Founded as an expansion team in 1993, the Florida Panthers are a National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that has already created some memorable moments and legends despite their relatively short history.
In the early years, it was forward Scott Mellanby who achieved cult status with his bizarre "rat trick" in 1996. After accidentally striking a rat on the ice, it became a good luck charm, with fans celebrating each goal by tossing rubber rat souvenirs.
2022 marked the Panthers' greatest success to date as they won the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular season record under the leadership of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad. The playoff series against bitter rivals Tampa Bay Lightning remains unforgettable.
Today, the Florida Panthers are an up-and-coming NHL team with promising talents like Matthew Tkachuk and Spencer Knight. The passionate fans at FLA Live Arena relentlessly spur on their team - the next big moment seems only a matter of time.