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The Florida Everblades have made a lot of history during their 27 seasons of minor-league hockey in the ECHL. The three-time defending champions have raised four Kelly Cups overall and have seen many great players wear the Gator logo on their jerseys.
Goaltender Cam Johnson, who has backboned the Blades to three straight Kelly Cup titles and has them in position for a fourth, deserves to be in the conversation.
Here's a look at some of the franchise greats who have donned the Blue and Green during their time in Estero and their resumes.
Younger fans know Berg as a name hanging from rafters, as there are high schoolers who have been born since his last game. But for those who were around in the early years, his name was synonymous with the franchise.
If not for a series of injuries that shortened his career, Berg could have had virtually untouchable offensive records. That being said, he was the Everblades' all-time career leader in goals (145) and points (319) for 15 years until McCarron passed him during the 2021-2022 season.
"Reggie was one of those guys who could take over a hockey game," recalled Hartlieb, who was Berg's linemate. "If you touched Reggie, he would chop you in the face. He was a smaller guy, but took no grief or crap from anybody. I remember getting into a handful of fights with some bigger guys because of stuff Reggie would do if somebody would hit him."
Berg served as team captain for part of the 01-02 season. He was the ECHL Rookie of the Month in March 2000 and was named Player of the Week four times during his career. Though he did not get to drink from the Kelly Cup, Berg does have the distinction of being part of the first Everblades team to make it to the Finals in 2004.
"Reggie Berg was a natural scorer and in those early years looked to be the most sure-fire prospect to be the first Everblade to become a homegrown NHL player before some untimely injuries derailed his progress," said former Naples Daily News reporter Andy Kent.
The names Berg and Buckley often go together, as the two played together and had their jerseys retired together. Tom Buckley stands alone unofficially as the best player to end his career not by choice.
Buckley actually retired in 2003, but when the Everblades made their run to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2004, he came out of retirement late in the regular season. He was no spectator, either. He played in every postseason game, leading the team with 9 goals and 20 points.
Though he wanted to continue, the Carolina Hurricanes organization - which owned the Everblades at the time - did not sign Buckley for the 04-05 season. He retired again, this time for good. It was some time before he would attend a game after that, though his relationship with the organization was mended over time and he wrote a column in The News-Press thanking the organization, his family, teammates, and fans on the eve of his jersey retirement in 2007.
As short as his time with the Everblades was, Buckley is high up in the record books. He was the franchise assists leader with 207 for 18 years until McCarron passed him. He is third in points (310), fourth in penalty minutes (422), and seventh in goals (103). He was named ECHL Player of the Week twice. He was the team captain for the 02-03 season.
"But Beyond his skill level on the ice he had a fiery edge to him and a toughness combined with a hockey intelligence that made him almost like an extra coach on the bench as well as a big fan favorite," Kent said.
Starting in 2004, mention the name Ernie Hartlieb to an Everblades fan, and you'll get an instant positive reaction. Years after his full-time career ended in 2010 (though for several years he would pop in to fill roster holes), he is still a smiling face of the franchise. People still see him at the arena, either attending games, training players, or even playing in the men's rec league.
"Ernie's the man," Johnson said. "He's always gassin' me up. It all comes down to those guys who came in front of me. When I came here, they were already winning a lot of games, they were kind of knocking on the door of those Kelly Cups. So they already had a good thing going down here."
In retirement, Hartlieb has been more than an observer of the players who have come and gone. With his wife Miranda, a certified trainer, Hartlieb owns Hartlieb Elite Athletic Training (HEAT), the gym inside the Everblades arena. So the current players are well aware of what he means to the franchise.
While he was in uniform, Hartlieb was a leader, serving as captain during the 2007-08 season. Angela Denker (then Busch), who was the Naples Daily News Everblades beat writer from 2007-2009, recalls his reception of her when she was a 21-year-old covering the team. In those days, postgame interviews were conducted in the dressing room.
"The Blades had never had a woman reporter in the locker room before, and it could have been a bad experience," said Denker, who is now a Lutheran pastor in Minnesota. "But as a veteran team leader, Ernie always set an example of treating me with respect and almost as a sort of big brother as I got used to life in Florida and covering hockey full-time."
But as a player, "Big Ern" was much more than just a brand ambassador. He was a Swiss Army knife in the rink, using his size to play both forward and defender. Hartlieb's 171 career assists put him fourth on the franchise all-time list.
"I kind of did it all, whether it was fight the tough guys on the other team, score a big goal, block a shot, go back and play D, take grief from the coach," Hartlieb said. "Everbody asks what kind of player I was. I was a team guy."
In his sixth season with club, he's earned three Kelly Cup championships. He's third in ECHL history in career playoff wins by a goaltender (47, all with Florida), fourth in career playoff games by goaltender (63, all with Florida); a two-time Kelly Cup playoffs MVP, and led the ECHL in goals-against average last year. He was named a 2022-2023 All-Star and has twice been an ECHL goaltender of the week.
Ask Johnson who the best Everblade of all time is, and his answer his quick: "I gotta go with my captain, Johnny McCarron."
McCarron served for four years as captain, longer than any captain in Everblades history, earning him the moniker Captain Everblade, which Kelly would often use during his broadcasts.
"Every time John McCarron stepped on the ice, he was a presence and his teammates played a bigger game," team broadcaster Mike Kelly said. "Whether it was winning a clutch face-off, delivering a big bodycheck or scoring a clutch goal -- McCarron was key on a nightly basis."
The forward arrived in Estero the same season that coach Brad Ralph did, 2016. The two formed the chemistry of a player and coach who joined the franchise together, went through the adversity of COVID-19 and season-ending disappointments for several years together, and then celebrated their first Kelly Cup championship together.
Following the 2022 Cup win, McCarron retired. But midway through the following season, he came back for an encore, putting up big postseason numbers to help the Blades win the second of the three Kelly Cups before retiring for good.
Since so much of the accolades surround McCarron's such qualitative attributes as his leadership, it can be easy to overlook his tangible production, which would be a big mistake. McCarron is the franchise's all-time leader in goals scored (152), assists (212), points (364), postseason games played (91), postseason goals (27), and postseason assists (52). The ECHL named him Performer of the Year and All-Star First team in 2020-21, a season that saw him lead the league in goals with 31.
"From a coaching perspective, every game, you could rely on John McCarron to be the hardest worker on your team, to be the most competitive player on your team and to play with emotion," Ralph said. "It's just not an easy thing to do. But you could rely on him in every game to bring those attributes. It's very demanding, very taxing, but he was an absolute beast every game, and it just shows with the numbers that he put up throughout his career."
Roy played just six seasons in Estero before a sterling seven years in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League. He retired in an ECHL uniform last year, but it was with the Norfolk Admirals, so he can't be considered an Everblades lifer like the aforementioned players.
But Roy does have one thing during his time in Florida that cannot be taken away. He was the first Everblade to hold the Kelly Cup.
As a perennially successful club, the Everblades have missed the playoffs only once in their 27 seasons. But as the first 12 years of the franchise's history passed with two finals appearances but no trophy, the team was seen as the best franchise to not win a Cup. Travel back in time and tell team president Craig Brush that the Everblades would have four Kelly Cups, including a three-peat, in the first quarter of the 21st Century, it's not certain that he would believe you.
In the 2008 offseason, Brush made a fateful signing, luring the French Canadian whose name means King to Estero from the Pensacola Ice Pilots.
Roy was a tough-as-nails forward who could be counted on to get into a scrap, getting over 100 penalty minutes in three of his six seasons. Early on, he was Hartlieb's linemate.
"I would say he was like me," Hartlieb said. "He was on the left wing. I was on the right wing. He was a gamer, scored big goals, would get into fights, block shots, kill penalties, he did it all."
In 2011, "Roysey" was named the team captain, a role he held for what was then a team-record three years. In his first year with the 'C', he scored, blocked, and fought his way to getting the Everblades that elusive championship, becoming the first Everblade to have his name etched on the Kelly Cup.
Statistically, Roy's ECHL career peaked the following season. He won the ECHL goals title with 38 and points title with 89. He was named to the First All-Star Team and twice Player of the Month. Overall, he is the all-time Everblades leader in games played (beating John McCarron by one), second in penalty minutes (560), third in goals (133), fourth in points (292), and fifth in assists (159).
To be determined? Chau won the June M. Kelly Playoff MVP award in his second professional season. He was named Everblades captain in his third. His name is already on the Kelly Cup twice. He is 14th on the franchise all-time goals list with 57. Will Chau be a career Everblades luminary or go on to bigger and better things? He is still early enough in his career to be considered a developmental player by the American Hockey League, and his current contract is an AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Time will tell.
Neuber gets a mention for two reasons. He is the only player in ECHL history to get his name on the Kelly Cup four times (though one of those times was with the Allen Americans). He is also the franchise leader by far in penalty minutes with 894 and counting. Roy is second on the list with a relatively well-behaved 560. Neuber has a lot of tripping, cross-checking, and fighting to do if he wants to beat the league record of 2,807 set by Garet Hunt last year.
Joining the franchise in 2019, Pendenza was a model of consistency as a forward. He was with all three of the three-peat teams, serving as captain for the last one before retiring. He is sixth in franchise history in goals (107), assists (155) and points (262) and seventh in games played (298). He was named an ECHL Player of the Week in 2023.
One of the Everblades' contributions to the region is a spark of interest in developing hockey talent. Consequently, Roe gets a mention as the most successful local product in franchise history. He never won a Kelly Cup but was part of two Brabham Cup teams. The ECHL named him Performer of the Year in 17-18 and Performer of the Month four times. He was the ECHL All-Star Game MVP in 2020. In his six seasons, Roe tied with Hartlieb in a tie for third in games played (359). Not bad for a kid from Fort Myers.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: ECHL Florida Everblades' all-time greatest player list over 27 seasons
Continue reading...
Goaltender Cam Johnson, who has backboned the Blades to three straight Kelly Cup titles and has them in position for a fourth, deserves to be in the conversation.
Here's a look at some of the franchise greats who have donned the Blue and Green during their time in Estero and their resumes.
The Everblades Mount Rushmore
Reggie Berg (1999-2007)
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Younger fans know Berg as a name hanging from rafters, as there are high schoolers who have been born since his last game. But for those who were around in the early years, his name was synonymous with the franchise.
If not for a series of injuries that shortened his career, Berg could have had virtually untouchable offensive records. That being said, he was the Everblades' all-time career leader in goals (145) and points (319) for 15 years until McCarron passed him during the 2021-2022 season.
"Reggie was one of those guys who could take over a hockey game," recalled Hartlieb, who was Berg's linemate. "If you touched Reggie, he would chop you in the face. He was a smaller guy, but took no grief or crap from anybody. I remember getting into a handful of fights with some bigger guys because of stuff Reggie would do if somebody would hit him."
Berg served as team captain for part of the 01-02 season. He was the ECHL Rookie of the Month in March 2000 and was named Player of the Week four times during his career. Though he did not get to drink from the Kelly Cup, Berg does have the distinction of being part of the first Everblades team to make it to the Finals in 2004.
"Reggie Berg was a natural scorer and in those early years looked to be the most sure-fire prospect to be the first Everblade to become a homegrown NHL player before some untimely injuries derailed his progress," said former Naples Daily News reporter Andy Kent.
Tom Buckley (1999-2004)
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The names Berg and Buckley often go together, as the two played together and had their jerseys retired together. Tom Buckley stands alone unofficially as the best player to end his career not by choice.
Buckley actually retired in 2003, but when the Everblades made their run to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2004, he came out of retirement late in the regular season. He was no spectator, either. He played in every postseason game, leading the team with 9 goals and 20 points.
Though he wanted to continue, the Carolina Hurricanes organization - which owned the Everblades at the time - did not sign Buckley for the 04-05 season. He retired again, this time for good. It was some time before he would attend a game after that, though his relationship with the organization was mended over time and he wrote a column in The News-Press thanking the organization, his family, teammates, and fans on the eve of his jersey retirement in 2007.
As short as his time with the Everblades was, Buckley is high up in the record books. He was the franchise assists leader with 207 for 18 years until McCarron passed him. He is third in points (310), fourth in penalty minutes (422), and seventh in goals (103). He was named ECHL Player of the Week twice. He was the team captain for the 02-03 season.
"But Beyond his skill level on the ice he had a fiery edge to him and a toughness combined with a hockey intelligence that made him almost like an extra coach on the bench as well as a big fan favorite," Kent said.
Ernie Hartlieb (2004-2019)
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Starting in 2004, mention the name Ernie Hartlieb to an Everblades fan, and you'll get an instant positive reaction. Years after his full-time career ended in 2010 (though for several years he would pop in to fill roster holes), he is still a smiling face of the franchise. People still see him at the arena, either attending games, training players, or even playing in the men's rec league.
"Ernie's the man," Johnson said. "He's always gassin' me up. It all comes down to those guys who came in front of me. When I came here, they were already winning a lot of games, they were kind of knocking on the door of those Kelly Cups. So they already had a good thing going down here."
In retirement, Hartlieb has been more than an observer of the players who have come and gone. With his wife Miranda, a certified trainer, Hartlieb owns Hartlieb Elite Athletic Training (HEAT), the gym inside the Everblades arena. So the current players are well aware of what he means to the franchise.
While he was in uniform, Hartlieb was a leader, serving as captain during the 2007-08 season. Angela Denker (then Busch), who was the Naples Daily News Everblades beat writer from 2007-2009, recalls his reception of her when she was a 21-year-old covering the team. In those days, postgame interviews were conducted in the dressing room.
"The Blades had never had a woman reporter in the locker room before, and it could have been a bad experience," said Denker, who is now a Lutheran pastor in Minnesota. "But as a veteran team leader, Ernie always set an example of treating me with respect and almost as a sort of big brother as I got used to life in Florida and covering hockey full-time."
But as a player, "Big Ern" was much more than just a brand ambassador. He was a Swiss Army knife in the rink, using his size to play both forward and defender. Hartlieb's 171 career assists put him fourth on the franchise all-time list.
"I kind of did it all, whether it was fight the tough guys on the other team, score a big goal, block a shot, go back and play D, take grief from the coach," Hartlieb said. "Everbody asks what kind of player I was. I was a team guy."
Cam Johnson (2019-present)
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In his sixth season with club, he's earned three Kelly Cup championships. He's third in ECHL history in career playoff wins by a goaltender (47, all with Florida), fourth in career playoff games by goaltender (63, all with Florida); a two-time Kelly Cup playoffs MVP, and led the ECHL in goals-against average last year. He was named a 2022-2023 All-Star and has twice been an ECHL goaltender of the week.
John McCarron (2016-2023)
Ask Johnson who the best Everblade of all time is, and his answer his quick: "I gotta go with my captain, Johnny McCarron."
McCarron served for four years as captain, longer than any captain in Everblades history, earning him the moniker Captain Everblade, which Kelly would often use during his broadcasts.
"Every time John McCarron stepped on the ice, he was a presence and his teammates played a bigger game," team broadcaster Mike Kelly said. "Whether it was winning a clutch face-off, delivering a big bodycheck or scoring a clutch goal -- McCarron was key on a nightly basis."
The forward arrived in Estero the same season that coach Brad Ralph did, 2016. The two formed the chemistry of a player and coach who joined the franchise together, went through the adversity of COVID-19 and season-ending disappointments for several years together, and then celebrated their first Kelly Cup championship together.
Following the 2022 Cup win, McCarron retired. But midway through the following season, he came back for an encore, putting up big postseason numbers to help the Blades win the second of the three Kelly Cups before retiring for good.
Since so much of the accolades surround McCarron's such qualitative attributes as his leadership, it can be easy to overlook his tangible production, which would be a big mistake. McCarron is the franchise's all-time leader in goals scored (152), assists (212), points (364), postseason games played (91), postseason goals (27), and postseason assists (52). The ECHL named him Performer of the Year and All-Star First team in 2020-21, a season that saw him lead the league in goals with 31.
"From a coaching perspective, every game, you could rely on John McCarron to be the hardest worker on your team, to be the most competitive player on your team and to play with emotion," Ralph said. "It's just not an easy thing to do. But you could rely on him in every game to bring those attributes. It's very demanding, very taxing, but he was an absolute beast every game, and it just shows with the numbers that he put up throughout his career."
Mathieu Roy (2008-2014)
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Roy played just six seasons in Estero before a sterling seven years in the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League. He retired in an ECHL uniform last year, but it was with the Norfolk Admirals, so he can't be considered an Everblades lifer like the aforementioned players.
But Roy does have one thing during his time in Florida that cannot be taken away. He was the first Everblade to hold the Kelly Cup.
As a perennially successful club, the Everblades have missed the playoffs only once in their 27 seasons. But as the first 12 years of the franchise's history passed with two finals appearances but no trophy, the team was seen as the best franchise to not win a Cup. Travel back in time and tell team president Craig Brush that the Everblades would have four Kelly Cups, including a three-peat, in the first quarter of the 21st Century, it's not certain that he would believe you.
In the 2008 offseason, Brush made a fateful signing, luring the French Canadian whose name means King to Estero from the Pensacola Ice Pilots.
Roy was a tough-as-nails forward who could be counted on to get into a scrap, getting over 100 penalty minutes in three of his six seasons. Early on, he was Hartlieb's linemate.
"I would say he was like me," Hartlieb said. "He was on the left wing. I was on the right wing. He was a gamer, scored big goals, would get into fights, block shots, kill penalties, he did it all."
In 2011, "Roysey" was named the team captain, a role he held for what was then a team-record three years. In his first year with the 'C', he scored, blocked, and fought his way to getting the Everblades that elusive championship, becoming the first Everblade to have his name etched on the Kelly Cup.
Statistically, Roy's ECHL career peaked the following season. He won the ECHL goals title with 38 and points title with 89. He was named to the First All-Star Team and twice Player of the Month. Overall, he is the all-time Everblades leader in games played (beating John McCarron by one), second in penalty minutes (560), third in goals (133), fourth in points (292), and fifth in assists (159).
In Consideration
Oliver Chau (2022-present)
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To be determined? Chau won the June M. Kelly Playoff MVP award in his second professional season. He was named Everblades captain in his third. His name is already on the Kelly Cup twice. He is 14th on the franchise all-time goals list with 57. Will Chau be a career Everblades luminary or go on to bigger and better things? He is still early enough in his career to be considered a developmental player by the American Hockey League, and his current contract is an AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Time will tell.
Kyle Neuber (2017-present)
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Neuber gets a mention for two reasons. He is the only player in ECHL history to get his name on the Kelly Cup four times (though one of those times was with the Allen Americans). He is also the franchise leader by far in penalty minutes with 894 and counting. Roy is second on the list with a relatively well-behaved 560. Neuber has a lot of tripping, cross-checking, and fighting to do if he wants to beat the league record of 2,807 set by Garet Hunt last year.
Joe Pendenza (2019-2024)
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Joining the franchise in 2019, Pendenza was a model of consistency as a forward. He was with all three of the three-peat teams, serving as captain for the last one before retiring. He is sixth in franchise history in goals (107), assists (155) and points (262) and seventh in games played (298). He was named an ECHL Player of the Week in 2023.
Logan Roe (2015-2021)
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One of the Everblades' contributions to the region is a spark of interest in developing hockey talent. Consequently, Roe gets a mention as the most successful local product in franchise history. He never won a Kelly Cup but was part of two Brabham Cup teams. The ECHL named him Performer of the Year in 17-18 and Performer of the Month four times. He was the ECHL All-Star Game MVP in 2020. In his six seasons, Roe tied with Hartlieb in a tie for third in games played (359). Not bad for a kid from Fort Myers.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: ECHL Florida Everblades' all-time greatest player list over 27 seasons
Continue reading...
