The Florida Panthers were the afterthought, often considered the state of Florida’s ‘other’ team when compared to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 2023, they made a miracle run to the Stanley Cup Final only to fall short before winning it in 2024 in a thrilling seven-game series over the Edmonton Oilers.
- Todd Matthews
FanSided NHL Editor
What we’ll remember about this fandom a decade from now
It’s a fanbase that finally got what it deserved, a reward after the Panthers spent years as perpetually one of the worst teams in hockey. They went over two decades without even winning a playoff series, so it was a fandom rewarded for its loyalty when they finally saw their team hoist the Stanley Cup.
How this fandom is changing sports
The Panthers had routinely gotten little recognition in the sports landscape because of their overall irrelevance for much of their existence, sans their Stanley Cup run in 1996. Now that Florida has a Presidents’ Trophy (2022) and a Stanley Cup (2024) to its name, with it comes a new wave of fans from every corner of the globe. The Panthers are no longer an afterthought but are now that team opponents will have a tough time with, and one with an expanding fandom backing it up.