Florida Panthers Can Become South Florida's Greatest Sports Team

Well, here we are again. For the second straight year, the Florida Panthers eliminated the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. While the first series went the distance, this year's meeting went six games. Coming into this year's edition, all the talk was about Connor McDavid's 'revenge tour' and how Edmonton was finally going to end Canada's long Cup drought.

What got lost in all the hoopla and anticipation was that this was more of a mismatch when comparing the 2025 Stanley Cup Final to the 2024 Final. When comparing the two teams, there was no contest. Florida had more depth. Their roster went beyond just the top players, unlike the Oilers. Florida had a more consistent goaltender, a better defense, and a more experienced head coach.

Edmonton was lucky not to get swept, and one stat in particular shows how lopsided this match-up was:

Yes, you read that right. Edmonton had a lead for just over 33 minutes in the entire series. Despite blowing multi-goal leads in Games One and Four, the Panthers dominated from start to finish. This series should have lasted for less than six games. This 2024-25 Florida Panthers team established themselves as a better squad than the year before and has proven to be one of the best teams in the salary cap era of the NHL.

How deep was this Panthers team? 19 different players scored at least one goal in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 11 of the 19 skaters who played in the Stanley Cup Final scored a goal at some point in the series. It was pure domination, and the Cats once again established themselves as the kings of the NHL. Whether you like it or not, this is the team to beat in professional hockey. The Panthers are NHL royalty.

Since the franchise-altering hiring of Bill Zito in September of 2020, the Panthers built a phenomenal resume of success. Florida has captured a President's Trophy, two Atlantic Division crowns, three Eastern Conference titles, and, of course, the back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. That's not even counting the individual awards as well.

It's safe to say that this franchise is currently in its golden era. It's particularly impressive and, to a certain extent, shocking, as this wasn't always the norm. With all the recent success, it's easy to forget that the Florida Panthers were stuck in the doldrums for decades. After 1996, the team wouldn't win another playoff series until 2022 against Washington in the first round.

That was the series where Carter Verhaeghe first showed off his clutch genes with some overtime magic, a theme that would follow his career over the next few years.

At one point, the Cats were one of the NHL's biggest laughingstocks. From 2000 to 2011, the franchise set a then-NHL record for the longest playoff drought in league history, missing the postseason 10 straight seasons. This was an organization that was so deep into the abyss. Gimmick promotions such as this were more prevalent than wins. Imagine getting a free jersey at games today.

There was a time when photos like this dominated the headlines:

There was no positivity. There was no excitement. Nobody seemed to care. There was a revolving door of coaches and players. Ownership wasn't always the best. This is a franchise that once had a former NFL quarterback, Bernie Kosar, as a part-owner. What does he know about hockey? The franchise was slowly dying as the mediocrity continued.

Now, times have changed. A new ownership group, led by Army West Point graduate Vincent Viola, bought the team in 2013. Since that moment, things have slowly changed for the better. Florida has become a destination spot for players. The Panthers were once a place where careers went to die. Now, they are a place for growth, opportunities, and winning.

""We don't really own anything. The players sweat, sacrifice their health in later years to do well on the ice, to provide the right feeling and connection to the fans. It's about the players and the fans and our service to those two respective groups that will determine our success. I really, truly believe that.""

Vincent Viola at Intro Press Conference

With all the positivity that's surrounded the franchise over the last few years, it begs the question: Can these Florida Panthers be the best sports team South Florida has ever had? At first, that might seem like an outrageous thought to have. After all, the region has seen so many great sports teams throughout history.

The first all-time legendary team South Florida witnessed was the Miami Dolphins of the early 1970s. The Dolphins became the first ever professional sports team in the state of Florida when they joined the American Football League as an expansion franchise in 1966. When Don Shula arrived as head coach in 1970, Miami became a formidable team in the NFL.

After reaching Super Bowl VI in 1971, the Dolphins made history the next year. In 1972, Miami became the first team in modern football history to go through a season unbeaten and untied, as they defeated the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. Shula's bunch repeated as Super Bowl champions the next year and went back-to-back, becoming just the second team in the Super Bowl era to accomplish the feat.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the Miami Hurricanes took over as the top team in the 'Magic City'. Under legendary head coach Howard Schnellenberger, the Canes went from being one of the biggest afterthoughts in college football to a dynamic powerhouse that took over the nation. The 1983 season kicked off a decade of dominance.

That year, Miami went 11-1 and stunned the nation by upsetting Nebraska in the Orange Bowl to earn the school's first National Championship. By 1991, the Hurricanes had collected four National Championships under the tutelage of three different coaches(Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, & Dennis Erickson). They were a regular fixture for Orange, Fiesta, and Sugar Bowls from 1983 to 1994.

After the Hurricanes came and went, the Florida Marlins took over the South Florida sports landscape. The Marlins joined the National League in Major League Baseball as an expansion team in 1993, the same year as the Panthers. Owned by Wayne Huizenga, the Marlins won the World Series in 1997. That was just the fourth season of the franchise's existence.

Florida took down the vaunted Cleveland Indians in a shocking upset, thanks to Edgar Renteria's iconic single in Game Seven. After a fire sale and several years rebuilding, Florida won another World Series title in 2003. That year was an even bigger upset as the Marlins stunned the New York Yankees in six games.

After several mediocre years from 1995 to 1999 under Butch Davis, the Miami Hurricanes came back with a vengeance in 2001, earning the schools fifth National Championship in football. To this day, the 2001 Canes are regarded by many as the greatest college football team of all time. Larry Coker took over as coach when Davis decided to take a job with the NFL's Cleveland Browns.

Even with the coaching change, Miami ran roughshod over the Big East Conference, destroying almost every opponent in their way to a victory over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl. The Canes racked up a +372 point differential and produced 22 future NFL Draft selections.

Lastly, the most recent great South Florida sports team was the 'Big 3' Miami Heat in the early 2010s. Even though the Heat won their first NBA title in 2006, that squad quickly succumbed to injuries and conflict. In the summer of 2010, Miami Heat president Pat Riley resigned Dwyane Wade, and was able to sign Chris Bosh and Lebron James in free agency.

The group made four straight trips to the NBA Finals from 2010-11 to 2013-14. Miami won two of those championship series. First was in 2012, when they took down the young Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. The next year, the Heat outlasted the San Antonio Spurs in a classic seven-game duel that is best remembered for Ray Allen's heroics in Game Six. Miami earned back-to-back championships.

With all that history of greatness in South Florida sports, are the Panthers really in that class? Well, everyone should put them in that tier now. Like all the aforementioned teams, the Cats have won multiple titles while establishing themselves as the dominant team in the NHL, just like all the other teams in their respective sports.

However, they can surpass the level of the other great South Florida squads. What's the reason for that? Longevity. These current Florida Panthers can have the longest run of success of any major team in South Florida when this run and era are all over. Longevity is something that the other great teams have never been able to sustain for various reasons.

For example, the Dolphins of the early 70s fell apart following 1973. In 1974, they lost to the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Divisional Round. After the stunning loss, which would become known as the "Sea Of Hands" game, Larry Czonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield left Miami to join the Memphis Southmen of the fledgling World Football League. The reason they left was due to earning higher salaries in the WFL than in the NFL. Miami was never the same after they left.

When it comes to the Marlins, they went through a fire sale as mentioned earlier. Even after their second title in 2003, the team didn't stay together. Many of the core pieces that made up both the Marlins' title-winning teams were dealt to other clubs across Major League Baseball immediately following the wins.

After 2001, the Hurricanes made it back to the National Championship game the following year. Unfortunately, they lost to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl because of a controversial pass interference call. Since that game, the U has had only three seasons of 10 wins or more. They have yet to return to the National Championship game, now under the College Football Playoff format.

As far as the Heat is concerned, the 'Big 3' fell apart due to some conflict as well as age. Lebron James left the Heat for a reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers following the Heat's 2014 NBA Finals loss to the Spurs. One of the biggest reasons for his departure stemmed from Pat Riley's ridiculous 'old-school' type of ways in which the team was operated.

For instance, Riley started to disallow chocolate chip cookies on the team plane during that 2013-14 season, even though Miami won the previous two championships. Don't you think that's a little too much control over grown men? For years, it was a rumor until Lebron confirmed the story himself on The Pat McAfee Show. Several of the team's pieces were also getting older, and he jumped at the chance to play with a younger team in Cleveland.

Meanwhile, the Panthers' core isn't going anywhere and isn't aging. Without looking at the expiring contracts of Mackie Samoskevich, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad, Bill Zito has signed every other major member of the team to long-term deals. Any of the major core pieces that you can think of have been extended and will stay with the Panthers for many years to come.

As you can see by the list above, there is a lot of security around the Panthers' roster. The players that are part of this core who need to be prioritized soon are Sergei Bobrovsky and Niko Mikkola. As time goes on, Panthers fans will know what the future holds for both, especially Bobrovsky, who is currently 36 years old.

The year after their situations get figured out will be the time to prioritize Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen. Then, Dmitry Kulikov will be dealt with in 2028. Everyone else is guaranteed to stay in Florida red well into the next decade. That includes some of the team's bigger names like Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Seth Jones, Carter Verhaeghe, and Matthew Tkachuk.

Some changes will be made around the margins as the years go on, but the nucleus that builds the team will be intact. So, the longevity aspect of the team will not be worried about. These guys aren't going anywhere. Also, another reason why the Panthers could become South Florida's greatest team is because of the common bond and culture that has been implanted within the organization.

It's no secret that this aspect of the Panthers is their strongest asset. It's what keeps them going. The culture of the team was put on display when the Stanley Cup was awarded on Tuesday. All the players who weren't part of the 2024 team skated around with the Cup first before the other players did.

There is a strong bond and togetherness within the Panthers' locker room. They are a ball of yarn that you can't take apart. They are always focused on the task at hand in the long run. Everyone is appreciated. Nobody is overlooked. This was shown after Game Five, when Jonah Gadjovich gave backup goalie Vitek Vanacek the honor of placing the puck on the team's playoff plaque.

Head coach Paul Maurice gave his great fourth line the honors of taking the final shift in the Stanley Cup Final.

There are no conflicts. There are no clashing egos. Players aren't at each other's throats every day. No individual agendas are thrown around. Every single person in the organization is treated with respect, kindness, and dignity. The players are treated very well. The new training facility has various perks that give players a feel of the Floridian lifestyle, such as tennis courts and lounge areas.

Let's face it, this team hasn't scratched the surface yet. Many of the core players are still in their respective primes. As said earlier, they are also locked up to contracts that aren't ending anytime soon. The franchise is now a place where others want to play due to the culture and stability surrounding every part of the team, from the owners to the front office and coaching staff.

Regardless of what happens in the 2025-26 season, the Florida Panthers will not disappear. This won't be the last time you'll see them play for Lord Stanley's Cup. Barring injuries that limit the team's window, Florida will be a contender for nearly the next decade. With two titles already under their belt, there is still so much more this group can do, and over time, they could surpass the legacies of all the other teams that have etched their names into South Florida sports lore.