What To Watch For This Week In Florida Sports (April 14-20)

WATCH FOR the Tampa Bay Lightning to open the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens, Wednesday night in the Tampa Bay Times Forum.  The Lightning hold first round home ice advantage as the number three seed in Eastern Conference.  Some facts about the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s 2013-14 season.

• The Lightning finished in second place in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division with 101 points
• Tampa Bay’s 46 wins this season tied a franchise-best (2010-11 and 2003-04)



• The winner of this series will play the winner of the Boston Bruins/Detroit Red Wings series in the Second Round of the 2014 NHL Playoffs
• The Lightning and the Canadiens met in the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Tampa Bay sweeping Montreal four games to none en route to the Stanley Cup Championship
• The Lightning and the Canadiens played four times this season with the Lightning winning three of the four games, the only loss coming in a shootout.

Also WATCH FOR the Orlando Solar Bears continuing into the post-season. An affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs and AHL’s Iowa Wild and Toronto Marlies, the Solar Bears will face-off against the Cincinnati Cyclones in the Eastern Conference Kelly Cup Quarterfinals.  The best of seven series opens at the Amway Center Thursday, April 17 at 7pm.

WATCH FOR the Miami Heat‘s first-round NBA playoff fate to be determined as soon as Monday night or as late as Wednesday.

Should both the Heat and Charlotte Bobcats lose Monday night, then the Heat and Bobcats would be locked into a No. 2-vs.-No. 7 best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series that would open this weekend at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Without that scenario Monday night, the Heat’s first-round matchup will not be decided until Wednesday, the final day of the regular season, when they meet the Philadelphia 76ers in Miami.

The HEAT announced the return of its immensely popular promotional campaign: White Hot. HEAT fans everywhere are encouraged to embrace their role throughout the post-season by wearing white to support the HEAT in all daily activities, particularly HEAT Playoff game dates.

White Hot: The 2014 HEAT Playoffs will formally begin on Monday, April 14th with the launch of White Hot HEAT Week—the franchise’s series of community events and promotions.

WATCH FOR a couple of big days coming up in the northwest corner of the state as the Pensacola Ice Flyers celebrate their second consecutive SPHL President’s Cup Championship Tuesday night at the Pensacola Bay Center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and fans can have their picture taken with Maverick – Pensacola Ice Flyers and the President’s Cup in Meeting Room A on the first floor before the ceremony.

The ceremony will begin at 6:45 p.m. and following there will be a full team autograph session on the west concourse.

The Ice Flyers’ 5-1 victory, Saturday night, against the Columbus Cottonmouths at the Columbus Civic Center clinched the Southern Professional Hockey League President’s Cup championship.

On Wednesday, the Pensacola Sports Association will host local businesses and sports organizers in Pensacola and surrounding areas in the second annual Sports Connection Expo. The event takes place at the Vickrey Center at 2130 Summit Blvd in Pensacola, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

The Sports Connection Expo provides avenues of communication between sports organizers and local businesses. PSA will act as host, providing a structured central location to bring interested parties together. Last year’s Expo showcased 28 sports groups, representing more than 50 different events, including Five Flags Speedway, the Greater Pensacola Aquatic Club, Softball Players’ Association, Santa Rosa Island Triathlon, Pensacola Big Game Fishing Club, the Pensacola Hunter-Jumper Association, the First Tee of Northwest Florida, Pensacola Yacht Club, Special Olympics, to name a few.

New exhibitors already signed up are the Pro Watercross Tour (Jet Ski tournament), Pathways for Change Pensacola Mud Run 5K and Pensacola Table Tennis Club. Admittance is open to everyone. Businesses wishing to attend need only show up between 10 and 12 on April 16 – no RSVP is required.

WATCH FOR the Florida Firefighter Games make a Major Impact in Palm Beach County for two weeks in April and May, with the nation’s largest gathering of firefighters competing in sports.  The Florida Firefighter Games and its 3,000 participants will take place  from April 25 to May 10, 2014.  The Florida Firefighter Games is an Olympic-style competition dedicated exclusively for firefighters. This multi-sport event features over 30 different sports events, including soccer, flag football, softball, golf, basketball, volleyball, ice hockey, fishing, racquetball, bowling, billiards, and cycling.

Multiple venues throughout Palm Beach County will be utilized to accommodate the variety of sporting events.   Seminole Palms Park, Royal Palm Beach Commons Park, Okeeheelee Park, Northwood University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Cardinal Newman High School, Palm Beach Skate Zone, Green Acres Bowl, and several golf courses will serve as anchor facilities.  The Hilton Palm Beach Airport is the host hotel and will serve as a venue to indoor sports.

The Florida Firefighter Games is one of the largest sporting events in the United States solely dedicated to firefighters and the influx of visitors will create a major tourism and economic impact.  This event has taken place in Palm Beach County on two previous occasions (May of 2004 & 2007) and consistently generates over 1,500 hotel room nights and nearly a million dollars in visitor spending for its host community.  

The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by the Florida Sports Foundation, the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.

What To Watch For This Week In Florida Sports (March 31 – April 6)

WATCH FOR three Florida basketball teams experiencing March Madness to carry it into April as the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles and South Florida Bulls women’s team are two wins away from National Championships in the NCAA and NIT Basketball Tournaments.  Of the 18 teams still playing in four Division I Basketball tournaments on April 1, the State of Florida boasts the most of 13 states with teams still playing at three.  Connecticut and Texas have two and should the Louisville women’s team defeat Maryland tonight in a NCAA Regional Final, Kentucky would match Connecticut and Texas with two.

The Gators advanced to the NCAA Final Four with wins over UCLA and Dayton last weekend in Indianapolis to run their current win streak to 30 games and improve their record to 36-2.  

They have a chance to avenge their last loss, on December 2, when they meet the Connecticut Huskies Saturday night in AT&T Stadium in North Texas.  The winner advances to the Championship Game to meet the winner of the Kentucky/Wisconsin game.  Florida defeated Kentucky twice during the regular season and in the SEC Tournament and their only other loss this year was to Wisconsin on November 12.  Should the Gators stretch their win streak to 32 games, it would be the third NCAA Basketball National Championship for Florida and head coach Billy Donovan since 2006.

The Florida State Seminoles also have an opportunity to avenge a loss from the regular season and advance to the finals of the National Invitational Tournament when they meet the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Madison Square Garden tonight.  FSU, 22-13, lost to Minnesota in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on December 3.  With a win, the Seminoles will face the winner of the Clemson/SMU semifinal game on Thursday night.

The South Florida Bulls (23-12) play the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the Women’s NIT Semifinals tomorrow in the USF Sun Dome.  The Bulls advanced to the semifinals with a three-point buzzer beater to score a 60-58 win over Mississippi State.  With a win, USF plays for the WNIT Championship against the winner of the UTEP/South Dakota State game on Saturday.

WATCH FOR the Miami Heat and Tampa Bay Lightning wrap up their regular seasons and qualify for the 2014 NBA and NHL postseasons.  The Heat are battling the Indiana Pacers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with nine games remaining through April 16.  Fortunately for Miami, six of their nine remaining games are at home in the American Airlines Arena, including a crucial April 11 matchup against the Pacers in South Florida.  Miami is gunning for its third consecutive deep post-season run after winning the last two NBA Finals Championship.

The Lightning have an even more favorable home schedule down the stretch with six of their seven remaining games at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.  Tampa Bay is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with 91 points and can clinch a playoff spot as early as tonight.  Should they clinch tonight, it will be the first post-season appearance for the Lightning since the 2010-11 season.

WATCH FOR the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays as they open their 2014 seasons with homestands and build on opening day wins.  The Marlins started the season with a 10-1 win over the Colorado Rockies and the Rays scored a 9-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.  Both teams featured strong pitching performances by two of the brightest young aces in Major League Baseball.  The 2013 Rookie of the Year, Jose Fernandez, struck out nine to tie a Marlins Opening Day record and David Price, the 2012 Cy Young Award winner, pitched into the eighth inning for the Rays.

The Marlins continue their series against the Rockies through Thursday before welcoming the San Diego Padres to Miami for a three-game weekend set.  The Rays play three more against the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field and then host the Texas Rangers for three games through Sunday.

If pre-season success carries over into the regular season, the Rays and Marlins are in for a good year.  The Rays compiled the best 2014 Florida Grapefruit League record with a 16-7 slate and the Marlins finished with the next best Spring Training record of 18-12.  

WATCH FOR athletes of all ages to compete in upcoming amateur sports opportunities offered by the Florida Sports Foundation.  Two local Senior Games qualifiers will take place with The Villages Senior Games and Lake County Senior Games.  

While the Sunshine State Games calendar of events doesn’t begin until May, registration is open for several events.  Online registration is available for the following events at http://www.flasports.com

Sunshine State Games Basketball Championships, Alachua County, May 9-11
Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships, Ellenton Ice Complex, May 16-18
Sunshine State Games Lacrosse Series, Broward County, May 16-18
Sunshine State Games Lacrosse Series, Sarasota County, June 7-8
Sunshine State Games Sarasota County Festival, June 6-8
Sunshine State Games Polk County Festival, June 21-22
Sunshine State Games Water Polo Championships, Coral Springs, June 27-29

WATCH FOR two FSF granted events to bring nearly 13,000 visitors and over $7 million in economic impact to the State of Florida in the first few weeks of April.  The 2014 YMCA Masters National Championship, will be held at Sarasota’s Selby Aquatic Center, April 9-14, 2014.  The YMCA Masters Championships is open to all swimmers over the age of 18.  Five other venues also bid to host the competition, before that list was narrowed down to Sarasota and the Greensboro Aquatic Center in North Carolina. Sarasota was chosen, in large part, because of recent improvements made to the center prior to hosting the Pan-Am Masters Swimming Championships, which included new Myrtha Pool Olympic-style starting blocks.

The Ironman 70.3 Florida, returns to Polk County for the third consecutive year, April 14-16.  In 2013, more than 2,220 athletes participated in the three days of events.  The signature race, the 70.3 Triathlon, has athletes beginning the race in waves with a 1.2-mile swim in Lake Eva, then progress to a 56-mile bike course past citrus groves and cattle farms along Highway 17, and finally ended with a 13.1-run loop around Lake Eva and through the heart of Haines City.

The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by the Florida Sports Foundation, the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.

What To Watch For This Week In Florida Sports (September 16-22)

WATCH FOR the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning to be back on the ice to play a short pre-season leading up to the regular season in October.

The Panthers are playing a day/night doubleheader today at the BB&T Center in Sunrise with a game against the Nashville Predators beginning at 2:30 p.m., followed by the nightcap at 7:00 p.m.

The Tampa Bay Lightning opens its 2013 preseason against the St. Louis Blues in Orlando’s Amway Center on Wednesday, September 18.  The following night the Lightning returns to the ice against the Nashville Predators at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The Forum will host one more pre-season game against the Florida Panthers on Saturday, September 21.

The Panthers and Lightning also meet in a neutral site game, at the Germain Arena in Estero, on Thursday, September 26.  Germain Arena is the home of the Florida Everblades, an ECHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes.

The Panthers play their final pre-season home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, September 28 before opening the regular season with four road Games.  Florida travels for their season opener against the Dallas Stars on October 3. The Panthers first regular-season home game comes on Friday, October 11 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Lightning open the regular season with three road games beginning Wednesday, October 3 against the Boston Bruins.  Their first home game comes on Thursday, October 10 against the Florida Panthers in downtown Tampa.

WATCH FOR the undefeated Miami Dolphins to play their first home game of the season against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday at Sun Life Stadium.  While it’s a long season, the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero says Sunday’s win against a good team and a good quarterback sends Dolphins fans a message that the group general manager Jeff Ireland put together and coach Joe Philbin is developing has begun to show signs that good days are ahead.

Follow the Dolphins, Bucs and Jaguars, along with Florida’s 16 college football teams on the gridiron at Florida Football Central, a weekly update of scores and schedules.

WATCH FOR the Florida State-Florida volleyball rivalry, which has been a little lopsided over the last decade, to be a close one on Tuesday night at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville.

But since Chris Poole took over as FSU’s head coach in 2008, he has worked diligently to close the gap between the Seminoles and perennial national contender Gators.

In two of the last four NCAA postseasons, the Seminoles have advanced farther than the Gators in the tournament, making a run to the quarterfinals in 2009 and semifinals in 2011.

Last year, the Seminoles finally broke through and snapped a 21-match losing streak to Florida with a 3-0 victory — their first win against UF since Oct. 31, 1994.

The No. 16 Seminoles (6-3) are fresh off Saturday’s five-set victory against No. 7 Michigan — their highest-ranked win in school history, and will look to improve on that accomplishment when they visit the No. 5 Gators (8-1) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Gators only loss came to then- No. 1 Penn State.

WATCH FOR the Independent Softball Association (ISA) to host its C, D, & E World Series in Polk County over the three-day weekend.  More than 80 qualifying adult softball teams from all across the United States are expected to travel to Polk County for ISA’s biggest adult tournament of the year. The Auburndale Softball Complex and DiamondPlex in Winter Haven will serve as hosts for the tournament.

In a LOOK BACK, congratulations to the Daytona Cubs for winning the 2013 Florida State League Championships over the Charlotte Stone Crabs and the Orlando City Soccer Lions for their win in the USL Pro Championships over the Charlotte Eagles.

The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by Florida Sports Foundation Director of Communications, Nick Gandy. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.