Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home games at Miami Arena before moving to the Amerant Bank Arena in 1998. Located in Sunrise, Florida, the franchise is the southernmost team in the NHL. The team's local broadcasting rights have been held by Bally Sports Florida (formerly SportsChannel and Fox Sports Florida) since 1996. The Panthers are primarily affiliated with two minor league teams: the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Florida Everblades of the ECHL.
| Florida Panthers | |
|---|---|
| 2023–24 Florida Panthers season | |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | Atlantic |
| Founded | 1993 |
| History | Florida Panthers 1993–present |
| Home arena | Amerant Bank Arena |
| City | Sunrise, Florida |
| Team colors | Red, blue, flat gold, white |
| Media | Bally Sports Florida WQAM Sports Radio (560 AM) |
| Owner(s) | Sunrise Sports and Entertainment (Vincent Viola, chairman) |
| General manager | Bill Zito |
| Head coach | Paul Maurice |
| Captain | Aleksander Barkov |
| Minor league affiliates | Charlotte Checkers (AHL) Florida Everblades (ECHL) |
| Stanley Cups | 0 |
| Conference championships | 2 (1995–96, 2022–23) |
| Presidents' Trophy | 1 (2021–22) |
| Division championships | 4 (2011–12, 2015–16, 2021–22, 2023–24) |
| Official website | www |
The Panthers began playing in the 1993–94 NHL season, where they set the record for the most points by an expansion team in its inaugural season, which was later surpassed by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017–18. The team has made two appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals, first in 1996, losing to the Colorado Avalanche, and again in 2023, this time losing to the Golden Knights. Between 1996 and 2020, the Panthers only qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs five times, not winning a playoff series in that span. However, since the 2020–21 season, the Panthers have found success by winning their first playoff series in two decades in 2022, and reaching the Stanley Cup Finals the following year.