly growing not only in the United States and Florida, but all over the world. The NHL’s population is more than one hundred percent over 25 years. With the Florida Panthers winning the Stanley Cup and becoming a widely known supreme team, hockey’s population is growing all around the world.