First contested in 2000, the four-team tournament was initially jointly hosted by Cornell University and the University of Maine with the remaining slots filled by invitation.[1] In January 2014, after 14 years of participating, Maine announced it was ending its affiliation with the tournament. Florida Everblades owner Craig Brush said that a second host school would be found[2] although this never happened and Cornell hosted alone for the remaining years of the tournament.
The final edition of the Florida College Hockey Classic took place 28 and 29 December 2016. In the first round match-ups Cornell defeated Northern Michigan University 5-2 and Colorado College defeated Merrimack College 3–0. Colorado College defeated Cornell 2–1 in overtime in the championship game while Merrimack defeated Northern Michigan 4-2 for third place. This was Colorado College's second appearance at the tournament and first title.