Hertz Arena is a 7,181-seat multi-purpose arena in
Estero, Florida
Estero is a village in Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,939. During the 2010 census, Estero was an unincorporated community, or census-designated place, the population at that time was 22,612. Es ...
, which is located between Miromar Lakes, Florida and
Bonita Springs, Florida
(beautiful), eng, beautiful springs
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = Bonita_Beach.JPG
, imagesize = 250x200px
, image_caption = Bonita Beach
, image_flag ...
. The arena opened in November 1998 and serves as the home of the
Florida Everblades
The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliated with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (N ...
of the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The ...
.
History
The arena was first named Everblades Arena in 1998 after the hockey team that plays there.
TECO Energy
TECO Energy Inc. is an energy-related holding company based in Tampa, Florida, and a subsidiary of Emera Incorporated. TECO Energy has several subsidiaries: Tampa Electric Company, which provides electricity to the Tampa Bay Area and parts of ...
was the first company to obtain the naming rights to the building, changing the name to TECO Arena. In 2004, TECO Energy decided they were no longer interested in holding the naming rights.
Germain Motor Company bought the rights, and in 2004 the venue was renamed to Germain Arena. This same company, an automobile dealership with locations in Florida, Arkansas, and Ohio, also held the naming rights to the
Germain Amphitheater in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...
. In September 2018,
The Hertz Corporation
The Hertz Corporation is an American car rental company based in Estero, Florida. The company operates its namesake Hertz brand, along with the brands Dollar Rent A Car, Firefly Car Rental and Thrifty Car Rental.
It is one of the three big re ...
bought the naming rights for the arena and it was renamed Hertz Arena on October 1. The company petitioned the city to repaint the arena bright yellow with black accents to match their branding. In August 2019, the Hoffmann family entered into an agreement to purchase both the arena and hockey team as part of their plan to expand the entertainment segment in Southwest Florida.
Tenants
The arena has been used as a multipurpose venue, primarily hosting the
Florida Everblades
The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliated with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (N ...
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The ...
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...
team. It was also the home for the
Florida Flame
The Florida Flame was an NBA Development League team based in Fort Myers, Florida.
The Flame announced they would temporarily shut down operations during 2006–07, due to not having a home arena in which to play. The team maintained its league m ...
NBA Development League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...
team, the
Florida Firecats
The Florida Firecats were a professional arena football team based in Estero, Florida. They played in the AF2, the Arena Football League's developmental league, from 2001 to 2009. They did not join the AFL following the leagues' reorganization i ...
,
Florida Tarpons
The Florida Tarpons were a professional indoor football team based in Lakeland, Florida, out of the RP Funding Center. Originally established in Estero, Florida, and playing out of Germain Arena, they began play in 2012 as an expansion team of th ...
and
Gulf Coast Fire indoor football teams. Additionally, the venue has hosted various concerts, circuses, boxing,
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...
events,
AEW shows,
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the prom ...
shows,
WWE shows,
Professional Bull Riders
The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. In the U.S., PBR events have been televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network since 2012. In 2013, the ...
events and family shows.
The arena is also home to the
Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles club hockey team of the
American Collegiate Hockey Association
The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is a college ice hockey association. The ACHA's purpose is to be an organization of collegiate affiliated non-varsity programs, which provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes qualit ...
(ACHA). In March 2006 and March 2010, the facility hosted the Division 3 ACHA National Championships and in March 2008 the Division 2 ACHA National Championships.
The arena has also hosted a college hockey tournament, originally known as the Everblades College Classic and then the
Florida College Hockey Classic. It was a four-team tournament was hosted by the
University of Maine Black Bears and the
Cornell University Big Red, and two other invited teams. The winner was awarded the
Ned Harkness Cup.
Brush Makes Vision Into Reality In Florida
ECHL.com October 22, 2007
On March 9, 2022, the arena had its first televised wrestling event as All Elite Wrestling (AEW) had its tapings of ''Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germany, and patented in 1867. It rapidl ...
'' and '' Rampage'', marking AEW's debut to the Southwest Florida market.
References
External links
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{{authority control
1998 establishments in Florida
Arena football venues
Basketball venues in Florida
Boxing venues in the United States
Buildings and structures in Lee County, Florida
College ice hockey venues in the United States
Defunct NBA G League venues
Florida Flame
Indoor arenas in Florida
Indoor ice hockey venues in Florida
Mixed martial arts venues in Florida
Music venues in Florida
Sports venues completed in 1998
Sports venues in Florida