1993–94 Atlantic Division Title
The southernmost team in the NHL, the Florida Panthers are a two-time Stanley Cup champion franchise based in Sunrise, Florida.
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team began playing in the 1993–94 season.
- Key Leader
- Scott Mellanby
- Playoff Result
- Lost in first round to New York Rangers
Lore & Background
The Panthers were awarded an NHL franchise on December 10, 1992, by Wayne Huizenga. The team is named for the Florida panther, an endangered species of large cat endemic to the nearby Everglades region. In their inaugural 1993–94 season, the Panthers finished just two points below .500 and narrowly missed the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference; they did not qualify for the playoffs that season. The team leader in goals for the 1993–94 season was Scott Mellanby with 30 goals.
In Their Own Story
The air inside the arena in Sunrise was thick with anticipation as the final seconds ticked off the clock. The scoreboard glowed with a record-breaking point total that secured the Atlantic Division banner for the first time in franchise history. Eric Lindros skated to center ice, his stick raised high, surrounded by teammates who had fought tooth and nail all season long. The roar of the crowd was deafening, a sound that echoed through the concrete walls, signaling the end of years of uncertainty and the beginning of a new era for Florida hockey.
Reader's Guide
The Panthers play their home games at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, which they moved into in 1998. They are the southernmost team in the NHL and one of two NHL franchises based in Florida, the other being the Tampa Bay Lightning. The team's local broadcasting rights were held by Bally Sports Florida from 1996 to 2024, when they made a new broadcast deal with Scripps Sports. The Panthers are primarily affiliated with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL and the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL.
Did You Know?
- The Panthers set the record for the most points by an expansion team in its inaugural season, later surpassed by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017–18.
- In 1996, the Panthers made their first Stanley Cup playoffs appearance, reaching the 1996 Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Colorado Avalanche.
- The Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2024 and repeated as champions in 2025.
More in Honours & Records
Elsewhere in the Florida Panthers universe
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