Changes: Florida Panthers

Revision as of 16:32, 4 January 2017

The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area.

They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

It was founded in 1993 as an expansion team.

The Panthers play their home games at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida; they are the southernmost team in the NHL. The team has made one appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, in 1996; they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in four games.

The Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second time in 12 years in 2012, but they were eliminated in seven games in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals by the New Jersey Devils (who eventually won the Eastern Conference championship that season).

Franchise History

1990s

On December 10, 1992, Blockbuster Video magnate Wayne Huizenga was awarded an NHL franchise (the same day The Walt Disney Company earned the rights to start a team in Anaheim). At the time, Huizenga owned both the newly founded Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB) and a share of the National Football League (NHL)'s Miami Dolphins.

The entry fee was $50 million, but despite fellow Florida team Tampa Bay Lightning starting play the year before, the NHL did not consider it to be a case of territory infringement. Huizenga announced the team would play at the Miami Arena, sharing the building with the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Miami Heat until a new arena was built.

Offices for the team were only established on June 1993, while Vice President of Business Operations Dean Jordan conceded that "none of the business people, myself included, knew anything about hockey."

On April 20, 1993, a press conference in Fort Lauderdale announced that the team would be named Florida Panthers with former New York Islanders general manager Bill Torrey as president and Bobby Clarke as general manager. The team is named for the Florida panther, an endangered species of large cat endemic to the nearby Everglades region.

Once the logos and uniforms were unveiled on June 15, 1993, the team also announced its financial commitment to the panther preservation cause. Huizenga held the Panthers trademark since 1991 when he purchased it from a group of Tampa investors who sought to create an MLB team on the Bay area.

The new franchise would join the NHL for participation in the 1993–94 season along with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

The Panthers' and Ducks' roster was filled up in both the expansion draft and the 1993 NHL Entry Draft in June 1993, hosted by Quebec City; that draft produced ten players who would eventually be a part of the 1996 Eastern Conference-winning team.

Inaugural season (1993-94)

The Panthers' first major stars were New York Rangers goaltender castoff John Vanbiesbrouck, rookie Rob Niedermayer and forward Scott Mellanby, who scored 30 goals in Florida's inaugural season.

Their first game was a 4–4 tie on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks while their first win was a 2–0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Thunderdome before a then-NHL record crowd of 27,227.

The Panthers had one of the most successful first seasons of any expansion team, finishing just two points below .500 and narrowly missing out on the final 1994 playoff spot in the East.

Their first-year success was attributed mainly to the "trap defense" that first-year coach Roger Neilson implemented. This conservative style was widely criticized by NHL teams; some even suggested that the Panthers were ruining the game at the time.

While the team executives expected the audience to consist of mostly "snowbird" Canadians living in Florida, the Floridians soon embraced the Panthers. Helped by Miami's other teams having middling performances, the club averaged 94% capacity at the 14,500-seat Miami Arena, and managed to sell 8,500 season tickets in 100 days.

In August of 1994, General Manager Clarke left to work for the Philadelphia Flyers while Bryan Murray was brought in from the Detroit Red Wings as his replacement.

After another close brush with the playoffs, finishing the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season again in ninth, Neilson was fired following an argument with Murray regarding Ed Jovanovski, whom the Panthers chose as the number one overall pick at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.

Doug MacLean (who had been the team's player development director) was promoted to coach. The team then acquired Ray Sheppard from the San Jose Sharks at the NHL trade deadline and looked toward the playoffs for the first time.

Run to the Stanley Cup Finals

A very unusual goal celebration developed in Miami during the 1995–96 season.

On the night of the Panthers' 1995–96 home opener, a rat scurried across the team's locker room. Scott Mellanby reacted by "one-timing" the rat against the wall, killing it. That night, he scored two goals which Vanbiesbrouck quipped was "a rat trick."

Two nights later, as the story found its way into the world, a few fans threw rubber rats on the ice in celebration of a goal. The rubber rat count went from 16 for the third home game to over 2,000 during the playoffs.

In the 1996 playoffs (as the fourth seed in the East), the Panthers faced the Boston Bruins in the first round and won in five games. Bill Lindsay's famous series-clinching goal is still a trademark image for the incredible run the third-year franchise went on.

The Panthers went on to upset the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in six games followed by the second-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in seven (with Tom Fitzgerald scoring what would end up being the game-winning goal) to reach the Stanley Cup Finals against the Colorado Avalanche, another team making its first Finals appearance.

However, the Avalanche swept the Panthers in four-straight games. For his team's surprising success, Bryan Murray was honored as NHL Executive of the Year.

Struggles

The Panthers would begin the next season with a 12–game unbeaten streak but faded in the second half of the season after trading second line center Stu Barnes. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Wayne Gretzky-led New York Rangers in five games.

The team would plummet in the 1997–98 season. After a 7–12–4 start, the Panthers fired Doug MacLean, replacing him for the season with General Manager Bryan Murray, but the change did not aid matters as Florida posted a franchise-worst 24–43–15 record, including a 15–game winless streak.

This season would also mark the end of goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck's time in Florida; in the midst of that streak, he was shelled by the Chicago Blackhawks and never played another game for the Panthers. He would later sign with the Flyers that off-season as a free agent.

The Panthers moved into the brand new National Car Rental Center (later Office Depot and BankAtlantic Center, now known as BB&T Center) in 1998.

In 1998–99, the Panthers acquired Pavel Bure (the "Russian Rocket"), in a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks. They then reached the playoffs again in 1999–2000, losing in a first-round sweep to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils.

2000s

The team slumped in 2000–01 and afterward, Huizenga sold the Panthers to an ownership group led by Alan Cohen.

The following season (in 2001–02), the Panthers had their worst record ever. Bure struggled despite being reunited with his brother Valeri Bure and was traded to the Rangers at the 2002 trade deadline.

The Panthers then began eyeing defenceman Jay Bouwmeester who was widely tipped to be picked first overall pick at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, however, then-General Manager Rick Dudley sent Florida's first pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who selected winger Rick Nash and in return, the Panthers received the right to trade first round selections with the Blue Jackets in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, a right which was not exercised when the Panthers received the first overall selection in 2003 as well.

The Atlanta Thrashers (after picking goaltender Kari Lehtonen second overall), announced that the Panthers had given them two draft picks to guarantee that Bouwmeester would still be available for Florida's selection.

Bouwmeester was selected third overall by the Panthers. Then-Head Coach Mike Keenan, said "We shouldn’t have done that ... Jay would have been number-one if we'd kept that pick."

In 2003, the Panthers hosted the NHL All-Star Weekend in which the Western Conference earned a 6–5 victory after the first overtime shootout in All-Star history. The West overcame a four-goal outburst by Thrashers winger Dany Heatley, who took home MVP honors in his first All-Star appearance.

On June 23, 2006, the Panthers were again involved in a blockbuster trade with Vancouver, sending Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and a sixth-round draft pick (Sergei Shirokov) in exchange for Todd Bertuzzi, Alex Auld and Bryan Allen.

This trade has been regarded by some as one of the worst trades in professional sports history; Luongo (who was at the prime of his career) was one of the League's top goaltenders while Bertuzzi played just a handful of games for Florida before getting injured.

Bertuzzi would later be traded to Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline for Shawn Matthias. Additionally, Auld ended up a poor replacement for Luongo and was ultimately let go after one season with the team.

On June 22, 2007, the Panthers were involved in yet another draft day deal involving a goaltender. The team acquired Tomas Vokoun from the Nashville Predators in exchange for three draft picks: a first-round pick in 2008, a second-round pick in 2008 and a conditional second round pick that can be used in 2007 or 2008. The move would eventually pay off when Vokoun was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team.

On July 28, 2007, Florida unveiled their new jerseys to over 11,000 fans at the BankAtlantic Center during the first intermission of the Panthers' 1996 Reunion game. Star forwards Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss were both in full gear to help showcase the sweater changes.

In June 2008, the Panthers traded their captain ]]Olli Jokinen]] to the Phoenix Coyotes for a second-round draft pick and defensemen Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton.

The Panthers finished the 2008–09 season with a strong 41–30–11 record and 93 points, their second-highest finish in franchise history. Despite this, the Panthers missed the playoffs for an eighth-straight season, the then-longest streak in the NHL.

In November of 2009, Cliff Viner and Stu Siegel became the new majority owners.

On November 23, 2009, the Panthers made their third jersey, ridding red from the alternate jersey, replacing it with powder blue.

The Panthers missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive time in the 2009–10 season, making them the first team in NHL history to do so in one city.

On March 25, 2011, the Panthers lost to Buffalo 4–2, mathematically eliminating them from the post-season for an NHL record tenth consecutive season.

2010s

The Panthers management hired Dale Tallon as the team's new general manager on May 17, 2010.

He rebuilt the team with 2010 draft picks Erik Gudbranson, Nick Bjugstad and Quinton Howden as well as the acquisition of players including Steve Bernier, Michael Grabner, Marty Reasoner, Ryan Carter and Sergei Samsonov.

However, all of the above-mentioned players were traded at the 2011 trade deadline or released during the 2011 off-season except for Gudbranson, Bjugstad and Howden. At the end of the 2010–11 season, only Stephen Weiss and David Booth remained from the pre-lockout era Panthers roster.

On June 1, 2011, Kevin Dineen (the head coach of the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Portland Pirates) was named to be the 11th head coach of the Panthers.

The team also rebranded their image, releasing a new home jersey, predominantly red with navy blue sleeves, and eliminating the navy blue piping on the road jersey; this new jersey replaced the navy blue one as the main home jersey.

The 2011 off-season saw the acquisitions of Scottie Upshall, Tomas Fleischmann, Sean Bergenheim, Marcel Goc, Matt Bradley, Ed Jovanovski, Jose Theodore, Kris Versteeg, Tomas Kopecky and Brian Campbell.

After several more trades and over 300 man-games lost to injury throughout the season, the Panthers were able to finish first in the Southeast Division, marking the end of their record-setting decade-long post-season drought.

The Panthers won the first-ever division title in franchise history with a 4–1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on April 7, 2012. However, the Panthers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils, losing at home in double overtime of Game 7.

In the lockout-shortened 2013 season, the Panthers had an abysmal season. Unable to regain their form from last season, the Panthers suffered key injuries and fell back down into the basement with the worst record in the League.

In the 2013–14 season, the Panthers failed to gain any momentum and finished 29th out of 30 teams. The team then fired head coach Kevin Dineen and replaced him with Peter Horachek.

At the trade deadline, the Panthers reacquired Roberto Luongo from Vancouver. The Panthers would relieve Horachek of his duties at the end of the season, replacing him with former Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Gerard Gallant. The team also received the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, using it to select Barrie Colts defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

The Panthers' 2014–15 home opener on October 12, 2014 set a team record for the lowest attendance at a home opener, with only 11,419 spectators in attendance. The team's next game against the Ottawa Senators marked the team's lowest attendance ever, with only 7,311 in attendance.

Despite finishing with a record of 38–29–15, the Panthers missed the 2015 playoffs by seven points.

The Panthers announced that they signed a 13-year lease agreement with the county and would have a new logo and uniforms after the 2015–16 season. Their original logo had remained almost unchanged since their first season in 1993.

In the 2015–16 season, the team set a franchise record with a 12-game win streak. They also set a franchise record for most wins in a regular season with 47 wins and won their division for the second time in their existence.

However, the Panthers lost to the New York Islanders in six games in the first round of the playoffs. Head coach Gerard Gallant was nominated as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for NHL's coach of the year.

The 2016–17 season season began with the promotion of general manager Dave Tallon to an executive position within the organization and assistant GM Tom Rowe was promoted to general manager.

After a 11–10–1 start to the season, the Panthers fired head coach Gerard Gallant and GM Tom Rowe took over as interim head coach.

Season by Season Record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Records as of the end of the 2010–11 season.

Season	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	Finish	Playoffs
2011–12	82	38	26	18	94	203	227	1st, Southeast	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3–4 (Devils)
2012–13	48	15	27	6	36	112	171	5th, Southeast	Did not qualify
2013–14	82	29	45	8	66	196	268	7th, Atlantic	Did not qualify
2014–15	82	38	29	15	91	206	223	6th, Atlantic	Did not qualify
2015–16	82	47	26	9	103	239	203	1st, Atlantic	Lost in First Round, 2–4 (Islanders)

Retired Numbers

Florida Panthers retired numbers
No.	Player	Position	Career	No. retirement
93	Bill Torrey	President & General Manager	1993–2001	October 23, 2010

Head Coaches

#	Name	Regular season						Playoffs				Achievements
#	Name	GC	W	L	T/OT	PTS	Win%	GC	W	L	Win%	Achievements
1	Roger Neilson†	1993–1995	132	53	56	23	129	.489	—	—	—	—
2	Doug MacLean	1995–1997	187	83	71	33	199	.532	27	13	14	.481
3	Bryan Murray	1997–1998	59	17	31	11	45	.381	—	—	—	—
4	Terry Murray	1998–2000	200	79	79	42	200	.500	4	0	4	.000
5	Duane Sutter*	2000–2001	72	22	35	15	59	.410	—	—	—	—
6	Mike Keenan	2001–2003	153	45	73	35	125	.408	—	—	—	—
7	Rick Dudley	2003–2004	40	13	15	12	38	.475	—	—	—	—
8	John Torchetti	2004	27	10	12	5	25	.463	—	—	—	—
9	Jacques Martin	2005–2008	246	110	100	36	256	.520	—	—	—	—
10	Peter DeBoer	2008–2011	246	103	107	36	242	.492	—	—	—	—
11	Kevin Dineen*	2011–2013	146	56	62	28	140	.479	7	3	4	.429
12	Peter Horachek	2013–2014	66	26	36	4	56	.424	—	—	—	—
13	Gerard Gallant	2014–2016	164	85	55	24	194	.591	6	2	4	.333
14	Tom Rowe	2016–present	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0	0	.000

Key

#	Number of coaches
GC	Games coached
W	Wins = 2 points
L	Losses = 0 points
T	Ties = 1 point
OT	Overtime/shootout losses = 1 point
PTS	Points
Win%	Winning percentage
†	Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder
*	Spent entire NHL coaching career with the Panthers

General Managers

General managers of the Florida Panthers
No.	Name	Appointment	Departure	Accomplishments and events during this term
1	Bobby Clarke	March 1, 1993	June 15, 1994
2	Bryan Murray	August 1, 1994	December 28, 2000	Appeared in Stanley Cup Finals in 1996
3	Bill Torrey	December 28, 2000	December 3, 2001
4	Chuck Fletcher (Interim)	December 3, 2001	May 10, 2002
5	Rick Dudley	May 10, 2002	May 24, 2004
6	Mike Keenan	May 26, 2004	September 3, 2006
7	Jacques Martin	September 3, 2006	June 1, 2009
8	Randy Sexton	October 2, 2009	May 17, 2010
9	Dale Tallon	May 17, 2010	May 16, 2016
10	Tom Rowe	May 16, 2016	–

Key

Key of terms and definitions
Term	Definition
No.	Number of general managers
Ref(s)	References
–	Does not apply
	Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builder category

Team Captains

Brian Skrudland, 1993–97
Scott Mellanby, 1997–2001
Pavel Bure & Paul Laus, 2001–02 (co-captains)
Olli Jokinen, 2003–08
Bryan McCabe, 2009–11
Ed Jovanovski, 2013–14
Willie Mitchell, 2014–16
Derek MacKenzie, 2016–present

NHL All-Star Game selections

Players

Bob Kudelski, 1994
John Vanbiesbrouck, 1994, 1996, 1997
Scott Mellanby, 1996
Robert Svehla, 1997
Pavel Bure, 2000, 2001
Viktor Kozlov, 2000
Ray Whitney, 2000
Sandis Ozolinsh, 2002, 2003
Olli Jokinen, 2003
Roberto Luongo, 2004, 2015, 2016
Jay Bouwmeester, 2007, 2009
Tomas Vokoun, 2008
Brian Campbell, 2012
Aaron Ekblad, 2015, 2016
Jaromir Jagr, 2016

Head Coaches

Doug MacLean, 1996, 1997
Gerard Gallant, 2016

Hockey Hall of Fame members

Players

Ed Belfour, G, 2006–2007, inducted 2011
Pavel Bure, RW, 1999–2002, inducted 2012
Dino Ciccarelli, RW, 1998–1999, inducted 2010
Igor Larionov, C, 2000, inducted 2008
Joe Nieuwendyk, C, 2005–2006, inducted 2011

Builders

Roger Neilson, Coach, 1993–95, inducted 2002
Bill Torrey, President and General Manager, 1993–2001, inducted 1995

First-round draft picks

1993: Rob Niedermayer (5th overall)
1994: Ed Jovanovski (1st overall)
1995: Radek Dvorak (10th overall)
1996: Marcus Nilson (20th overall)
1997: Mike Brown (20th overall)
1998: None
1999: Denis Shvidki (12th overall)
2000: None
2001: Stephen Weiss (4th overall) & Lukas Krajicek (24th overall)
2002: Jay Bouwmeester (3rd overall) & Petr Taticek (9th overall)
2003: Nathan Horton (3rd overall) & Anthony Stewart (25th overall)
2004: Rostislav Olesz (7th overall)
2005: Kenndal McArdle (20th overall)
2006: Michael Frolik (10th overall)
2007: Keaton Ellerby (10th overall)
2008: None
2009: Dmitri Kulikov (14th overall)
2010: Erik Gudbranson (3rd overall), Nick Bjugstad (19th overall) & Quinton Howden (25th overall)
2011: Jonathan Huberdeau (3rd overall)
2012: Mike Matheson (23rd overall)
2013: Aleksander Barkov (2nd overall)
2014: Aaron Ekblad (1st overall)
2015: Lawson Crouse (11th overall)
2016: Henrik Borgstrom (23rd overall)

Franchise scoring leaders

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Panthers player

Points
Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	P/G
Olli Jokinen	C	567	188	231	419	0.73
Stephen Weiss	C	654	145	249	394	0.60
Scott Mellanby	RW	552	157	197	354	0.64
Nathan Horton	C	422	142	153	295	0.66
Viktor Kozlov	C	414	101	190	291	0.70
Robert Svehla	D	573	61	229	290	0.51
Radek Dvorak	RW	613	113	155	268	0.44
Rob Niedermayer	C	518	101	165	266	0.51
Pavel Bure	RW	223	152	99	251	1.13
Ray Whitney	LW	273	97	130	227	0.83

Goals
Player	Pos	G
Olli Jokinen	C	188
Scott Mellanby	RW	157
Pavel Bure	RW	152
Stephen Weiss	C	145
Nathan Horton	C	142
Radek Dvorak	RW	113
Viktor Kozlov	C	101
Rob Niedermayer	C	101
Ray Whitney	LW	97
David Booth	LW	87

Assists
Player	Pos	A
Stephen Weiss	C	249
Olli Jokinen	C	231
Robert Svehla	D	229
Scott Mellanby	RW	197
Viktor Kozlov	C	190
Rob Niedermayer	C	165
Radek Dvorak	RW	155
Nathan Horton	C	153
Jay Bouwmeester	D	150
Brian Campbell	D	147

NHL awards and trophies

Prince of Wales Trophy

1995–96

Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy

Pavel Bure: 1999–2000, 2000–01

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

Brian Campbell: 2011–12

Calder Memorial Trophy

Jonathan Huberdeau: 2012–13
Aaron Ekblad: 2014–15

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Jaromir Jagr: 2015–16

Franchise individual records

Most goals in a season: Pavel Bure, 59 (2000–01)
Most assists in a season: Viktor Kozlov, 53 (1999–2000)
Most points in a season: Pavel Bure, 94 (1999–2000)
Most penalty minutes in a season: Peter Worrell, 354 (2001–02)
Most points in a season, defenseman: Robert Svehla, 57 (1995–96)
Most points in a season, rookie: Jesse Belanger, 50 (1993–94)
Most wins in a season: Roberto Luongo, 35 (2005–06)
Most saves in a shutout win: Craig Anderson, 53
Most shutouts in a season: Roberto Luongo, 7 (2003–04)
All-time leader in goals against average: John Vanbiesbrouck, 2.58
All-time leader in shutouts: Roberto Luongo, 26
All-time leader in games played by a goaltender: Roberto Luongo, 318
All-time leader in wins by a goaltender: Roberto Luongo, 108

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[File:Florida_Panthers.png|thumb|152px]]
-{{NHL Team
+'''The Florida Panthers''' are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area.
-|team_name = Florida Panthers
-|current = 2010–11 Florida Panthers season
-|bg_color = #01285D
-|text_color = #D6A10F
-|logo_image = Florida Panthers.svg
-|conference = [[Eastern Conference (NHL)|Eastern]]
-|division = [[Southeast Division (NHL)|Southeast]]
-|founded = [[1993–94 NHL season|1993]]
-|history = '''Florida Panthers'''<br />[[1993–94 NHL season|1993]]–''present''
-|arena = [[BankAtlantic Center]]
-|city = [[Sunrise, Florida]]
-|rivalries - [[Tampa Bay Lightning]][[Philadelphia Flyers]]
-|uniform_image=ECS-Uniform-FLA.png
-|team_colors = Blue, red, gold and white
-{{Color box|#002147}} {{Color box|#c60c30}} {{Color box|#c59217}} {{Color box|white}}
-|media_affiliates = [[Fox Sports Florida]]<br />[[WAXY|WAXY (790 AM)]]
-|owner = {{Flag icon|USA}}Sunrise Sports and Entertainment<br />(Cliff Viner, chairman)
-|general_manager = {{Flagicon|CAN}} [[Dale Tallon]]
-|head_coach = {{Flagicon|CAN}} [[Peter DeBoer]]
-|captain = {{Flagicon|CAN}} [[Bryan McCabe]]
-|minor_league_affiliates = [[Rochester Americans]] ([[American Hockey League|AHL]])<br />[[Cincinnati Cyclones]] ([[ECHL]])
-|stanley_cups = '''0'''
-|conf_titles = '''1''' ([[1995–96 NHL season|1995–96]])
-|presidents_trophy = '''0'''
-|division_titles = '''0'''
-}}
-The '''Florida Panthers''' are a professional [[ice hockey]] team based in [[Sunrise, Florida]], in the [[Miami metropolitan area]]. They are members of the [[Southeast Division (NHL)|Southeast Division]] of the [[Eastern Conference (NHL)|Eastern Conference]] of the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL). They play their games at the [[BankAtlantic Center]] in Sunrise and are the southernmost team in the NHL.
+They are members of the [[Atlantic Division (NHL)|Atlantic Division]] of the [[Eastern Conference (NHL)|Eastern Conference]] of the [[NHL|National Hockey League]].
-==Franchise history==
+It was founded in 1993 as an expansion team.
+The Panthers play their home games at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida; they are the southernmost team in the NHL. The team has made one appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, in 1996; they lost to the [[Colorado Avalanche]] in four games.
+The Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second time in 12 years in 2012, but they were eliminated in seven games in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals by the [[New Jersey Devils]] (who eventually won the Eastern Conference championship that season).
+==Franchise History==
 ===1990s===
+On December 10, 1992, Blockbuster Video magnate Wayne Huizenga was awarded an NHL franchise (the same day The Walt Disney Company earned the rights to start a team in Anaheim). At the time, Huizenga owned both the newly founded Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB) and a share of the National Football League (NHL)'s Miami Dolphins.
-[[Blockbuster Video]] magnate [[H. Wayne Huizenga]] was awarded an NHL franchise for [[Miami]] on December 10, 1992. The Panthers were brought into the league with the [[Anaheim Mighty Ducks]] and took part in the [[1993 NHL Expansion Draft|1993 expansion draft]], which was hosted by the [[Quebec Nordiques]]. The expansion draft produced 10 players that would be a part of the 1996 [[Eastern Conference (NHL)|Eastern Conference]] championship team. The team played at the [[Miami Arena]], and its first major stars were [[New York Rangers]] [[goaltender]] castoff [[John Vanbiesbrouck]], [[rookie]] [[Rob Niedermayer]], and [[Scott Mellanby]], who scored 30 goals. Their first game was a 4-4 tie on the road against the [[Chicago Blackhawks]]. The first win in franchise history was a 2-0 shutout of the [[Tampa Bay Lightning]] in the [[Tropicana Field|Thunderdome]] before a then-NHL record crowd of 27,227. The Panthers had one of the most successful first seasons of any [[expansion team]] (and the best first year of any NHL team), finishing one point below .500 and narrowly missing out on the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Their first-year success was attributed mainly to the "[[neutral zone trap|trap defense]]" that first-year coach [[Roger Neilson]] implemented. This conservative style was widely criticized by NHL teams; some even suggested that the Panthers were ruining the game at the time.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}
+The entry fee was $50 million, but despite fellow Florida team Tampa Bay Lightning starting play the year before, the NHL did not consider it to be a case of territory infringement. Huizenga announced the team would play at the Miami Arena, sharing the building with the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Miami Heat until a new arena was built.
+Offices for the team were only established on June 1993, while Vice President of Business Operations Dean Jordan conceded that "''none of the business people, myself included, knew anything about hockey''."
+On April 20, 1993, a press conference in Fort Lauderdale announced that the team would be named Florida Panthers with former [[New York Islanders]] general manager [[Bill Torrey]] as president and [[Bobby Clarke]] as general manager. The team is named for the Florida panther, an endangered species of large cat endemic to the nearby Everglades region.
+Once the logos and uniforms were unveiled on June 15, 1993, the team also announced its financial commitment to the panther preservation cause. Huizenga held the Panthers trademark since 1991 when he purchased it from a group of Tampa investors who sought to create an MLB team on the Bay area.
+The new franchise would join the NHL for participation in the 1993–94 season along with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
+The Panthers' and Ducks' roster was filled up in both the expansion draft and the [[1993 NHL Entry Draft]] in June 1993, hosted by Quebec City; that draft produced ten players who would eventually be a part of the 1996 Eastern Conference-winning team.
+===Inaugural season (1993-94)===
+The Panthers' first major stars were New York Rangers goaltender castoff [[John Vanbiesbrouck]], rookie [[Rob Niedermayer]] and forward [[Scott Mellanby]], who scored 30 goals in Florida's inaugural season.
+Their first game was a 4–4 tie on the road against the [[Chicago Blackhawks]] while their first win was a 2–0 shutout of the [[Tampa Bay Lightning]] in the Thunderdome before a then-NHL record crowd of 27,227.
+The Panthers had one of the most successful first seasons of any expansion team, finishing just two points below .500 and narrowly missing out on the final 1994 playoff spot in the East.
+Their first-year success was attributed mainly to the "trap defense" that first-year coach Roger Neilson implemented. This conservative style was widely criticized by NHL teams; some even suggested that the Panthers were ruining the game at the time.
+While the team executives expected the audience to consist of mostly "snowbird" Canadians living in Florida, the Floridians soon embraced the Panthers. Helped by Miami's other teams having middling performances, the club averaged 94% capacity at the 14,500-seat Miami Arena, and managed to sell 8,500 season tickets in 100 days.
+In August of 1994, General Manager Clarke left to work for the [[Philadelphia Flyers]] while [[Bryan Murray]] was brought in from the [[Detroit Red Wings]] as his replacement.
+After another close brush with the playoffs, finishing the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season again in ninth, Neilson was fired following an argument with Murray regarding Ed Jovanovski, whom the Panthers chose as the number one overall pick at the [[1994 NHL Entry Draft]].
+[[Doug MacLean]] (who had been the team's player development director) was promoted to coach. The team then acquired Ray Sheppard from the [[San Jose Sharks]] at the NHL trade deadline and looked toward the playoffs for the first time.
+===Run to the Stanley Cup Finals===
+A very unusual goal celebration developed in Miami during the 1995–96 season.
+On the night of the Panthers' 1995–96 home opener, a rat scurried across the team's locker room. Scott Mellanby reacted by "one-timing" the rat against the wall, killing it. That night, he scored two goals which Vanbiesbrouck quipped was "a rat trick."
+Two nights later, as the story found its way into the world, a few fans threw rubber rats on the ice in celebration of a goal. The rubber rat count went from 16 for the third home game to over 2,000 during the playoffs.
+In the 1996 playoffs (as the fourth seed in the East), the Panthers faced the Boston Bruins in the first round and won in five games. [[Bill Lindsay]]'s famous series-clinching goal is still a trademark image for the incredible run the third-year franchise went on.
-After another close brush with the playoffs in [[1994–95 NHL season|1994–95]], Neilson was fired and replaced by [[Doug MacLean]]. The team then acquired [[Ray Sheppard]] from the [[San Jose Sharks]] at the trade deadline in [[1995–96 NHL season|1995–96]] and looked toward the playoffs for the first time.
+The Panthers went on to upset the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in six games followed by the second-seeded [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] in seven (with [[Tom Fitzgerald]] scoring what would end up being the game-winning goal) to reach the Stanley Cup Finals against the [[Colorado Avalanche]], another team making its first Finals appearance.
-Also during that season, a very unusual goal celebration developed in Miami. On the night of the Panthers' [[1995–96 NHL season|1995–96]] home opener, a [[rat]] scurried across the team's locker room. Mellanby reacted by "[[one timer|one-timing]]" the rat against the wall, killing it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darsys.com/panth/pfaq.html|title=Florida Panthers FAQ Page<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref> That night, he scored two goals, which Vanbiesbrouck quipped was "a [[rat trick]]." Two nights later, as the story found its way into the world, a few fans threw rubber rats on the ice in celebration of a goal. The [[rubber]] rat count went from 16 for the third home game to over 2,000 during the playoffs.
+However, the Avalanche swept the Panthers in four-straight games. For his team's surprising success, Bryan Murray was honored as NHL Executive of the Year.
-In the 1996 playoffs, as the fourth seed, the Panthers faced the [[Boston Bruins]] in the first round and won in five games. [[Bill Lindsay]]'s famous series-clinching goal is still a trademark image for the incredible run the third-year franchise went on. The Panthers went on to upset the top-seeded [[Philadelphia Flyers]] in six games and then the second-seeded [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] in seven (with [[Tom Fitzgerald (ice hockey)|Tom Fitzgerald]] scoring what would end up being the game-winning goal) to reach the [[Stanley Cup]] Final. Their opponent, the [[Colorado Avalanche]], swept the Panthers in four games. [[Uwe Krupp]] scored the winning goal on a slap shot from the blue line for the Avalanche in the third overtime of Game 4 to defeat the Panthers 1-0. Colorado was led by captain [[Joe Sakic]] in the franchise's first year in [[Denver]] after moving from [[Quebec City]].
+===Struggles===
+The Panthers would begin the next season with a 12–game unbeaten streak but faded in the second half of the season after trading second line center [[Stu Barnes]]. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Wayne Gretzky-led New York Rangers in five games.
-The Panthers would begin the next season with a 17–game unbeaten streak but faded in the second half of the season. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the [[Wayne Gretzky]]-led Rangers in five games.
+The team would plummet in the 1997–98 season. After a 7–12–4 start, the Panthers fired Doug MacLean, replacing him for the season with General Manager Bryan Murray, but the change did not aid matters as Florida posted a franchise-worst 24–43–15 record, including a 15–game winless streak.
-The 1997–98 season would be a return to mediocrity for the Panthers. After a 7–12–4 start, the Panthers fired MacLean, replacing him for the season with general manager [[Bryan Murray (ice hockey)|Bryan Murray]]. The change did not aid matters, as Florida suffered a franchise-worst 24–43–15 record, including a 15–game winless streak. This season would also mark the end of Vanbiesbrouck's time in Florida, who in the midst of that streak, was shelled by the [[Chicago Blackhawks]] and never played another game for the Panthers. He would sign with the Flyers that off-season as a free agent.
+This season would also mark the end of goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck's time in Florida; in the midst of that streak, he was shelled by the Chicago Blackhawks and never played another game for the Panthers. He would later sign with the Flyers that off-season as a free agent.
+The Panthers moved into the brand new National Car Rental Center (later Office Depot and BankAtlantic Center, now known as BB&T Center) in 1998.
-[[File:FloridaPanthersAlternate.svg|thumb|left|150px|Florida's alternate logo; a palm tree and a hockey stick crossing one another over a sun.]]
-The Panthers moved into the brand new National Car Rental Center (now known as [[BankAtlantic Center]]) in 1998. In [[1998–99 NHL season|1998–99]], they acquired [[Pavel Bure]] (the "Russian Rocket"), in a blockbuster trade with the [[Vancouver Canucks]]. They reached the playoffs again in [[1999–2000 NHL season|1999–00]], losing in a first-round sweep to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion [[New Jersey Devils]].
+In 1998–99, the Panthers acquired [[Pavel Bure]] (the "Russian Rocket"), in a blockbuster trade with the [[Vancouver Canucks]]. They then reached the playoffs again in 1999–2000, losing in a first-round sweep to the eventual Stanley Cup champion [[New Jersey Devils]].
 ===2000s===
+The team slumped in 2000–01 and afterward, Huizenga sold the Panthers to an ownership group led by Alan Cohen.
-The team slumped in [[2000–01 NHL season|2000–01]]. The following season, [[2001–02 NHL season|2001–02]], the Panthers had their worst record ever. Bure struggled despite being reunited with his brother [[Valeri Bure|Valeri]], and was traded to the Rangers at the 2002 trading deadline.
+The following season (in 2001–02), the Panthers had their worst record ever. Bure struggled despite being reunited with his brother [[Valeri Bure]] and was traded to the Rangers at the 2002 trade deadline.
-The Panthers then started coveting defenceman [[Jay Bouwmeester]], who was widely tipped to be picked first overall in the [[2002 NHL Entry Draft|2002 draft]]. But then-General Manager [[Rick Dudley]] sent Florida's first pick to the [[Columbus Blue Jackets]], who took winger [[Rick Nash]]. The [[Atlanta Thrashers]], after picking goalie [[Kari Lehtonen]] second overall, announced that the Panthers had given them two draft picks to guarantee that Bouwmeester would still be available for Florida's selection. Bouwmeester was selected third overall by the Panthers. Said then-head coach [[Mike Keenan]], "We shouldn’t have done that&nbsp;... Jay would have been number-one if we'd kept that pick."<ref>{{cite book| author=McDonell, Chris. | title=Hockey's Greatest Stars: Legends and Young Lions | publisher= Firefly Books | year=2005 | id=ISBN 1–55407–038–4 | pages=135}}</ref>
+The Panthers then began eyeing defenceman [[Jay Bouwmeester]] who was widely tipped to be picked first overall pick at the [[2002 NHL Entry Draft]], however, then-General Manager [[Rick Dudley]] sent Florida's first pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who selected winger [[Rick Nash]] and in return, the Panthers received the right to trade first round selections with the Blue Jackets in the [[2003 NHL Entry Draft]], a right which was not exercised when the Panthers received the first overall selection in 2003 as well.
-In 2003, the Panthers hosted the [[NHL All-Star Game|NHL All-Star Weekend]] in which the [[Western Conference (NHL)|Western Conference]] earned a 6–5 victory after the first OT shootout in All-Star history. The West overcame a four-goal outburst by Thrashers winger [[Dany Heatley]], who took home MVP honors in his first All-Star Game.
+The [[Atlanta Thrashers]] (after picking goaltender [[Kari Lehtonen]] second overall), announced that the Panthers had given them two draft picks to guarantee that Bouwmeester would still be available for Florida's selection.
-On June 23, 2006, the Panthers were again involved in a blockbuster trade with the [[Vancouver Canucks]], sending [[Roberto Luongo]], [[Lukáš Krajíček|Lukas Krajicek]], and a sixth-round draft pick ([[Sergei Shirokov]]) in exchange for [[Todd Bertuzzi]], [[Alex Auld]], and [[Bryan Allen (ice hockey)|Bryan Allen]]. This trade has been regarded by some as one of the worst trades in professional sports history. Luongo who was and still is at the prime of his career is one of the top goalies in the NHL. Bertuzzi only played a handful of games for the Cats before getting injured. He would be traded to Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline for [[Shawn Matthias]]. Alex Auld ended up being a poor replacement for the Panthers former franchise goalie and was let go after one season.
+Bouwmeester was selected third overall by the Panthers. Then-Head Coach [[Mike Keenan]], said "''We shouldn’t have done that ... Jay would have been number-one if we'd kept that pick.''"
-On June 22, 2007, the Florida Panthers were involved in yet another draft day deal involving a goalie. The Florida Panthers acquired [[Tomáš Vokoun|Tomas Vokoun]] from the [[Nashville Predators]] in exchange for three draft picks, a first round pick in 2008, a second round pick in 2008, and a conditional second round pick that can be used in 2007 or 2008. The move would eventually pay off when Vokoun was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
+In 2003, the Panthers hosted the NHL All-Star Weekend in which the Western Conference earned a 6–5 victory after the first overtime shootout in All-Star history. The West overcame a four-goal outburst by Thrashers winger [[Dany Heatley]], who took home MVP honors in his first All-Star appearance.
-On July 28, 2007, the Florida Panthers unveiled their new jerseys to over 11,000 fans at the BankAtlantic Center during the first intermission of the Panthers 1996 Reunion game. Star forwards Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss were both in full gear to help showcase the sweater changes.
+On June 23, 2006, the Panthers were again involved in a blockbuster trade with Vancouver, sending [[Roberto Luongo]], [[Lukas Krajicek]] and a sixth-round draft pick ([[Sergei Shirokov]]) in exchange for [[Todd Bertuzzi]], [[Alex Auld]] and [[Bryan Allen]].
-As of 2008, the Florida Panthers are the only team in the NHL to have a lifetime winning percentage of .500 or better over the team with the most Stanley Cup titles in NHL history, the [[Montreal Canadiens]].
+This trade has been regarded by some as one of the worst trades in professional sports history; Luongo (who was at the prime of his career) was one of the League's top goaltenders while Bertuzzi played just a handful of games for Florida before getting injured.
-In June 2008, the Panthers traded their captain [[Olli Jokinen]] to the [[Phoenix Coyotes]] for a second round draft pick and two defensemen: [[Keith Ballard]] and [[Nick Boynton]].
+Bertuzzi would later be traded to Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline for [[Shawn Matthias]]. Additionally, Auld ended up a poor replacement for Luongo and was ultimately let go after one season with the team.
-The Panthers finished the [[2008–09 NHL season|2008–09]] season with a strong 41-30-11 record and 93 points, their second best ever in franchise history. Despite this, however, the Panthers missed the playoffs for an eighth straight season, the current longest streak in the NHL.
+On June 22, 2007, the Panthers were involved in yet another draft day deal involving a goaltender. The team acquired [[Tomas Vokoun]] from the [[Nashville Predators]] in exchange for three draft picks: a first-round pick in 2008, a second-round pick in 2008 and a conditional second round pick that can be used in 2007 or 2008. The move would eventually pay off when Vokoun was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team.
-On November 23, 2009 the Panthers made their third jersey, ridding red from the alternate jersey, replacing it with powder blue.
+On July 28, 2007, Florida unveiled their new jerseys to over 11,000 fans at the BankAtlantic Center during the first intermission of the Panthers' 1996 Reunion game. Star forwards [[Nathan Horton]] and [[Stephen Weiss]] were both in full gear to help showcase the sweater changes.
-The Florida Panthers missed the playoffs for the 9th consecutive time in the [[2009-10 NHL Season]], making them the first team in NHL history to do so in one city. If the Panthers are to miss the playoffs in the [[2010–11 NHL season|2010-11 NHL Season]], they will have the sole record for most consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs, with 10.
+In June 2008, the Panthers traded their captain ]]Olli Jokinen]] to the [[Phoenix Coyotes]] for a second-round draft pick and defensemen [[Keith Ballard]] and [[Nick Boynton]].
-[[File:Panthers.PNG|thumb|The Panthers uniforms from 1993-2007]]
+The Panthers finished the 2008–09 season with a strong 41–30–11 record and 93 points, their second-highest finish in franchise history. Despite this, the Panthers missed the playoffs for an eighth-straight season, the then-longest streak in the NHL.
-==Season-by-season record==
-''This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Panthers. For the full season-by-season history, see [[List of Florida Panthers seasons]].''
+In November of 2009, Cliff Viner and Stu Siegel became the new majority owners.
-'''''Note:''' GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''
+On November 23, 2009, the Panthers made their third jersey, ridding red from the alternate jersey, replacing it with powder blue.
-<small>Records as of the end of the 2009-10 season.</small><ref>Hockeydb.com, [http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/teamseasons.php?tid=234 Florida Panthers season statistics and records.]</ref>
+The Panthers missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive time in the 2009–10 season, making them the first team in NHL history to do so in one city.
+On March 25, 2011, the Panthers lost to Buffalo 4–2, mathematically eliminating them from the post-season for an NHL record tenth consecutive season.
+===2010s===
+The Panthers management hired [[Dale Tallon]] as the team's new general manager on May 17, 2010.
+He rebuilt the team with 2010 draft picks [[Erik Gudbranson]], [[Nick Bjugstad]] and [[Quinton Howden]] as well as the acquisition of players including [[Steve Bernier]], [[Michael Grabner]], [[Marty Reasoner]], [[Ryan Carter]] and [[Sergei Samsonov]].
+However, all of the above-mentioned players were traded at the 2011 trade deadline or released during the 2011 off-season except for Gudbranson, Bjugstad and Howden. At the end of the 2010–11 season, only [[Stephen Weiss]] and [[David Booth]] remained from the pre-lockout era Panthers roster.
+On June 1, 2011, [[Kevin Dineen]] (the head coach of the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Portland Pirates) was named to be the 11th head coach of the Panthers.
+The team also rebranded their image, releasing a new home jersey, predominantly red with navy blue sleeves, and eliminating the navy blue piping on the road jersey; this new jersey replaced the navy blue one as the main home jersey.
+The 2011 off-season saw the acquisitions of Scottie Upshall, Tomas Fleischmann, Sean Bergenheim, Marcel Goc, Matt Bradley, Ed Jovanovski, Jose Theodore, Kris Versteeg, Tomas Kopecky and Brian Campbell.
+After several more trades and over 300 man-games lost to injury throughout the season, the Panthers were able to finish first in the Southeast Division, marking the end of their record-setting decade-long post-season drought.
+The Panthers won the first-ever division title in franchise history with a 4–1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on April 7, 2012. However, the Panthers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils, losing at home in double overtime of Game 7.
+In the lockout-shortened 2013 season, the Panthers had an abysmal season. Unable to regain their form from last season, the Panthers suffered key injuries and fell back down into the basement with the worst record in the League.
+In the 2013–14 season, the Panthers failed to gain any momentum and finished 29th out of 30 teams. The team then fired head coach Kevin Dineen and replaced him with [[Peter Horachek]].
+At the trade deadline, the Panthers reacquired Roberto Luongo from Vancouver. The Panthers would relieve Horachek of his duties at the end of the season, replacing him with former Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Gerard Gallant. The team also received the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, using it to select Barrie Colts defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
+The Panthers' 2014–15 home opener on October 12, 2014 set a team record for the lowest attendance at a home opener, with only 11,419 spectators in attendance. The team's next game against the Ottawa Senators marked the team's lowest attendance ever, with only 7,311 in attendance.
+Despite finishing with a record of 38–29–15, the Panthers missed the 2015 playoffs by seven points.
+The Panthers announced that they signed a 13-year lease agreement with the county and would have a new logo and uniforms after the 2015–16 season. Their original logo had remained almost unchanged since their first season in 1993.
+In the 2015–16 season, the team set a franchise record with a 12-game win streak. They also set a franchise record for most wins in a regular season with 47 wins and won their division for the second time in their existence.
+However, the Panthers lost to the [[New York Islanders]] in six games in the first round of the playoffs. Head coach [[Gerard Gallant]] was nominated as a finalist for the [[Jack Adams Award]] for NHL's coach of the year.
+The 2016–17 season season began with the promotion of general manager Dave Tallon to an executive position within the organization and assistant GM [[Tom Rowe]] was promoted to general manager.
+After a 11–10–1 start to the season, the Panthers fired head coach Gerard Gallant and GM Tom Rowe took over as interim head coach.
+==Season by Season Record==
+'''''Note:''' GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against''
+{{small|Records as of the end of the 2010–11 season.}}
 {| class="wikitable"
 |- style="font-weight:bold; background-color:#dddddd;" |
-|Season || GP || W || L || OTL || Pts || GF || GA || PIM || Finish || Playoffs
+|Season || GP || W || L || OTL || Pts || GF || GA || Finish || Playoffs
+|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
+|[[2011–12 NHL season|2011–12]] || 82 || 38 || 26 || 18 || 94 || 203 || 227 || 1st, Southeast || Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3–4 ([[New Jersey Devils|Devils]])
 |-
-|[[2005–06 NHL season|2005–06]] || 82 || 37 || 34 || 11 || 85 || 240 || 257 || 1255 || 4th, Southeast || Did not qualify
+| [[2012–13 NHL season|2012–13]] || 48 || 15 || 27 || 6 || 36 || 112 || 171 || 5th, Southeast || ''Did not qualify''
 |- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
-|[[2006–07 NHL season|2006–07]] || 82 || 35 || 31 || 16 || 86|| 247 || 257 || 1059 || 4th, Southeast || Did not qualify
+|[[2013–14 NHL season|2013–14]] || 82 || 29 || 45 || 8 || 66|| 196 || 268 || 7th, Atlantic || ''Did not qualify''
 |-
-|[[2007–08 NHL season|2007–08]] || 82 || 38 || 35 || 9 || 85 || 216 || 226 || 1002 || 3rd, Southeast || Did not qualify
+|[[2014–15 NHL season|2014–15]] || 82 || 38 || 29 || 15 || 91 || 206 || 223 || 6th, Atlantic || ''Did not qualify''
+|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
+|[[2015–16 NHL season|2015–16]] || 82 || 47 || 26 || 9 || 103 || 239 || 203 || 1st, Atlantic || Lost in First Round, 2–4 ([[New York Islanders|Islanders]])
+|}
+==Retired Numbers==
+{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
+|+ style="background:#FFFFFF;border-top:#C8102E 5px solid;border-bottom:#041E42 5px solid;" | Florida Panthers retired numbers
+|-
+! width=40px | No.
+! width=120px |Player
+! width=120px |Position
+! width=100px |Career
+! width=150px |No. retirement
+|-
+| '''93''' || [[Bill Torrey]] || President & <br> General Manager || 1993–2001 || October 23, 2010
+|}
+==Head Coaches==
+{| class="wikitable"
+! rowspan="2" | #
+! rowspan="2" | Name
+! colspan="6" | Regular season
+! colspan="4" | Playoffs
+! rowspan="2" | Achievements
+|-
+! GC
+! W
+! L
+! T/OT
+! PTS
+! Win%
+! GC
+! W
+! L
+! Win%
+|-
+|-
+|align=center|1
+|style="background-color:#FFE6BD"|[[Roger Neilson]]†
+|[[1993–94 NHL season|1993]]–[[1994–95 NHL season|1995]]
+|132
+|53
+|56
+|23
+|129
+|.489
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|
+|-
+|align=center|2
+|[[Doug MacLean]]
+|[[1995–96 NHL season|1995]]–[[1997–98 NHL season|1997]]
+|187
+|83
+|71
+|33
+|199
+|.532
+|27
+|13
+|14
+|.481
+|-
+|align=center|3
+|[[Bryan Murray]]
+|[[1997–98 NHL season|1997–1998]]
+|59
+|17
+|31
+|11
+|45
+|.381
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|
+|-
+|align=center|4
+|[[Terry Murray]]
+|[[1998–99 NHL season|1998]]–[[2000–01 NHL season|2000]]
+|200
+|79
+|79
+|42
+|200
+|.500
+|4
+|0
+|4
+|.000
+|
+|-
+|align=center|5
+|style="background-color:#ddffdd"|[[Duane Sutter]]*
+|[[2000–01 NHL season|2000]]–[[2001–02 NHL season|2001]]
+|72
+|22
+|35
+|15
+|59
+|.410
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|
+|-
+|align=center|6
+|[[Mike Keenan]]
+|[[2001–02 NHL season|2001]]–[[2003–04 NHL season|2003]]
+|153
+|45
+|73
+|35
+|125
+|.408
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|
+|-
+|align=center|7
+|[[Rick Dudley]]
+|[[2003–04 NHL season|2003–2004]]
+|40
+|13
+|15
+|12
+|38
+|.475
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|
+|-
+|align=center|8
+|[[John Torchetti]]
+|[[2003–04 NHL season|2004]]
+|27
+|10
+|12
+|5
+|25
+|.463
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|
+|-
+|align=center|9
+|[[Jacques Martin]]
+|[[2005–06 NHL season|2005]]–[[2007–08 NHL season|2008]]
+|246
+|110
+|100
+|36
+|256
+|.520
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|
+|-
+|align=center|10
+|[[Peter DeBoer]]
+|[[2008–09 NHL season|2008]]–[[2010–11 NHL season|2011]]
+|246
+|103
+|107
+|36
+|242
+|.492
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|
+|-
+|align=center|11
+|style="background-color:#ddffdd"|[[Kevin Dineen]]*
+|[[2011–12 NHL season|2011]]–[[2013–14 NHL season|2013]]
+|146
+|56
+|62
+|28
+|140
+|.479
+|7
+|3
+|4
+|.429
+|
+|-
+|align=center|12
+|[[Peter Horachek]]
+|[[2013–14 NHL season|2013–2014]]
+|66
+|26
+|36
+|4
+|56
+|.424
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|—
+|
+|-
+|align=center|13
+|[[Gerard Gallant]]
+|[[2014–15 NHL season|2014]]–[[2016–17 NHL season|2016]]
+|164
+|85
+|55
+|24
+|194
+|.591
+|6
+|2
+|4
+|.333
+|
+|-
+|align=center|14
+|[[Tom Rowe]]
+|[[2016–17 NHL season|2016]]–present
+|0
+|0
+|0
+|0
+|0
+|.000
+|0
+|0
+|0
+|.000
+|
+|}
+===Key===
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+|'''#'''
+|Number of coaches
+|-
+|'''GC'''
+|Games coached
+|-
+|'''W'''
+|Wins = 2 points
+|-
+|'''L'''
+|Losses = 0 points
+|-
+|'''T'''
+|Ties = 1 point
+|-
+|'''OT'''
+|[[Overtime (ice hockey)|Overtime/shootout]] losses = 1 point
+|-
+|'''PTS'''
+|[[Point (ice hockey)|Points]]
+|-
+|'''Win%'''
+|[[Winning percentage]]
+|-
+|style="background-color:#FFE6BD"|†
+| Elected to the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]] as a builder
+|-
+|style="background-color:#ddffdd"|*
+| Spent entire NHL coaching career with the Panthers
+|-
+|}
+==General Managers==
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+General managers of the Florida Panthers
+! scope="col" | No.
+! scope="col" | Name
+! scope="col" | Appointment
+! scope="col" | Departure
+! scope="col" | Accomplishments and events during this term
+|-
+! scope="row" |1
+| [[Bobby Clarke]]
+| March 1, 1993
+| June 15, 1994
+|
+|-
+! scope="row" |2
+| [[Bryan Murray]]
+| August 1, 1994
+| December 28, 2000
+| Appeared in Stanley Cup Finals in [[1996 Stanley Cup Finals|1996]]
+|-
+! scope="row" |3
+| style="background: #FFE6BD;"|[[Bill Torrey]]
+| December 28, 2000
+| December 3, 2001
+|
+|-
+! scope="row" |4
+| [[Chuck Fletcher]] (Interim)
+| December 3, 2001
+| May 10, 2002
+|
+|-
+! scope="row" |5
+| [[Rick Dudley]]
+| May 10, 2002
+| May 24, 2004
+|
+|-
+! scope="row" |6
+| [[Mike Keenan]]
+| May 26, 2004
+| September 3, 2006
+|
+|-
+! scope="row" |7
+| [[Jacques Martin]]
+| September 3, 2006
+| June 1, 2009
+|
+|-
+! scope="row" |8
+| [[Randy Sexton]]
+| October 2, 2009
+| May 17, 2010
+|
+|-
+! scope="row" |9
+| [[Dale Tallon]]
+| May 17, 2010
+| May 16, 2016
+|
+|-
+! scope="row" |10
+| [[Tom Rowe]]
+| May 16, 2016
+|align="center"|–
+|
+|}
+===Key===
+{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"
+|+Key of terms and definitions
+|-
+! scope="col" |Term
+! scope="col" |Definition
+|-
+!scope="row" |No.
+|Number of general managers
+|-
+!scope="row" |Ref(s)
+|References
 |-
+!scope="row" |–
-|[[2008–09 NHL season|2008–09]] || 82 || 41 || 30 || 11 || 93 || 234 || 231 || 884 || 3rd, Southeast || Did not qualify
+|Does not apply
 |-
+! scope="row" style="background: #FFE6BD" |
-|[[2009–10 NHL season|2009–10]] || 82 || 32 || 37 || 13 || 77 || 208 || 234 || 977 || 5th, Southeast || Did not qualify
+|Elected to the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]] in the builder category
 |}
-==Players==
+==Team Captains==
+*[[Brian Skrudland]], 1993–97
-===Current roster===
+*Scott Mellanby, 1997–2001
-{{Florida Panthers roster}}
+*Pavel Bure & [[Paul Laus]], 2001–02 (co-captains)
+*[[Olli Jokinen]], 2003–08
+*[[Bryan McCabe]], 2009–11
+*[[Ed Jovanovski]], 2013–14
+*[[Willie Mitchell]], 2014–16
+*[[Derek MacKenzie]], 2016–present
+==NHL All-Star Game selections==
-===Team captains===
+===Players===
-* [[Brian Skrudland]], 1993–97
-* [[Scott Mellanby]], 1997–2001
+*[[Bob Kudelski]], 1994
+*[[John Vanbiesbrouck]], 1994, 1996, 1997
-* [[Pavel Bure]] & [[Paul Laus]], 2001–02 <small> (co-captains)</SMALL>
+*[[Scott Mellanby]], 1996
-* No captain, 2002–03
-* [[Olli Jokinen]], 2003–08
+*[[Robert Svehla]], 1997
+*[[Pavel Bure]], 2000, 2001
-* No captain, 2008–09
-* [[Bryan McCabe]], 2009–''present''
+*[[Viktor Kozlov]], 2000
+*[[Ray Whitney]], 2000
+*[[Sandis Ozolinsh]], 2002, 2003
+*[[Olli Jokinen]], 2003
+*[[Roberto Luongo]], 2004, 2015, 2016
+*[[Jay Bouwmeester]], 2007, 2009
+*[[Tomas Vokoun]], 2008
+*[[Brian Campbell]], 2012
+*[[Aaron Ekblad]], 2015, 2016
+*[[Jaromir Jagr]], 2016
+===Head Coaches===
+*[[Doug MacLean]], 1996, 1997
+*[[Gerard Gallant]], 2016
-===Hockey Hall of Fame members===
+==Hockey Hall of Fame members==
-;Players
+===Players===
+*[[Ed Belfour]], G, 2006–2007, inducted 2011
+*[[Pavel Bure]], RW, 1999–2002, inducted 2012
 *[[Dino Ciccarelli]], RW, 1998–1999, inducted 2010
 *[[Igor Larionov]], C, 2000, inducted 2008
+*[[Joe Nieuwendyk]], C, 2005–2006, inducted 2011
-;Builders
+===Builders===
 *[[Roger Neilson]], Coach, 1993–95, inducted 2002
 *[[Bill Torrey]], President and General Manager, 1993–2001, inducted 1995
+==First-round draft picks==
-===Retired numbers===
-* '''93''' [[Bill Torrey]], President and General Manager, 1993–2001, number retired on October 23, 2010
-* '''99''' [[Wayne Gretzky]], C, number retired league wide February 6, 2000
-===First-round draft picks===
-<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
 * [[1993 NHL Entry Draft|1993]]: [[Rob Niedermayer]] (5th overall)
 * [[1994 NHL Entry Draft|1994]]: [[Ed Jovanovski]] (1st overall)
-* [[1995 NHL Entry Draft|1995]]: [[Radek Dvořák|Radek Dvorak]] (10th overall)
+* [[1995 NHL Entry Draft|1995]]: [[Radek Dvorak]] (10th overall)
 * [[1996 NHL Entry Draft|1996]]: [[Marcus Nilson]] (20th overall)
-* [[1997 NHL Entry Draft|1997]]: [[Mike Brown (ice hockey b. 1979)|Mike Brown]] (20th overall)
+* [[1997 NHL Entry Draft|1997]]: [[Mike Brown (winger, born 1979)|Mike Brown]] (20th overall)
 * [[1998 NHL Entry Draft|1998]]: None
 * [[1999 NHL Entry Draft|1999]]: [[Denis Shvidki]] (12th overall)
 * [[2000 NHL Entry Draft|2000]]: None
-* [[2001 NHL Entry Draft|2001]]: [[Stephen Weiss]] (4th overall) & [[Lukáš Krajíček|Lukas Krajicek]] (24th overall)
+* [[2001 NHL Entry Draft|2001]]: [[Stephen Weiss]] (4th overall) & [[Lukas Krajicek]] (24th overall)
-* [[2002 NHL Entry Draft|2002]]: [[Jay Bouwmeester]] (3rd overall) & [[Petr Tatíček|Petr Taticek]] (9th overall)
+* [[2002 NHL Entry Draft|2002]]: [[Jay Bouwmeester]] (3rd overall) & [[Petr Taticek]] (9th overall)
-* [[2003 NHL Entry Draft|2003]]: [[Nathan Horton]] (3rd overall) & [[Anthony Stewart (ice hockey)|Anthony Stewart]] (25th overall)
+* [[2003 NHL Entry Draft|2003]]: [[Nathan Horton]] (3rd overall) & [[Anthony Stewart]] (25th overall)
 * [[2004 NHL Entry Draft|2004]]: [[Rostislav Olesz]] (7th overall)
 * [[2005 NHL Entry Draft|2005]]: [[Kenndal McArdle]] (20th overall)
-* [[2006 NHL Entry Draft|2006]]: [[Michael Frolík|Michael Frolik]] (10th overall)
+* [[2006 NHL Entry Draft|2006]]: [[Michael Frolik]] (10th overall)
 * [[2007 NHL Entry Draft|2007]]: [[Keaton Ellerby]] (10th overall)
 * [[2008 NHL Entry Draft|2008]]: None
 * [[2009 NHL Entry Draft|2009]]: [[Dmitri Kulikov]] (14th overall)
 * [[2010 NHL Entry Draft|2010]]: [[Erik Gudbranson]] (3rd overall), [[Nick Bjugstad]] (19th overall) & [[Quinton Howden]] (25th overall)
+* [[2011 NHL Entry Draft|2011]]: [[Jonathan Huberdeau]] (3rd overall)
-</div>
+* [[2012 NHL Entry Draft|2012]]: [[Mike Matheson]] (23rd overall)
+* [[2013 NHL Entry Draft|2013]]: [[Aleksander Barkov]] (2nd overall)
+* [[2014 NHL Entry Draft|2014]]: [[Aaron Ekblad]] (1st overall)
+* [[2015 NHL Entry Draft|2015]]: [[Lawson Crouse]] (11th overall)
+* [[2016 NHL Entry Draft|2016]]: [[Henrik Borgstrom]] (23rd overall)
-===Franchise scoring leaders===
+==Franchise scoring leaders==
+'''''Note:''' Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Panthers player''
-These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
+{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
-'''''Note:''' Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Panthers player''
+|+ style= "background:#FFFFFF;border-top:#C8102E 5px solid;border-bottom:#041E42 5px solid;" | Points
-<!--PLEASE DO NOT UPDATE STATISTICS MID-SEASON, AS IT CREATES MORE PROBLEMS THAN IT SOLVES, AND WIKIPEDIA'S PURPOSE IS NOT TO PROVIDE UP-TO-THE-MINUTE STATISTICS. PLEASE SAVE THE UPDATING OF STATISTICS UNTIL THE END OF THE REGULAR SEASON AND/OR PLAYOFFS.-->
+|-
-{| class="wikitable"
+! align="left" | Player || Pos || GP || G || A || Pts || P/G
-|- align="center" style="font-weight:bold; background-color:#dddddd;" |
+|- align="center"
-| align="left" | Player || Pos || GP || G || A || Pts || P/G
+| align="left" | [[Olli Jokinen]] || C || 567 || 188 || 231 || '''419''' || 0.73
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Stephen Weiss]] || C || 654 || 145 || 249 || '''394''' || 0.60
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Scott Mellanby]] || RW || 552 || 157 || 197 || '''354''' || 0.64
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Nathan Horton]] || C || 422 || 142 || 153 || '''295''' || 0.66
 |- align="center"
-| align="left" | [[Olli Jokinen]] || C || 567 || 188 || 231 || '''419''' || .73
+| align="left" | [[Viktor Kozlov]] || C || 414 || 101 || 190 || '''291''' || 0.70
-|- align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee"
-| align="left" | [[Scott Mellanby]] || RW || 552 || 157 || 197 ||'''354''' || .64
 |- align="center"
-| align="left" | [[Nathan Horton]] || C || 422 || 142 || 153 || '''295''' || .66
+| align="left" | [[Robert Svehla]] || D || 573 || 61 || 229 || '''290''' || 0.51
-|- align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee"
-| align="left" | [[Viktor Kozlov]] || C || 414 || 101 || 190 || '''291''' || .70
 |- align="center"
-| align="left" | [[Róbert Švehla|Robert Svehla]] || D || 573 || 61 || 229 || '''290''' || .51
+| align="left" | [[Radek Dvorak]] || RW || 613 || 113 || 155 || '''268''' || 0.44
-|- align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee"
-| align="left" | [[Stephen Weiss]]* || C || 481 || 103 || 181 || '''284''' || .59
 |- align="center"
-| align="left" | [[Rob Niedermayer]] || C || 518 || 101 || 165 || '''266''' || .51
+| align="left" | [[Rob Niedermayer]] || C || 518 || 101 || 165 || '''266''' || 0.51
-|- align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee"
-| align="left" | [[Pavel Bure]] || RW || 223 || 152 || 99 || '''251''' || 1.13
 |- align="center"
-| align="left" | [[Radek Dvořák|Radek Dvorak]]* || RW || 560 || 106 || 141 || '''247''' || .44
+| align="left" | [[Pavel Bure]]  || RW || 223 || 152 || 99 || '''251''' || 1.13
-|- align="center" bgcolor="#eeeeee"
-| align="left" | [[Ray Whitney (ice hockey)|Ray Whitney]] || LW || 273 || 97 || 130 || '''227''' || .83
 |- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Ray Whitney]] || LW || 273 || 97 || 130 || '''227''' || 0.83
 |}
+{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
-==NHL awards and trophies==
+|+ style= "background:#FFFFFF;border-top:#C8102E 5px solid;border-bottom:#041E42 5px solid;" | Goals
-'''[[Prince of Wales Trophy]]'''
+|-
-* [[1995–96 NHL season|1995–96]]
+! align="left" | Player || Pos || G
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Olli Jokinen]] || C || 188
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Scott Mellanby]] || RW || 157
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Pavel Bure]] || RW || 152
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Stephen Weiss]] || C || 145
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Nathan Horton]] || C || 142
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Radek Dvorak]]  || RW || 113
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Viktor Kozlov]] || C || 101
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Rob Niedermayer]] || C || 101
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Ray Whitney]] || LW || 97
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[David Booth]] || LW || 87
+|}
+{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
-'''[[Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy]]'''
+|+ style= "background:#FFFFFF;border-top:#C8102E 5px solid;border-bottom:#041E42 5px solid;" | Assists
-* [[Pavel Bure]]: [[1999–2000 NHL season|1999–2000]], [[2000–01 NHL season|2000–01]]
+|-
-<!--PLEASE DO NOT UPDATE STATISTICS MID-SEASON, AS IT CREATES MORE PROBLEMS THAN IT SOLVES, AND WIKIPEDIA'S PURPOSE IS NOT TO PROVIDE UP-TO-THE-MINUTE STATISTICS. PLEASE SAVE THE UPDATING OF STATISTICS UNTIL THE END OF THE REGULAR SEASON AND/OR PLAYOFFS.-->
+! align="left" | Player || Pos || A
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Stephen Weiss]] || C || 249
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Olli Jokinen]] || C || 231
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Robert Svehla]] || D || 229
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Scott Mellanby]] || RW || 197
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Viktor Kozlov]] || C || 190
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Rob Niedermayer]] || C || 165
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Radek Dvorak]] || RW || 155
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Nathan Horton]] || C || 153
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Jay Bouwmeester]] || D || 150
+|- align="center"
+| align="left" | [[Brian Campbell]]  || D || 147
+|}
+==NHL awards and trophies==
-==Franchise individual records==
+'''Prince of Wales Trophy'''
-* Most goals in a season: [[Pavel Bure]], 59 (2000–01)
+*1995–96
-* Most assists in a season: [[Viktor Kozlov]], 53 (1999–2000)
-* Most points in a season: [[Pavel Bure]], 94 (1999–2000)
-* Most penalty minutes in a season: [[Peter Worrell]], 354 (2001–02)
-* Most points in a season, defenceman: [[Róbert Švehla|Robert Svehla]], 57 (1995–96)
-* Most points in a season, rookie: [[Jesse Belanger]], 50 (1993–94)
-* Most wins in a season: [[Roberto Luongo]], 35 (2005–06)
-* Most saves in a shutout win: [[Craig Anderson (ice hockey)|Craig Anderson]], 53 (NHL record)
-* Most shutouts in a season: [[Roberto Luongo]], 7 (2003–04)
-* All time leader in goals against average: [[John Vanbiesbrouck]], 2.58
-* All time leader in shutouts: [[Roberto Luongo]], 26
-* All time leader in games played by a goaltender: [[Roberto Luongo]], 318
-* All time leader in wins by a goaltender: [[Roberto Luongo]], 108
+'''Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy'''
-==See also==
+*Pavel Bure: 1999–2000, 2000–01
+'''Lady Byng Memorial Trophy'''
-* [[List of NHL players]]
+*Brian Campbell: 2011–12
-* [[List of NHL seasons]]
+'''Calder Memorial Trophy'''
-==References==
+*Jonathan Huberdeau: 2012–13
-<references/>
+*Aaron Ekblad: 2014–15
+'''Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy'''
-==External links==
+*Jaromir Jagr: 2015–16
-* [http://www.floridapanthers.com/ The Official website of the Florida Panthers]
-* [http://www.flpbc.com/ Official website of the Florida Panthers Booster Club]
+==Franchise individual records==
+*Most goals in a season: Pavel Bure, 59 (2000–01)
+*Most assists in a season: Viktor Kozlov, 53 (1999–2000)
+*Most points in a season: Pavel Bure, 94 (1999–2000)
+*Most penalty minutes in a season: [[Peter Worrell]], 354 (2001–02)
+*Most points in a season, defenseman: Robert Svehla, 57 (1995–96)
+*Most points in a season, rookie: [[Jesse Belanger]], 50 (1993–94)
+*Most wins in a season: Roberto Luongo, 35 (2005–06)
+*Most saves in a shutout win: [[Craig Anderson]], 53
+*Most shutouts in a season: Roberto Luongo, 7 (2003–04)
+*All-time leader in goals against average: John Vanbiesbrouck, 2.58
+*All-time leader in shutouts: Roberto Luongo, 26
+*All-time leader in games played by a goaltender: Roberto Luongo, 318
+*All-time leader in wins by a goaltender: Roberto Luongo, 108
 [[Category:NHL teams]]
 [[Category:Florida Panthers]]