Charter Bus Rental to Amerant Bank Arena

The Florida Panthers have been one of the big four sports teams in the city of Miami since debuting in the National Hockey League in 1993. A member of the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division, the Panthers have reached the NHL’s Stanley Cup finals on one occasion in 1996. 

Florida’s fascination with ice hockey and the Panthers franchise occurred during a time in which the sport began to make inroads into the American south. Teams were popping up through expansion and relocation in the southern states as the NHL grew its fanbase in the 1990s. Just a season prior to the Panthers dropping the puck, the Tampa Bay Lightning began their first season of NHL play in 1992, increasing the excitement of the winter sport in warm weather south Florida.

 There have been plenty of highs and lows over the last two-plus decades for the Florida Panthers. Although NHL playoff appearances have been in short supply in recent seasons, the Panthers are one of the top sports franchises in South Florida, having created a large fanbase of ice hockey fans.

Florida Panthers: Expansion in the NHL

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the NHL enter a new era. The hockey league saw established teams relocate to new cities and new franchises founded through expansion. The 1991 season was the birth of the San Jose Sharks, who entered the league, giving the NHL a second California franchise. 

One of the franchises that followed and was founded at the beginning of the decade was the Florida Panthers. Founded by Miami Dolphins and Florida Marlins (Miami Marlins) owner Wayne Huizenga, the Miami-based team was established on December 10, 1992. Huizenga paid $50 million for the franchise, and the ice hockey club moved into the Miami Arena, which it shared with the NBA’s Miami Heat. 

The 1992 NHL season saw the Tampa Bay Lightning begin play, but with over 200 miles in between Miami and Tampa Bay, the NHL believed having two teams in south Florida was ideal for the league’s growth. The Lightning debuted in 1992 alongside expansion franchise the Ottawa Senators.

 The NHL team selected the region’s endangered panther as its mascot. Interestingly, Tampa Bay had attempted to get an expansion Major League Baseball team in the early 1990s, along with trying to attract the San Francisco Giants to relocate. The proposed team name for the Tampa Bay expansion Major League Baseball team was to be the Florida Panthers. 

The Florida Panthers entered the NHL in the same season (1993-94) as the Disney-owned Anaheim Mighty Ducks (named after the Emilio Estevez movie). After the Panthers and Mighty Ducks joined the league, the NHL held off on further expansion until 1997, when the Nashville Predators joined.

Florida Panthers: Success and NHL Stanley Cup finals

From the start, the Florida Panthers were different than other NHL expansion teams. The squad was competitive, although the first two seasons of existence saw the Panthers miss out on the Eastern Conference playoffs.

That would all change in the 1995-96 season. The Panthers were not only competitive; they were downright good on the ice. Florida posted a 41W-31L-10T record during the NHL’s regular season, collecting 92 points. The team finished third in the Eastern Conference, making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. 

The Panthers parlayed their regular season success into the playoffs, winning their Conference Quarterfinals series against the Boston Bruins 4-1. The Conference Semifinals against the Philadelphia Flyers were a similar story, as Florida won 4-2. The Pittsburgh Penguins were up next in the Conference Finals, which the Panthers won 4-3. Unfortunately, the Stanley Cup finals were a bridge too far, as the Panthers were swept in four games by the Colorado Avalanche, a franchise that had relocated from Quebec to Denver.

Florida Panthers: An arena and a barren spell

The Panthers qualified for the playoffs once more in 1995-96 but fell short at the first hurdle, losing to the New York Rangers in the Conference Quarterfinals. Florida would make the playoffs just once more before going on a decade-long playoff barren spell. 

In 1998, the Panthers moved into their very own arena, now known as the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. The venue is just over 33 miles outside of Miami and falls into the city’s metropolitan area.

Florida made the NHL playoffs in 2015-16. The season saw the Panthers win the Atlantic Division title with 103 points. Unfortunately, they fell in the first round of the NHL playoffs once more, losing to the New York Islanders 4-2 

Finally, in 2024, the Florida Panthers capped their 30th NHL season by winning their first Stanley Cup, one year and 11 days after falling in the Final to the Vegas Golden Knights. 

The Panthers became the ninth team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup after losing in the previous Final and first since the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguin. 

Florida, which raced to a 3-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final, secured its first championship with a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7. The Panthers became the second team in NHL history to earn a Game 7 win in the Final despite surrendering a 3-0 series lead, following the 1945 Toronto Maple Leafs.