Florida Panthers

About the Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers joined the NHL as an expansion franchise for the 1993-94 season alongside the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Florida quickly established itself as a competitive team. In just its third NHL season, the Panthers made an unexpected run to the 1996 Stanley Cup Final, beginning a franchise history that would eventually include multiple trips to the championship series and consecutive Stanley Cup titles.

After experiencing long stretches without postseason success, the Panthers developed into one of the NHL's leading teams during the 2020s.

Division History

The Panthers began play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in 1993.

NHL realignment in 1998 created the Southeast Division, and Florida moved into the new division alongside several other teams from the southeastern United States.

The Panthers remained in the Southeast Division until another league realignment in 2013. Florida then returned to the Atlantic Division, where the team remains today.

The exception was the shortened 2020-21 season, when the NHL temporarily reorganized its divisions and Florida competed in the Central Division.

Championship History

The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 1996, only three seasons after entering the NHL.

Led by goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck and a group that became known for the team's memorable “Rat Trick” tradition, Florida defeated the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins during its run through the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Panthers faced the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final but were swept in four games.

Florida then went through a lengthy period without significant postseason success. The Panthers won division championships in 2011-12 and 2015-16 but were unable to advance beyond the opening round of the playoffs.

A new era began in the early 2020s. Florida won the Presidents' Trophy in 2021-22 after finishing with a franchise-record 122 points and advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

The Panthers returned to the Stanley Cup Final in 2023 after entering the playoffs as the final wild-card team in the Eastern Conference. Florida defeated the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Final.

One year later, the Panthers returned to the championship series. Florida defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers before facing the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

The Panthers took a 3-0 series lead before Edmonton won three consecutive games to force a decisive Game 7. Florida won the final game 2-1 at home to capture the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.

The Panthers successfully defended their title in 2025.

Florida again advanced through the Eastern Conference before meeting Edmonton in a rematch of the previous year's Stanley Cup Final. This time, the Panthers won the series in six games to become back-to-back Stanley Cup champions.

Florida became the 10th franchise in NHL history to win consecutive Stanley Cups.

The Panthers' Home

The Panthers played their first five seasons at Miami Arena.

In 1998, the franchise moved north to a new arena in Sunrise, Florida, in Broward County. The building has remained the Panthers' home ever since.

The arena has carried several names over its history, including National Car Rental Center, Office Depot Center, BankAtlantic Center, BB&T Center and FLA Live Arena.

It became Amerant Bank Arena in 2023.

The arena has a hockey capacity of up to 19,250 and hosted Florida's first Stanley Cup championship celebration when the Panthers defeated Edmonton in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

Notable Panthers

Aleksander Barkov has become one of the most important players in franchise history.

Florida selected Barkov with the second overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, and he developed into an elite two-way center. He became Panthers captain in 2018 and went on to establish franchise records in major offensive categories including goals, assists and points.

Barkov won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward for the first time in 2021 and later added another Selke Trophy. He also won the Lady Byng Trophy in 2019.

His greatest achievements came as captain of Florida's championship teams. Barkov led the Panthers to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals from 2023 through 2025 and became the first Finnish-born captain in NHL history to lift the Stanley Cup when Florida won its first championship in 2024. He captained the team to a second consecutive title the following year.

Roberto Luongo became the defining goaltender of the Panthers for much of the franchise's first three decades.

Luongo played 11 seasons with Florida across two separate stints and holds franchise goaltending records for games played, wins and shutouts.

He finished his Panthers career with 230 victories and 38 shutouts. In 2020, his No. 1 became the first player's number retired by the franchise, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022.

Olli Jokinen was one of Florida's leading players during the 2000s. He spent seven seasons with the Panthers and served as team captain from 2003 through 2008.

Jokinen established several franchise scoring records during his time in Florida, including marks for goals and points that stood until they were later surpassed by Barkov and other members of the Panthers' modern generation.

Jonathan Huberdeau became another of the franchise's most productive offensive players after Florida selected him with the third overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.

Huberdeau won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year in 2013 and eventually became Florida's all-time leader in points before Barkov surpassed his record in 2023. Huberdeau recorded a franchise-record 115 points during the Panthers' Presidents' Trophy-winning 2021-22 season before being traded to the Calgary Flames later that year.

Matthew Tkachuk became one of the central figures in Florida's championship era after arriving from Calgary in 2022.

Tkachuk helped lead the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final in each of his first three seasons with the organization and played a major role in the championship teams of 2024 and 2025.

Sergei Bobrovsky was another cornerstone of those championship runs. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner became Florida's starting goaltender during its rise to the top of the NHL and backstopped the Panthers to consecutive Stanley Cup championships.

Other prominent players in Panthers history include Scott Mellanby, John Vanbiesbrouck, Pavel Bure, Stephen Weiss, Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett.