Tampa Bay Ice Hockey stores

[GQRDY 24]

Hi

im off to Florida in the middle of July, looking to pick up some ice hockey gear (Sticks,gloves,skates) I did some googling and it seems Rinkside Sports (in the Ice Sports Forum) is the best around.

I just wanted to know if anyone on here had been there?

or if there's any other decent places around that area?

Thanks

[EvilPepe 24]

Um. Maybe. Check your PMs.

Rinkside will be your best bet in Tampa. Within a two hour drive the other ones worth mentioning is the Everblades Pro Shop in Ft. Myers/Estero, the RDV shop in Orlando, and maybe a shop in Ellenton. There was another store in the Ft. Myers area but they recently closed up shop.

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

Did they really?

[hunterphfr 12]

Um. Maybe. Check your PMs.

Rinkside will be your best bet in Tampa. Within a two hour drive the other ones worth mentioning is the Everblades Pro Shop in Ft. Myers/Estero, the RDV shop in Orlando, and maybe a shop in Ellenton. There was another store in the Ft. Myers area but they recently closed up shop.

EvilPepe nailed it. You're biggest problem is going to be the fact that the new fall stock is just beginning to come in. Most of what will be in the shops will be remnants from last year as they wait on their fall orders to come in.

Allan at Rinkside in the Ice Sports Forum is great and they have one of the better selections in the state. Summer hockey camps start in 2 weeks and they also have the 6th largest mens league in the country. So they keep a decent amount of equipment in stock. But pro shop wise it drops off pretty quickly from there. Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex has Precision Edge which can be half way decent and sits next to a large outlet mall, . They have a sister stand alone shop in a strip mall right across the street from TBSA, Tampa Bay Skating Academy. Germaine Arena in Ft. Myers has some stuff, including a lot of Everblades souvenirs.

As for the stand alone shop in Ft. Myers down the road from Germaine, that's a shame. They used to have a great supply. Last time I was in there we figured something was going on. Their stock had dwindled noticeably.

[EvilPepe 24]

Did they really?

Yep. I think they still have the little shop in the city rink, though.