The Florida Panthers were founded in 1993 as an NHL expansion franchise based in the Miami–Fort Lauderdale area ¹⁾

The Panthers began play in the 1993–94 NHL season, earning a 4–4 tie with the Chicago Blackhawks in their debut game on October 6, 1993 ²⁾

Florida’s first victory came three nights later, a 2–0 road shutout of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Thunderdome before more than 27,000 fans ³⁾

The club is named after the endangered Florida panther, a large cat native to the nearby Everglades region and a symbol of local conservation efforts ⁴⁾

Blockbuster Video magnate Wayne Huizenga secured the expansion franchise in December 1992, bringing top-level NHL hockey to South Florida for the first time ⁵⁾

Unlike many expansion teams, Florida was competitive right away, finishing just one win short of a playoff berth in each of its first two seasons ⁶⁾

In 1995–96, only their third season, the Panthers upset two higher-seeded opponents to reach the Stanley Cup Final before being swept by the Colorado Avalanche ⁷⁾

The famous “Year of the Rat” began when Scott Mellanby killed a locker-room rat with his stick, then scored two goals the same night, prompting goalie John Vanbiesbrouck to joke it was a “rat trick” ⁸⁾

After that story spread, Panthers fans began celebrating goals by throwing rubber rats onto the ice, with counts reportedly reaching over 2,000 during the 1996 playoffs ⁹⁾

To deal with the deluge of rubber rodents, the team partnered with Orkin pest control, sending costumed “Rat Patrol” exterminators onto the ice after goals to clear the rats so play could resume ¹⁰⁾

Florida played its early seasons at the Miami Arena, sharing the building with the NBA’s Miami Heat before moving to a new venue in the suburbs ¹¹⁾

In 1998 the Panthers moved into the newly built arena in Sunrise, now known as Amerant Bank Arena, which has remained their long-term home ¹²⁾

Florida acquired electric goal scorer Pavel Bure, “The Russian Rocket,” in a blockbuster 1998–99 trade with Vancouver, giving the young franchise its first true global superstar ¹³⁾

Forward Bill Lindsay scored a memorable series-clinching goal against the Boston Bruins in the 1996 playoffs, a highlight that remains iconic in Panthers history ¹⁴⁾

On December 16, 2014, Nick Bjugstad scored in the 20th round of a shootout against the Washington Capitals, giving Florida the win in what was then the longest shootout in NHL history ¹⁵⁾

The Panthers captured their first Stanley Cup championship in 2024, securing the franchise’s long-awaited breakthrough after decades without a title ¹⁶⁾

Florida followed that success by winning the Stanley Cup again in 2025, becoming one of the few modern franchises to claim consecutive titles ¹⁷⁾

The NHL’s official record book lists Florida’s franchise date and season-by-season performance, documenting their evolution from expansion team to champion ¹⁸⁾

Goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck was the backbone of the mid-1990s Panthers, delivering standout play that backstopped their 1996 Stanley Cup Final run ¹⁹⁾

Center Aleksander Barkov sits atop the Panthers’ all-time scoring list, with hundreds of points accumulated as the club’s long-time offensive leader ²⁰⁾

Jonathan Huberdeau ranks second in franchise history in points and won the Calder Trophy in 2013 after scoring on his first NHL shot in his debut ^{21) 22)}

Olli Jokinen, a key offensive force in the 2000s, is also among Florida’s top three career point producers, reflecting his long tenure as a top-line center ²³⁾

Scott Mellanby, central to the “Year of the Rat” lore, appears in the Panthers’ top ten all-time point scorers, linking his legend to solid production ²⁴⁾

Florida set a franchise record with 122 regular-season points in 2021–22, the highest total in the NHL that year and part of a league‑record group of eight 110‑plus-point teams ²⁵⁾

That same 2021–22 Panthers team scored 340 goals, the most in the NHL that season and a franchise best for offensive production ²⁶⁾

In 2023–24, Florida allowed just 200 goals against in the regular season, reflecting the club’s evolution into a defense‑first contender on the way to championship success ²⁷⁾

The Panthers’ most penalized campaign came in 2001–02, when they piled up 1,968 penalty minutes, a club record highlighted in historical stat roundups ²⁸⁾

In 2005–06, Roberto Luongo recorded 35 wins, surpassing Vanbiesbrouck’s previous single-season franchise mark of 27 victories ²⁹⁾

On November 30, 2009, defenseman Keith Ballard accidentally struck goalie Tomas Vokoun in the head while smashing his stick on the post after a goal against, sending Vokoun off on a stretcher ³⁰⁾

The Panthers play in the NHL’s Eastern Conference and are based in Sunrise, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale rather than downtown Miami itself ³¹⁾

Their namesake, the Florida panther, is one of the most endangered mammals in the United States, with only a small wild population remaining in southern Florida ³²⁾

Adult Florida panthers typically measure six to seven feet in length, with males larger than females, distinguishing them from many other North American wild cats ³³⁾

These big cats are stealth hunters, using dense vegetation to stalk prey to within a few yards before launching a high-speed ambush ³⁴⁾

By adopting the Florida panther name and imagery, the team highlights awareness of local wildlife conservation every time its logo appears on jerseys and merchandise ³⁵⁾

The Panthers entered the NHL during a broader 1990s expansion wave that also introduced teams like the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to new U.S. markets ³⁶⁾

A current standings snapshot shows the Panthers and division rivals like Detroit and Tampa Bay tightly grouped in the points table early in the 2025–26 season ³⁷⁾

Florida’s 2021–22 campaign, with 58 wins and 122 points, marked one of the highest regular-season totals in franchise history and set the stage for later playoff success ³⁸⁾

At the time he launched the Panthers, owner Wayne Huizenga also controlled MLB’s Florida Marlins and held a share of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, making him a rare three-league owner ³⁹⁾

Because of quirky traditions like rubber rats and dramatic early playoff runs, the Panthers feature prominently in NHL trivia quizzes and fan-focused question sets ⁴⁰⁾