More to Florida than oranges

It's pretty easy, living and hounding here in Florida, to believe that there are only two professional teams -- the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. That's not the case, though.

With the Florida Everblades and the Pensacola Ice Pilots of the East Coast Hockey League, as well as the Florida Seals and Jacksonville Barracudas of the Southern Professional Hockey League, fans from all corners of the Sunshine State can easily get their fill.

And just because some of the teams may belong to the minor leagues, they certainly don't take a bush-league attitude toward connecting with fans.

To wit:

~ Check out these online player cards produced by the Everblades, an affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes. Pretty cool, eh?

~ Have you ever wondered how a Zamboni ice-resurfacing machine works? The Ice Pilots, an affiliate of the New York Islanders, answer that question.

~ Want to be an Ice Girl for the Florida Seals? You can download your application here for the Oct. 7th audition.

~ Learn more about Chomper, the Jacksonville Barracudas' mascot.