FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — For the past five weeks, the Baptist Health Iceplex — typically home to Florida Panthers practices — has played host to the fast-paced professional 3-on-3 hockey league known as 3ICE.
On Thursday night, the league’s third season culminates with the Patrick Cup championship.
3ICE takes the NHL’s overtime format and stretches it into an entire game, delivering a nonstop, high-energy product that emphasizes speed, skill, and creativity.
“It’s just fast paced. It’s go, go, go, go all the time. It’s exciting,” said a coach.
“Remarkable hands and being able to do what they’re doing, picking that puck up off the ice ... like I couldn’t imagine back in my day,” said three-time Stanley Cup winner Ken Daneyko.
Despite the offense-heavy setup, defense is still a key factor.
“You gotta be back, you gotta have a good stick, gotta make sure you’re blocking, you’re in good position, between the net and the puck, and, but it’s hard,” said one coach.
The league features a mix of players, including former NHL veterans looking to extend their careers and younger skaters still fighting for a shot at the big leagues.
“I’m just trying to, you know, extend my career and this is a unique ... to be a part of and once you quit the game, you can’t go back,” said one player.
Behind the bench are several familiar names from hockey’s past. Four-time Stanley Cup champion and Hall of Famer Larry Murphy leads the Minnesota squad, which will defend its title in the championship game.
“And I tell you, it’s a lot easier being a player because as a coach boy, you just, you, you live and die by victories and losses,” Murphy said.
“I was telling guys yesterday I’m going. You know, I have the itch now. I wish I would have thought of this 15 years ago a little bit,” Daneyko added.
Among the big names involved is Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, who reflected on the growth of hockey in South Florida.
A former Boston Bruin and Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche, Bourque remembered playing in the area when the stands were half-empty — often filled with fans rooting for the visiting team.
Now, with the Panthers having won back-to-back Stanley Cups, the local hockey scene looks very different.
3ICE took a break last season but returned this year with fresh momentum.
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