Brian Skrudland was a gritty, 30-year-old veteran when he was named the first Florida Panthers captain. He was the perfect person to lead the new team during its early years, including the epic 1996 s ...

How many amazing goals has this net seen? It was on the ice at Miami Arena for the entirety of the 1996 playoffs (though we don’t know which end). John Vanbiesbrouck undoubtedly guarded it (masterfull ...

Radek Dvorak scored his first goal as a Panther (the first of his NHL career) in a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. He would go on to score 113 goals for the franchise.

Defenseman Robert Svehla was selected to the Eastern Conference’s reserve roster at the 1997 All-Star Game. When he got into the action, Svehla made the most of it, contributing two assists in less th ...

John Vanbiesbrouck’s 20-year career included three All-Star Game appearances, all in a Panthers uniform. The goaltender represented the Cats at the festivities in 1994, 1996 and 1997. Vanbiesbrouck ea ...

The Panthers made their second postseason trip in 1997, facing the New York Rangers in the Conference Quarterfinal. John Vanbiesbrouck blanked the Rangers in Game 1 at the Miami Arena. Later, in Game ...

The Panthers planned to open the 1994-1995 season on October 6, 1994, against the Philadelphia Flyers, but the lockout that year delayed the start of play until January 1995.

The reigning conference champions raised the banner before opening the 1996-1997 season with a 1-1 tie against the New York Rangers. As they had the year before, the Panthers would end their season in ...

The Panthers began their fifth and final season at Miami Arena in October 1997 with a 2-2 tie against the New Yorker Islanders. At the end of the year, they would move on to their second and current h ...

The Panthers opened the 1995-1996 season with a 4-3 win in Miami Arena over the Calgary Flames. They would keep winning that season, taking five of the next six and eventually securing the franchise’s ...