ECHL Florida Everblades

'Blades to honor Berg and Buckley

Published on September 5, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Florida Everblades News Release


ESTERO, FL - The Florida Everblades announced today that as part of their 10th Anniversary celebration the organization will honor Reggie Berg and Tom Buckley by retiring their jerseys prior to their season opening game on Friday, October 19 vs. Mississippi Sea Wolves.

Uniform numbers 10 and 14 will be officially retired when they are raised to the rafters of Germain Arena, becoming the first uniform numbers to be retired by the organization. Berg and Buckley sit first and second respectively as the organization's all-time leading scorers. Berg recently surpassed Buckley as the team's all-time leading scorer when he collected an assist on April 1, 2007 at Pensacola.

Berg announced his retirement from hockey earlier this off-season and finished his illustrious career with the Everblades by scoring 145 goals and adding 174 assists for 319 points in 280 games. Berg's first season with the Everblades came in 1999-2000 after finishing up his collegiate career at the University of Minnesota. Berg's best season with the Everblades came last year when he picked up 64 points (29g, 35a) in 58 games. A former 7th round draft pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1996, Berg finished his professional career with 346 points (155g, 189a) in 344 games at the AHL, IHL and ECHL levels.

Buckley saw his career with the Everblades also begin in 1999-2000 and retired from hockey following the 2003-04 campaign. Over his five seasons in South West Florida, Buckley notched 103 goals and picked up 207 assists for 310 points in 288 career games. Buckley's best season with the Everblades came in his first with the club when he tallied 87 points (28g, 59a) in 69 games. Although he was limited to just 20 regular season games in 2003-04, Buckley proved to be a big part of the Everblades reaching the Kelly Cup Finals for the first time in team history by scoring 20 points in 17 Kelly Cup Playoff games.

Both men find themselves among the team leaders in several Everblades statistical categories. The following is a list of some of their all-time team achievements:

Games Played: Buckley, 288 (2nd); Berg, 280 (3rd)

Points: Berg, 319 (1st); Buckley, 310 (2nd)

Goals: Berg, 145 (1st); Buckley, 108 (3rd)

Assists: Buckley, 207 (1st); Berg, 174 (2nd)

Plus / Minus Berg, +86 (1st)

Penalty Minutes Buckley, 422 (1st); Berg, 334 (5th)

PP Goals Berg, 32 (1st); Buckley, 26 (3rd)

SH Goals Berg, 11 (1st); Buckley, 7 (2nd)

GW Goals Berg, 22 (2nd); Buckley, 20 (3rd)

Shots Berg, 1,117 (1st); Buckley, 997 (2nd)

The festivities on opening night begin at 7:30 p.m. sharp!

Opening Day for the ECHL's 20th Anniversary Season will be Oct. 18 when the Johnstown Chiefs host the Wheeling Nailers at Cambria County War Memorial in a rematch of Game 7 from the first-ever ECHL Finals.

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary as the Premier 'AA' Hockey League in 2007-08, the ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in three states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league that will have 25 teams in 17 states and British Columbia in 2007-08. The 25 teams includes the Mississippi (Biloxi) Sea Wolves, who return after missing two seasons in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the expansion Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals.

Experience the excitement of the Everblades 10th Anniversary season! The 2007-08 season begins on Friday, October 19 when the 'Blades host the Mississippi Sea Wolves at 7:30 p.m. from Germain Arena! 2007-08 Florida Everblades individual game tickets go on sale Monday, September 10 at 10 a.m.! Reserve your piece of the action for next season! Visit www.floridaeverblades.com and www.germainarena.com for more information on ticket packages, pricing and upcoming Germain Arena events.

Check out the Florida Everblades Statistics

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