Now in his 10th professional hockey season, Wilmington native Joe Pendenza is still going strong. In fact, he may be going stronger than ever. Pendenza, 32, is in his fourth season with the Florida Everblades, an ECHL team based near Ft. Myers. The ECHL is considered a mid-level minor league, below the high-minor AHL. Through 21 games this season for the Everblades, Pendenza is third on the team with 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists).

This is Pendenza's fourth season with the Everblades, and last spring he helped lead the team to the Kelly Cup Playoff title, defeating the Toledo Walleye 4-1 in the finals. "Throughout the playoffs, everyone bought in, and no one was afraid to say, 'Hey, we're going to win the Kelly Cup,'" Pendenza told Flohockey.com in October.