Everblades head coach Brad Ralph captures 500th career win

Florida Everblades head coach Brad Ralph’s name is all over the ECHL history books. He led the Everblades to a third-straight Kelly Cup title last season, which made them the first team to achieve a threepeat. Now, Ralph crossed a threshold only three other coaches have achieved, 500 career regular season wins. He accomplished the feat Nov. 30 in a win over Fort Wayne.

“I actually didn’t know that I was chasing 500,” Ralph recalled. “So after the game someone told me it was 500 and I was just proud you know. We’ve had so much success here with the Everblades over my nine years and just very thankful to the people that have been along for the ride and supported our team.”

When Ralph finished playing, people thought coaching was in his future.

“Everyone said oh you’d be a good coach, you’d be a good coach but I was tired of moving,” Ralph explained. “So I tried to set up roots you know I think it was nine months after I stopped playing that I missed the game. Had an opportunity to get into coaching and very quickly maybe the first or second week I realized maybe this is my calling more so than being a hockey player.”

Ralph’s coaching journey brought him to Southwest Florida in 2016 after serving as the Idaho Steelheads head coach for three seasons.

With the Everblades, Ralph built a dynasty.

“His mix of competitiveness and understanding of how and when to push the guys,” Everblades assistant coach and former goalie Anthony Peters said. “It’s a bit of an art for a coach to be able to do that. He does a great job. He wants to win more than anybody but he does it in a way where the rest of us want to follow him into battle.”

“I’ve just enjoyed seeing different players have that smile and that look in their eye when they win so that’s what continues to motivate me,” Ralph said.