South Florida Fully Embracing Panthers

After three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final, South Florida is finally known as a hockey town while falling in love with the Florida Panthers.

Jun 6, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) scores the game winning goal against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during double overtime in game two of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. / Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images

It has been almost 30 years since the Florida Panthers advanced to their first Stanley Cup Final. They lost the Cup in 1996 to the Colorado Avalanche. There have been more downs than ups since 1996, but South Florida has taken to this team recently and is representing the franchise with a tremendous source of pride.

South Florida is used to having a winning team in town. The Miami Dolphins won the Super Bowl twice in the 1970's and had a perfect, undefeated season in 1972. The Florida Marlins, now the Miami Marlins, won the World Series in 1997 and 2003. Finally, the Miami Heat have won the NBA World Championship three times since 2006.

However, many South Florida sports fans alive today do not have any knowledge of those teams as they were not born when the Dolphins or Marlins were successful. The Dolphins have not won a playoff game in 25 years. The Marlins are constantly toiling around the dregs of Major League Baseball and played an entertaining game against the Colorado Rockies last week before just under 6,000 paid fans.

The Panthers know what that is like. They used to play to an arena full of empty seats. Free agents did not want to join the team, and they were cheap under prior ownership regimes. They put a mediocre product on the ice and no one wanted to be a part of it. The fans could not identify with the players, some of whom came from countries fans never heard of.

And then it happened. Vinny Viola bought the team and hired general manager Bill Zito to run the day-to-day operations. He hired Paul Maurice to coach the team and they have been to the Final the last three seasons. The run culminated in a Stanley Cup coming to Sunrise, Florida for the first time ever. It was the first championship for Broward County. It was the first championship for South Florida since the Heat won it all in 2012.

Former Panthers star Bill Lindsay, who is now the color analyst for the team on the radio broadcasts, scored a big goal to help the 1996 team get to the Final. He did not beat around the bush when describing the fans love for the team and the sport.

“South Florida is a hockey town. Maybe not in the traditional sense, but it has become a staple of many communities throughout South Florida. From the Panthers’ arrival in 1993, the roots were planted, and the growth has been tremendous," Lindsay said to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Since the early days, the Panthers have moved into a new arena in Sunrise. They have built two ice arenas for practice and for local hockey leagues to play in. This is a big time hockey town now, and fans are bleeding Panthers red.

“Never in my wildest imagination when I arrived in ’93 could I have ever envisioned that hockey would be like it is now," Lindsay said. "The rinks, the fans, the thirst and desire for hockey is remarkable. Yes, South Florida is a hockey town, home of the champs. Imagine all the possibilities that lie ahead."

Former Dolphins wide receiver O.J. McDuffie believes his past employer will always be No. 1 in town, but he understands the hype. He is part of the hype.

“Hell, I was going down to Miami Arena when they made the Stanley Cup Final in ’96, the Year of the Rat. Then we had some tough times, but now? Everybody knows it’s a hockey town. This is the place to be,” McDuffie says.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

• Oilers' John Klingberg Turning Back the Clock
• Senators Shut Down Trade Rumors on Star Forward
• Panthers’ Sam Bennett Will Continue to Live in Crease
• Panthers Need More from Sam Reinhart
• Capitals’ Spencer Carbery Captures First Jack Adams Award