TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – On Tuesday, former Tallahassee Tiger Sharks player Cory Paterson, detailed the progress he and his team have made in hockey back to Tallahassee.<\/p>\n
Over the summer, WCTV looked back at Tallahassee\u2019s minor league hockey team, which played in the Capital City between 1994-2001.<\/p>\n
Months later, Paterson sounded confident that what was once his dream, has taken major steps towards becoming a reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am a thousand percent confident that hockey\u2019s going to be back,\u201d said Paterson. \u201cThe people of Tallahassee should be concerned right now whether you\u2019re buying season tickets for 2027 or 2028.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paterson and his team have been working continuously with city leaders on the process to bring the team back. He says they have been supportive of a Tiger Sharks return since the idea was first broached.<\/p>\n
Prospective owners have been met with in Tallahassee. It\u2019s important to Paterson and his team that the new ownership group is at least partially local. He believes a lack of local ownership is what led to the team relocating the first go-around.<\/p>\n
The original plan for the team\u2019s arena was to return to the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, where the team used to call home. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s still an option, but it\u2019s not one Paterson and his team are leaning towards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think long term for the people of Tallahassee, maybe another option should be on the table and obviously that would be a different place to play,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Mayor\u2019s vision is even bigger than ours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mayor John Dailey has been working with Paterson for months and made public his hope for the Tiger Sharks to return as Capital City Correspondent Matt Hoffman reported on October 28.<\/p>\n
NEW: Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey wants to bring back the Tiger Sharks, a minor league hockey team that used to be in the city. <\/p>\n
He also wants a minor league women\u2019s soccer team.<\/p>\n
Dailey said that\u2019s a way to diversify the local economy in the face of property tax reform.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Matt Hoffmann (@ByMattHoffmann) October 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had the opportunity to meet with Cory [Paterson] several times, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to meet with other people who are interested in bringing the Tiger Sharks back,\u201d said Dailey, to WCTV in early November. \u201cI know that there\u2019s a lot of work that\u2019s going on behind the scenes and when they\u2019re ready to engage again, we\u2019re going to be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n Paterson said he hopes an official announcement can be made by or before March 2026.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n