The Pensacola Ice Pilots were a professional ice hockey team located in Pensacola, Florida. The team was previously affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders (2006–07), and the Chicago Blackhawks. They have also had a working agreement with the Houston Aeros of the AHL for the 04–05 season. On June 23, 2008, the ECHL announced that it had terminated the Ice Pilots' membership, effective immediately. The team's colors (navy blue and gold) and nickname were a tribute to the long history of Naval aviation in Pensacola (Naval Air Station Pensacola is home to the legendary Blue Angels and the National Museum of Naval Aviation). The home of the Pensacola Ice Pilots was the Pensacola Civic Center, which was referred to as "The Hangar", and has a capacity of 8,150. The Ice Pilots were formerly the Nashville Knights but moved to Pensacola following the 1995–96 season. Notable achievements and players Team The 1997–98 Ice Pilots finished the season with a record of 36-24-10 and won the ECHL Southern Conference championship. The Ice Pilots advanced to their only Kelly Cup appearance against the Hampton Roads Admirals. The Ice Pilots took a 2–1 lead in the best-of-seven Kelly Cup Final. But a scheduling conflict at the Norfolk Scope, the Admirals' home arena, forced a delay of nine days between Games 3 and 4. The Ice Pilots elected to stay in Virginia, rather than return to Pensacola for the week. The Admirals won Games 4 and 5 at home, then clinched the series in Game 6, in Pensacola. The 2004–2005 Pensacola Ice Pilots won the Brabham Cup for the most points overall in the league during the regular season. Players Glen Metropolit played 54 games for Pensacola in 1996-97 and scored 82 points. He would later join the Washington Capitals (1999-2001; 2001–03), Tampa Bay Lightning (2001), Atlanta Thrashers (2006–07), St. Louis Blues (2007), Boston Bruins (2007–08), Philadelphia Flyers (2008–09), and Montreal Canadiens (2009-10). Metropolit's NHL career spanned eight seasons and 407 games. Raitis Ivanans played 59 games for Pensacola in 1999–2000, scoring ten points and accumulating 146 penalty minutes. He would later join the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, and Calgary Flames as an enforcer, playing 282 games in the NHL from 2005 to 2012. Kevin Colley played 23 games with Pensacola during the 2000–01 season. He also played 16 games for the New York Islanders during the 2005–06