Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the South Florida metropolitan area. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play their games at the BB&T Center in Sunrise and are currently the southernmost team in the NHL.
==Franchise history==
===1990s===
Blockbuster Video magnate H. Wayne Huizenga was awarded an NHL franchise for Miami on December 10, 1992. The Panthers were brought into the league with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and took part in the 1993 expansion draft, which was hosted by the Quebec Nordiques. The expansion draft produced 10 players that would be a part of the 1996 Eastern Conference championship team. The team played at the Miami Arena, and its first major stars were New York Rangers goaltender castoff John Vanbiesbrouck, rookie Rob Niedermayer, and Scott Mellanby, who scored 30 goals. Their first game was a 4-4 tie on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks. The first win in franchise history was a 2-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Thunderdome before a then-NHL record crowd of 27,227. The Panthers had one of the most successful first seasons of any expansion team (and the best first year of any NHL team), finishing one point below .500 and narrowly missing out on the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Their first-year success was attributed mainly to the "trap defense" that first-year coach Roger Neilson implemented. This conservative style was widely criticized by NHL teams; some even suggested that the Panthers were ruining the game at the time.
After another close brush with the playoffs in 1994–95, Neilson was fired and replaced by Doug MacLean. The team then acquired Ray Sheppard from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline in 1995–96 and looked toward the playoffs for the first time.
Also during that season, a very unusual goal celebration developed in Miami. On the night of the Panthers' 1995–96 home opener, a rat scurried across the team's locker room. Mellanby reacted by "one-timing" the rat against the wall, killing it. That night, he scored two goals, which Vanbiesbrouck quipped was "a rat trick." Two nights later, as the story found its way into the world, a few fans threw rubber rats on the ice in celebration of a goal. The rubber rat count went from 16 for the third home game to over 2,000 during the playoffs.
In the 1996 playoffs, as the fourth seed, the Panthers faced the Boston Bruins in the first round and won in five games. Bill Lindsay's famous series-clinching goal is still a trademark image for the incredible run the third-year franchise went on. The Cats went on to upset the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in six games and then the second-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in seven (with Tom Fitzgerald scoring what would end up being the game-winning goal) to reach the Stanley Cup Final. Their opponent, the Colorado Avalanche, swept the Panthers in four games. Uwe Krupp scored the winning goal on a slap shot from the blue line for the Avalanche in the third overtime of Game 4 to defeat the Panthers 1-0. Colorado was led by captain Joe Sakic in the franchise's first year in Denver after moving from Quebec City.
The Panthers would begin the next season with a 17–game unbeaten streak but faded in the second half of the season. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Wayne Gretzky-led Rangers in five games.
The 1997–98 season would be a return to mediocrity for the Panthers. After a 7–12–4 start, the Panthers fired MacLean, replacing him for the season with general manager Bryan Murray. The change did not aid matters, as Florida suffered a franchise-worst 24–43–15 record, including a 15–game winless streak. This season would also mark the end of Vanbiesbrouck's time in Florida, who in the midst of that streak, was shelled by the Chicago Blackhawks and never played another game for the Panthers. He would sign with the Flyers that off-season as a free agent.
The Panthers moved into the brand new National Car Rental Center (now known as BankAtlantic Center) in 1998. In 1998–99, they acquired Pavel Bure (the "Russian Rocket"), in a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks. They reached the playoffs again in 1999–00, losing in a first-round sweep to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils.
===2000s===
The team slumped in 2000–01. The following season, 2001–02, the Panthers had their worst record ever. Bure struggled despite being reunited with his brother Valeri, and was traded to the Rangers at the 2002 trading deadline.
The Panthers then started coveting defenceman Jay Bouwmeester, who was widely tipped to be picked first overall in the 2002 draft. But then-General Manager Rick Dudley sent Florida's first pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who took winger Rick Nash. The Atlanta Thrashers, after picking goalie Kari Lehtonen second overall, announced that the Panthers had given them two draft picks to guarantee that Bouwmeester would still be available for Florida's selection. Bouwmeester was selected third overall by the Panthers. Said then-head coach Mike Keenan, "We shouldn’t have done that ... Jay would have been number-one if we'd kept that pick."
In 2003, the Panthers hosted the NHL All-Star Weekend in which the Western Conference earned a 6–5 victory after the first OT shootout in All-Star history. The West overcame a four-goal outburst by Thrashers winger Dany Heatley, who took home MVP honors in his first All-Star Game.
On June 23, 2006, the Panthers were again involved in a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks, sending Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek, and a sixth-round draft pick (Sergei Shirokov) in exchange for Todd Bertuzzi, Alex Auld, and Bryan Allen. This trade has been regarded by some as one of the worst trades in professional sports history. Luongo who was and still is at the prime of his career is one of the top goalies in the NHL. Bertuzzi only played a handful of games for the Cats before getting injured. He would be traded to Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline for Shawn Matthias and prospect Rob Capellupo. Alex Auld ended up being a poor replacement for the Panthers former franchise goalie and was let go after one season.
On June 22, 2007, the Florida Panthers were involved in yet another draft day deal involving a goalie. The Florida Panthers acquired Tomas Vokoun from the Nashville Predators in exchange for three draft picks, a first round pick in 2008, a second round pick in 2008, and a conditional second round pick that can be used in 2007 or 2008. The move would eventually pay off when Vokoun was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
On July 28, 2007, the Florida Panthers unveiled their new jerseys to over 11,000 fans at the BankAtlantic Center during the first intermission of the Panthers 1996 Reunion game. Star forwards Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss were both in full gear to help showcase the sweater changes.
As of 2008, the Florida Panthers are the only team in the NHL to have a lifetime winning percentage of .500 or better over the team with the most Stanley Cup titles in NHL history, the Montreal Canadiens.
In June 2008, the Panthers traded their captain Olli Jokinen to the Phoenix Coyotes for a second round draft pick and two defensemen: Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton.
The Panthers finished the 2008–09 season with a strong 41-30-11 record and 93 points, their second best ever in franchise history. Despite this, however, the Panthers missed the playoffs for an eighth straight season, the current longest streak in the NHL.
On November 23, 2009 the Panthers made their third jersey, ridding red from the alternate jersey, replacing it with powder blue.
The Florida Panthers missed the playoffs for the 9th consecutive time in the 2009-10 NHL Season, making them the first team in NHL history to do so in one city. If the Panthers are to miss the playoffs in the 2010-11 NHL Season, they will have the sole record for most consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs, with 10.
This is a list of seasons completed by the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. This list documents the records and playoff results for all seasons the Florida Panthers have completed in the NHL since their inception in 1993.
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Season 	Team 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OTL 	Pts 	GF 	GA 	PIM 	Finish 	Playoffs
1993–94 	1993–94 	84 	33 	34 	17 	— 	83 	233 	233 	1620 	5th, Atlantic 	Did not qualify
1994–951 	1994–95 	48 	20 	22 	6 	— 	46 	115 	127 	770 	5th, Atlantic 	Did not qualify
1995–96 	1995–96 	82 	41 	31 	10 	— 	92 	254 	234 	1494 	3rd, Atlantic 	Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4–1 (Bruins) Won in Conference Semifinals, 4–2 (Flyers) Won in Conference Finals, 4–3 (Penguins) Lost in Finals, 0–4 (Avalanche)
1996–97 	1996–97 	82 	35 	28 	19 	— 	89 	221 	201 	1628 	3rd, Atlantic 	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 1–4 (Rangers)
1997–98 	1997–98 	82 	24 	43 	15 	— 	63 	203 	256 	1676 	6th, Atlantic 	Did not qualify
1998–99 	1998–99 	82 	30 	34 	18 	— 	78 	210 	228 	1522 	2nd, Southeast 	Did not qualify
1999–2000 	1999–2000 	82 	43 	27 	6 	6 	98 	244 	209 	1329 	2nd, Southeast 	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 0–4 (Devils)
2000–01 	2000–01 	82 	22 	38 	13 	9 	66 	200 	246 	1509 	3rd, Southeast 	Did not qualify
2001–02 	2001–02 	82 	22 	44 	10 	6 	60 	180 	250 	1994 	4th, Southeast 	Did not qualify
2002–03 	2002–03 	82 	24 	36 	13 	9 	70 	176 	237 	1127 	4th, Southeast 	Did not qualify
2003–04 	2003–04 	82 	28 	35 	15 	4 	75 	188 	221 	1192 	4th, Southeast 	Did not qualify
2004–05 	2004–05 	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout	Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout
2005–06 	2005–06 	82 	37 	34 	— 	11 	85 	240 	257 	1255 	4th, Southeast 	Did not qualify
2006–07 	2006–07 	82 	35 	31 	— 	16 	86 	247 	257 	1059 	4th, Southeast 	Did not qualify
2007–08 	2007–08 	82 	38 	35 	— 	9 	85 	216 	226 	1002 	3rd, Southeast 	Did not qualify
2008–09 	2008–09 	82 	41 	30 	— 	11 	93 	231 	223 	903 	3rd, Southeast 	Did not qualify
2009–10 	2009–10 	82 	32 	37 	— 	13 	77 	208 	244 	961 	5th, Southeast 	Did not qualify
2010–11 	2010–11 	82 	30 	40 	— 	12 	72 	195 	229 	961 	5th, Southeast 	Did not qualify
2011–12 	2011–12 	82 	38 	26 	— 	18 	94 	203 	227 	792 	1st, Southeast 	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3–4 (Devils)
2012–13 	2012–13 	48 	15 	27 	— 	6 	36 	112 	171 	541 	5th, Southeast 	Did not qualify
2013–14 	2013–14 	82 	29 	45 	— 	8 	66 	196 	268 	848 	7th, Atlantic 	Did not qualify
2014–15 	2014–15 	82 	38 	29 	— 	15 	91 	206 	223 	733 	6th, Atlantic 	Did not qualify
2015–16 	2015–16 	82 	47 	26 	— 	9 	103 	239 	203 	849 	1st, Atlantic 	Lost in First Round, 2–4 (Islanders)
2016–17 	2016–17 	82 	35 	36 	— 	11 	81 	210 	237 	813 	6th, Atlantic 	Did not qualify
2017–18 	2017–18 	82 	44 	30 	— 	8 	96 	248 	246 	 	4th, Atlantic 	Did not qualify
2018–19 	2018–19 	82 	36 	32 	— 	14 	86 	267 	280 	 	5th, Atlantic 	Did not qualify
Season 	Team 	GP 	W 	L 	T2 	OTL2 	Pts 	GF 	GA 	PIM 	Finish 	Playoffs
Reg. season totals3	Reg. season totals3	1984 	817 	830 	142 	195 	1971 	5245 	5741 	27311 	 	
Playoff totals4 	Playoff totals4 	44 	18 	26 	— 	— 	 	 	 	— 	 	All-time series record: 3–5
Grand totals5 	Grand totals5 	2028 	835 	856 	142 	195 	 	 	 	— 	 	
:1 Season was shortened due to the 1994–95 NHL lockout.
:2 As of the 2005–06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses).
:3 Totals through the 2018–19 season
:4 Totals through the 2018–19 season
:5 Totals through the 2018–19 season
==References==
*Florida Panthers season statistics and records
==Notable players==
===Current roster===
===Team captains===
*Brian Skrudland, 1993–97
*Scott Mellanby, 1997–2001
*Pavel Bure & Paul Laus, 2001–02 (co-captains)</SMALL>
*No captain, 2002–03
*Olli Jokinen, 2003–08
*No captain, 2008–09
*Bryan McCabe, 2009–11
*Ed Jovanovski, 2013–14
*Willie Mitchell, 2014–16
*Derek MacKenzie, 2016–18
*Aleksander Barkov, 2018–present
===Honored members===
Hall of Famers
;Players
*Pavel Bure, RW, 1999–02, inducted 2012
*Ed Belfour, G, 2006–07, inducted 2011
*Joe Nieuwendyk, C, 2005–06, inducted 2011
*Dino Ciccarelli, RW, 1998–1999, inducted 2010
*Igor Larionov, C, 2000, inducted 2008
;Builders
*Roger Neilson, Coach, 1993–95, inducted 2002
*Bill Torrey, General Manager, 1993–2001, inducted 1995
Retired numbers
*1 - Roberto Luongo, G, 2000–06, 2014–19, retired March 7, 2020
*37 - Wayne Huizenga, owner, 1993–01, retired January 19, 2018
*93 - Bill Torrey, president, general manager, 1993–01, retired October 23, 2010
===First-round draft picks===
*1993: Rob Niedermayer (5th overall)
*1994: Ed Jovanovski (1st overall)
*1995: Radek Dvorak (10th overall)
*1996: Marcus Nilson (20th overall)
*1997: Mike Brown (20th overall)
*1998: None
*1999: Denis Shvidki (12th overall)
*2000: None
*2001: Stephen Weiss (4th overall) & Lukas Krajicek (24th overall)
*2002: Jay Bouwmeester (3rd overall) & Petr Taticek (9th overall)
*2003: Nathan Horton (3rd overall) & Anthony Stewart (25th overall)
*2004: Rostislav Olesz (7th overall)
*2005: Kenndal McArdle (20th overall)
*2006: Michael Frolik (10th overall)
*2007: Keaton Ellerby (10th overall)
*2008: None
*2009: Dmitri Kulikov (14th overall)
*2010: Erik Gudbranson (3rd overall), Nick Bjugstad (19th overall) & Quinton Howden (25th overall)
*2011: Jonathan Huberdeau (3rd overall)
*2012: Mike Matheson (23rd overall)
*2013: Aleksander Barkov (2nd overall)
*2014: Aaron Ekblad (1st overall)
*2015: Lawson Crouse (11th overall)
*2016: Henrik Borgstrom (23rd overall)
*2017: Owen Tippett (10th overall)
*2018: Grigori Denisenko (15th overall)
*2019: Spencer Knight (13th overall)
===Franchise scoring leaders===
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Panthers player
Player 	Pos	GP 	G 	A 	Pts	P/G
Olli Jokinen 	C 	567	188	231	419	.73
Scott Mellanby 	RW 	552	157	197	354	.64
Nathan Horton 	C 	422	142	153	295	.66
Viktor Kozlov 	C 	414	101	190	291	.70
Robert Svehla 	D 	573	61 	229	290	.51
Stephen Weiss* 	C 	481	103	181	284	.59
Rob Niedermayer	C 	518	101	165	266	.51
Pavel Bure 	RW 	223	152	99 	251	1.13
Radek Dvorak* 	RW 	560	106	141	247	.44
Ray Whitney 	LW 	273	97 	130	227	.83
==NHL awards and trophies==
Prince of Wales Trophy Stanley Cup
* 1995–96
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
* Pavel Bure: 1999–2000, 2000–01
==Franchise individual records==
*Most goals in a season: Pavel Bure, 59 (2000–01)
*Most assists in a season: Jonathan Huberdeau, 62 (2018–19)
*Most points in a season: Aleksander Barkov , 96 (2018–19)
*Most penalty minutes in a season: Peter Worrell, 354 (2001–02)
*Most points in a season, defenceman: Keith Yandle, 62 (2018–19)
*Most points in a season, rookie: Jesse Belanger, 50 (1993–94)
*Most wins in a season: Roberto Luongo, 35 (2005–06), (2015–16)
*Most saves in a shutout win: Craig Anderson, 53 (NHL record)
*Most shutouts in a season: Roberto Luongo, 7 (2003–04)
*All-time leader in goals against average: Tomas Vokoun, 2.57
*All-time leader in shutouts: Roberto Luongo, 26, Tomas Vokoun (2009–10), 7
*All-time leader in games played by a goaltender: Roberto Luongo, 572
*All-time leader in wins by a goaltender: Roberto Luongo, 230
==References==
==External links==
* The Official website of the Florida Panthers
* Official website of the Florida Panthers Booster Club
Category:American ice hockey teams
Category:National Hockey League team
Category:Florida Panthers
Category:National Hockey League teams