Gulf Coast Swords
Founded	2004
Home ice	Lakewood Arena Lakewood Arena Lakewood Arena is a planned 7,400-seat multi-purpose arena in Bradenton, Florida. While preliminary construction has been done, developer DVA Sports has had financial and technical problems completing the arena. The arena was to be home to the Gulf Coast Swords ECHL ice hockey team...
Based in	Bradenton, Florida Bradenton, Florida Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
Colors	Black, Red
League	ECHL ECHL The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...

The Gulf Coast Swords were a planned expansion team of the ECHL

ECHL

The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...

. Due to years of delays in the construction of Lakewood Arena

Lakewood Arena

Lakewood Arena is a planned 7,400-seat multi-purpose arena in Bradenton, Florida. While preliminary construction has been done, developer DVA Sports has had financial and technical problems completing the arena. The arena was to be home to the Gulf Coast Swords ECHL ice hockey team...

 in Bradenton, Florida

Bradenton, Florida

Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...

, the ECHL terminated the franchise in September 2006, more than two years after the franchise was supposed to begin play. Many ECHL fans satirize the arena not being built, saying it was a "drawing on paper", and also make fun of the Swords, as they were said to be "all-talk", and were never introduced.