Florida Hockey Classic (Estero) what to do [2010]

[billhoward]

12/2010 update: This thread started for 2009 tournament. Others have done a nice job adding and updating for 2010. It's about as good as a holiday tournament can be. See below for info on 2010 Cornell post-game parties at Olympia Grille a mile from the rink.  - BH (The body of this message below is about 2009.)

A couple people asked for an update to the Florida Hockey Classic FAQ from 2006. Actually, not much has changed, unless you own real estate in the Fort Myers - Naples area, in which case the  change is: You were in the epicenter of the real estate bubble now bust, and you're hosed. By now, you're probably down there already if you're going although sometimes some cheap flights come up last minute (check Monday, which in the past has been the day airlines rejigger their airfares). Here's an update to that FAQ:


Q: What is it? When? Where? Who?
A: Four-team college holiday hockey tournament. Cornell always plays because Craig Brush '70 is a key exec at the facility and put the event together.
A: Tuesday 12/29 and Wednesday 12/30, 4 pm and 7:30
A: Tuesday game 1, Maine (9-7-1) vs. Princeton (4-8-1), game 2 #4 Cornell (7-2-2) vs. #3 Colorado College (11-4-3). Losers and winners meet same time, next day. If there's a tie after 5 minutes of OT, it goes down as a tie for the standings and the season record, and then there's a shootout to determine winner/loser of the tournament game. (That's how Cornell won the tournament last year vs. an overachiever Colgate team - OT shootout.)
A: Germain Arena (formerly TECO Arena), Estero, Florida, on the west coast, about as far south as Miami. http://www.germainarena.com, 239-948-7825 x1000

Q: Where do I fly into? Can I drive?
A: Fort Myers, Fla. which is RSW. Also check Tampa, 2-2.5 hours north.  
A: Ithaca-Estero is 1400 miles.

Q: Does it sell out?
A: The rink holds 7,000 or so and they list about that many tickets sold in the box score. So far there have always been seats available at the gate, even when Notre Dame or Ohio State played (the West Coast of Florida attracts Midwesterner retirees more than the East Coast). This should especially be the case since many of the first day game one fans bail out after the early game, and the championship seems to draw less well than than the day one game.

Q: Where do I get tickets?
A: At this point, just get them at the arena.  

Q: Is it warm in late December?
A: Not always Caribbean warm / bathing suit warm but virtually always shorts and T-shirt warm. The odds are 50-50 you can go swimming in an outdoor hotel pool. Speaking of warm, the ushers and everyone who works at the rink are supremely friendly. A lof the ushhers bristle at the shouted "Red!" during the anthem but otherwise they're all smiles.

Q: What else to do?
A: Huge shopping mall (Miromar Mall) right at the facility (quarter mile away, part of the same complex). Beaches. Drinking. Visit your retired grandparents and see how small a one- or two-bedroom retirement condo can be. Check out distress sale real estate.

Q: Any ways I can save money?
A: Park at the shopping mall and walk 5-8 minutes to the rink to save five bucks.

Q: What's nearby?
A: Naples 20 miles south. Nice Ritz-Carlton (if you're an alum whose stocks have recovered)
A: Marco Island 40 miles south
A: Miami 140 miles east across I-75 (Alligator Alley)
A: Fort Myers 15 miles north.
A: Tampa (alternate airport) 150 miles north
A: Orlando / Disney World 200 miles northeast. The Champs Sports football bowl game is Dec. 29 (first night of hockey classic) at 8 p.m., Miami vs. Wisconsin.

Q: Can I stay home and watch on TV?
A: Not this year on broadcast TV (cable, satellite) but online via http://b2tv.com/partner_members.asp?id=219. Also Cornell's audio webcast is available.

Q: Will Cornell win?
A: This is Cornell's 10th year in the tournament, with three titles to show for the first nine years: 2003, 2005, 2008. Its tournament record is 7-8-3. To win this year, Cornell has to get past the #3 team and then (more likely) a Maine team with a 5 or 6 game unbeaten streak.

Q: How stupid is this: The two best teams, CC and Cornell, play in the first round.
A: Cornell and Maine are hosts. They traditonally (correct me if I'm wrong) don't meet in the opening round. It probably makes sense not to forcibly pair two teams from the same league in round one. And at the start of the season Princeton was the better team on paper, so Cornell - on paper, before the season started - had the easier draw. Cornell and CC don't play that often. Cornell has a 3-1 record vs. CC including that 3-2 victory in the 2006 NCAAs to set up the heartbreaking 1-0 OT game vs. Wisconsin.  

Q: Lot of Cornellians there?
A: A couple hundred. Biggest group of attendees are Cornellians virtually every year, although Notre Dame had an asesome turnout a couple years back, ditto Ohio State.

Q: Is this cool for the players or what?
A: They may get to go home for Christmas for a day or two but if they do, they often wind up flying back on Christmas Day or the day after, and there are no non-stops Vancouver-to-Fort Myers. They get perhaps day at the beach after the tournament before heading north. It still beats the Syracuse Hockey Invitational Tournament (locale and acronym) of a generation ago by a long shot.

[Rita]

A few things to add (in bold) to billhoward's Florida guide.

A couple people asked for an update to the Florida Hockey Classic FAQ from 2006. Actually, not much has changed, unless you own real estate in the Fort Myers - Naples area, in which case the  change is: You were in the epicenter of the real estate bubble now bust, and you're hosed. By now, you're probably down there already if you're going although sometimes some cheap flights come up last minute (check Monday, which in the past has been the day airlines rejigger their airfares). Here's an update to that FAQ:


Q: What is it? When? Where? Who?
A: Four-team college holiday hockey tournament. Cornell always plays because Craig Brush '70 is a key exec at the facility and put the event together.
A: Tuesday 12/29 and Wednesday 12/30, 4 pm and 7:30
A: Tuesday game 1, Maine (9-7-1) vs. Princeton (4-8-1), game 2 #4 Cornell (7-2-2) vs. #3 Colorado College (11-4-3). Losers and winners meet same time, next day. If there's a tie after 5 minutes of OT, it goes down as a tie for the standings and the season record, and then there's a shootout to determine winner/loser of the tournament game. (That's how Cornell won the tournament last year vs. an overachiever Colgate team - OT shootout.)
A: Germain Arena (formerly TECO Arena), Estero, Florida, on the west coast, about as far south as Miami. http://www.germainarena.com, 239-948-7825 x1000

Q: Where do I fly into? Can I drive?
A: Fort Myers, Fla. which is RSW. Also check Tampa, 2-2.5 hours north.  
A: Ithaca-Estero is 1400 miles.

Q: Does it sell out?
A: The rink holds 7,000 or so and they list about that many tickets sold in the box score. So far there have always been seats available at the gate, even when Notre Dame or Ohio State played (the West Coast of Florida attracts Midwesterner retirees more than the East Coast). This should especially be the case since many of the first day game one fans bail out after the early game, and the championship seems to draw less well than than the day one game.

Q: Where do I get tickets?
A: At this point, just get them at the arena.  

Q: Is it warm in late December?
A: Not always Caribbean warm / bathing suit warm but virtually always shorts and T-shirt warm. The odds are 50-50 you can go swimming in an outdoor hotel pool. Speaking of warm, the ushers and everyone who works at the rink are supremely friendly. A lof the ushhers bristle at the shouted "Red!" during the anthem but otherwise they're all smiles.

Wunderground.com says in the 60's on Tuesday, a bit warmer on Wednesday. The rink is very chilly, bring a sweatshirt if you are cold sensitive!

Q: What else to do?
A: Huge shopping mall (Miromar Mall) right at the facility (quarter mile away, part of the same complex). Beaches. Drinking. Visit your retired grandparents and see how small a one- or two-bedroom retirement condo can be. Check out distress sale real estate.

Two mega outdoor malls with shops and restaurants. Gulf Coast Town Mall down the road at the corner of Ben Hill Griffin Road and Alico Road. Coconut Point Mall in Estero on Route 41, just a bit (2 miles?) south of the 41/Corkscrew Road intersection. GC Mall has PF Changs, Outback, Carabbas, Miller's Ale house among others. Coconut Point has a California Pizza, TGIF, The Grape (kind of like a wine and tapas bar, great for a (girly) lunch IMHO), several Italian restaurants.

Q: Any ways I can save money?
A: Park at the shopping mall and walk 5-8 minutes to the rink to save five bucks.

Q: What's nearby?
A: Naples 20 miles south. Nice Ritz-Carlton (if you're an alum whose stocks have recovered).  

Rookery Bay in South Naples. I haven't been yet, but I heard that it is worth the trip.
A: Marco Island 40 miles south
A: Miami 140 miles east across I-75 (Alligator Alley)
A: Fort Myers 15 miles north.
The Butterfly Estates in downtown Ft. Myers would be a cool place to visit, particularly if you have young kids. There is a restaurant on the premises.
A: Tampa (alternate airport) 150 miles north
A: Orlando / Disney World 200 miles northeast. The Champs Sports football bowl game is Dec. 29 (first night of hockey classic) at 8 p.m., Miami vs. Wisconsin.

Q: Can I stay home and watch on TV?
A: Not this year on broadcast TV (cable, satellite) but online via http://b2tv.com/partner_members.asp?id=219. Also Cornell's audio webcast is available.

Q: Will Cornell win?
A: This is Cornell's 10th year in the tournament, with three titles to show for the first nine years: 2003, 2005, 2008. Its tournament record is 7-8-3. To win this year, Cornell has to get past the #3 team and then (more likely) a Maine team with a 5 or 6 game unbeaten streak.

Q: How stupid is this: The two best teams, CC and Cornell, play in the first round.
A: Cornell and Maine are hosts. They traditonally (correct me if I'm wrong) don't meet in the opening round. It probably makes sense not to forcibly pair two teams from the same league in round one. And at the start of the season Princeton was the better team on paper, so Cornell - on paper, before the season started - had the easier draw. Cornell and CC don't play that often. Cornell has a 3-1 record vs. CC including that 3-2 victory in the 2006 NCAAs to set up the heartbreaking 1-0 OT game vs. Wisconsin.  

Q: Lot of Cornellians there?
A: A couple hundred. Biggest group of attendees are Cornellians virtually every year, although Notre Dame had an awesome turnout a couple years back, ditto Ohio State.

Q: Is this cool for the players or what?
A: They may get to go home for Christmas for a day or two but if they do, they often wind up flying back on Christmas Day or the day after, and there are no non-stops Vancouver-to-Fort Myers. They get perhaps day at the beach after the tournament before heading north. It still beats the Syracuse Hockey Invitational Tournament (locale and acronym) of a generation ago by a long shot.

[Dpperk29]

A few things to add (in bold) to billhoward's Florida guide.

A couple people asked for an update to the Florida Hockey Classic FAQ from 2006. Actually, not much has changed, unless you own real estate in the Fort Myers - Naples area, in which case the  change is: You were in the epicenter of the real estate bubble now bust, and you're hosed. By now, you're probably down there already if you're going although sometimes some cheap flights come up last minute (check Monday, which in the past has been the day airlines rejigger their airfares). Here's an update to that FAQ:


Q: What is it? When? Where? Who?
A: Four-team college holiday hockey tournament. Cornell always plays because Craig Brush '70 is a key exec at the facility and put the event together.
A: Tuesday 12/29 and Wednesday 12/30, 4 pm and 7:30
A: Tuesday game 1, Maine (9-7-1) vs. Princeton (4-8-1), game 2 #4 Cornell (7-2-2) vs. #3 Colorado College (11-4-3). Losers and winners meet same time, next day. If there's a tie after 5 minutes of OT, it goes down as a tie for the standings and the season record, and then there's a shootout to determine winner/loser of the tournament game. (That's how Cornell won the tournament last year vs. an overachiever Colgate team - OT shootout.)
A: Germain Arena (formerly TECO Arena), Estero, Florida, on the west coast, about as far south as Miami. http://www.germainarena.com, 239-948-7825 x1000

Q: Where do I fly into? Can I drive?
A: Fort Myers, Fla. which is RSW. Also check Tampa, 2-2.5 hours north.  
A: Ithaca-Estero is 1400 miles.

Q: Does it sell out?
A: The rink holds 7,000 or so and they list about that many tickets sold in the box score. So far there have always been seats available at the gate, even when Notre Dame or Ohio State played (the West Coast of Florida attracts Midwesterner retirees more than the East Coast). This should especially be the case since many of the first day game one fans bail out after the early game, and the championship seems to draw less well than than the day one game.

Q: Where do I get tickets?
A: At this point, just get them at the arena.  

Q: Is it warm in late December?
A: Not always Caribbean warm / bathing suit warm but virtually always shorts and T-shirt warm. The odds are 50-50 you can go swimming in an outdoor hotel pool. Speaking of warm, the ushers and everyone who works at the rink are supremely friendly. A lof the ushhers bristle at the shouted "Red!" during the anthem but otherwise they're all smiles.

Wunderground.com says in the 60's on Tuesday, a bit warmer on Wednesday. The rink is very chilly, bring a sweatshirt if you are cold sensitive!

Q: What else to do?
A: Huge shopping mall (Miromar Mall) right at the facility (quarter mile away, part of the same complex). Beaches. Drinking. Visit your retired grandparents and see how small a one- or two-bedroom retirement condo can be. Check out distress sale real estate.

Two mega outdoor malls with shops and restaurants. Gulf Coast Town Mall down the road at the corner of Ben Hill Griffin Road and Alico Road. Coconut Point Mall in Estero on Route 41, just a bit (2 miles?) south of the 41/Corkscrew Road intersection. GC Mall has PF Changs, Outback, Carabbas, Miller's Ale house among others. Coconut Point has a California Pizza, TGIF, The Grape (kind of like a wine and tapas bar, great for a (girly) lunch IMHO), several Italian restaurants.

Q: Any ways I can save money?
A: Park at the shopping mall and walk 5-8 minutes to the rink to save five bucks.

Q: What's nearby?
A: Naples 20 miles south. Nice Ritz-Carlton (if you're an alum whose stocks have recovered).  

Rookery Bay in South Naples. I haven't been yet, but I heard that it is worth the trip.
A: Marco Island 40 miles south
A: Miami 140 miles east across I-75 (Alligator Alley)
A: Fort Myers 15 miles north.
The Butterfly Estates in downtown Ft. Myers would be a cool place to visit, particularly if you have young kids. There is a restaurant on the premises.
A: Tampa (alternate airport) 150 miles north
A: Orlando / Disney World 200 miles northeast. The Champs Sports football bowl game is Dec. 29 (first night of hockey classic) at 8 p.m., Miami vs. Wisconsin.

Q: Can I stay home and watch on TV?
A: Not this year on broadcast TV (cable, satellite) but online via http://b2tv.com/partner_members.asp?id=219. Also Cornell's audio webcast is available.

Q: Will Cornell win?
A: This is Cornell's 10th year in the tournament, with three titles to show for the first nine years: 2003, 2005, 2008. Its tournament record is 7-8-3. To win this year, Cornell has to get past the #3 team and then (more likely) a Maine team with a 5 or 6 game unbeaten streak.

Q: How stupid is this: The two best teams, CC and Cornell, play in the first round.
A: Cornell and Maine are hosts. They traditonally (correct me if I'm wrong) don't meet in the opening round. It probably makes sense not to forcibly pair two teams from the same league in round one. And at the start of the season Princeton was the better team on paper, so Cornell - on paper, before the season started - had the easier draw. Cornell and CC don't play that often. Cornell has a 3-1 record vs. CC including that 3-2 victory in the 2006 NCAAs to set up the heartbreaking 1-0 OT game vs. Wisconsin.  

Q: Lot of Cornellians there?
A: A couple hundred. Biggest group of attendees are Cornellians virtually every year, although Notre Dame had an awesome turnout a couple years back, ditto Ohio State.

Q: Is this cool for the players or what?
A: They may get to go home for Christmas for a day or two but if they do, they often wind up flying back on Christmas Day or the day after, and there are no non-stops Vancouver-to-Fort Myers. They get perhaps day at the beach after the tournament before heading north. It still beats the Syracuse Hockey Invitational Tournament (locale and acronym) of a generation ago by a long shot.

Thomas Edison and Henry ford had there winter homes in Fort Myers, they have been made into a pretty cool museum, but probably only really interesting for the nerdier hockey fans.

[Josh '99]

Q: Does it sell out?
A: The rink holds 7,000 or so and they list about that many tickets sold in the box score. So far there have always been seats available at the gate, even when Notre Dame or Ohio State played (the West Coast of Florida attracts Midwesterner retirees more than the East Coast). This should especially be the case since many of the first day game one fans bail out after the early game, and the championship seems to draw less well than than the day one game.

I feel like you could just shorten that to say:

A.  No.

[billhoward]

Q: Does it sell out?
A: The rink holds 7,000 or so and they list about that many tickets sold in the box score. So far there have always been seats available at the gate, even when Notre Dame or Ohio State played (the West Coast of Florida attracts Midwesterner retirees more than the East Coast). This should especially be the case since many of the first day game one fans bail out after the early game, and the championship seems to draw less well than than the day one game.

I feel like you could just shorten that to say:

A.  No.

Especially since I lived in Calvin Coolidge's home town for a couple years.

[Robb]

Thomas Edison and Henry ford had there winter homes in Fort Myers, they have been made into a pretty cool museum, but probably only really interesting for the nerdier hockey fans.

Been there.  Enjoyed that.

<-----------  NERD!

[jtwcornell91]

Q: How stupid is this: The two best teams, CC and Cornell, play in the first round.
A: Cornell and Maine are hosts. They traditonally (correct me if I'm wrong) don't meet in the opening round. It probably makes sense not to forcibly pair two teams from the same league in round one. And at the start of the season Princeton was the better team on paper, so Cornell - on paper, before the season started - had the easier draw. Cornell and CC don't play that often. Cornell has a 3-1 record vs. CC including that 3-2 victory in the 2006 NCAAs to set up the heartbreaking 1-0 OT game vs. Wisconsin.  

Back when CU, Maine and tOSU were all co-hosting, they would rotate the pairings every year, so we opened with Ohio State in 2000, NMU in 2001, and Maine in 2002.  But when the Buckeyes dropped out so they could host a holiday tournament to prepare for their awful WZHA invitationalFrozen Four, that seemed to change to the "tradition" Bill describes above of Cornell and Maine not meeting in the semis.

[Ben Rocky '04]

Q: What else to do?
A: Huge shopping mall (Miromar Mall) right at the facility (quarter mile away, part of the same complex). Beaches. Drinking. Visit your retired grandparents and see how small a one- or two-bedroom retirement condo can be. Check out distress sale real estate.

La Bamba is a pretty good mexican restaurant in the miromar mall, with many beers on tap.  It is only 5 minute walk from the rink, and the service is fast enough that you can walk over between games, eat and get back for the 2nd game.

[jtwcornell91]

Q: What else to do?
A: Huge shopping mall (Miromar Mall) right at the facility (quarter mile away, part of the same complex). Beaches. Drinking. Visit your retired grandparents and see how small a one- or two-bedroom retirement condo can be. Check out distress sale real estate.

TECO/Germain Arena also has a sports bar inside the building, which opens long before the game.  Note, however, that the tables with a view of the ice are reserved for Everblades season ticket holders during the game, so don't bother trying to stake one out.

The downside for drinking is that everything except the mall is a long drive from the arena.  Your best bet for postgame carousing is to get a hotel within a mile or so of downtown Fort Myers, which has a reasonable nightlife, despite the closing of Liquid Cafe.

[ebilmes]

From Cornell's practice:
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A4&Dato=20091227&Kategori=SPORTS&Lopenr=912270807&Ref=PH&Profile=1075&SectionCat=Anything-goes-at-yearly-Lee-County-college-hockey-tourney

[nyc94]

From Cornell's practice:
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A4&Dato=20091227&Kategori=SPORTS&Lopenr=912270807&Ref=PH&Profile=1075&SectionCat=Anything-goes-at-yearly-Lee-County-college-hockey-tourney

University of Cornell hockey practice at Germain Arena on Sunday December 27, 2009.

[Rita]

From Cornell's practice:
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A4&Dato=20091227&Kategori=SPORTS&Lopenr=912270807&Ref=PH&Profile=1075&SectionCat=Anything-goes-at-yearly-Lee-County-college-hockey-tourney

What is this year's over/under on mistakes in the local newspapers? "University of Cornell"? Must be the new guy on the job. I thought our basketball team being in the NC$$ tournament would have given us some (proper) name recognition.

[jtwcornell91]

From Cornell's practice:
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A4&Dato=20091227&Kategori=SPORTS&Lopenr=912270807&Ref=PH&Profile=1075&SectionCat=Anything-goes-at-yearly-Lee-County-college-hockey-tourney

What is this year's over/under on mistakes in the local newspapers? "University of Cornell"? Must be the new guy on the job. I thought our basketball team being in the NC$$ tournament would have given us some (proper) name recognition.

Also, which alternative Cornell fight song with they pipe in instead of "Davy"?

[rmandel]

What is the significance (if any) of the orange jersey in picture 11?  Coach?  Injured player?

[Rita]

This article in USA TODAY by Justin Bourne gives a former player's perspective on pre- and post-holiday hockey.