Life is good if you’re a fan of the Florida Panthers these days.
Back-to-back championships, three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances and a roster built to continue contending for years to come will have that effect.
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But while the 2020s have been the best decade, by far, of Panthers hockey, there was a massive gap in franchise success that ran from the late 90s until Florida’s newfound string of success.
For those who remember, the Panthers were actually a success story in their earliest of seasons.
Florida completed its inaugural 1993-94 campaign as the NHL’s most successful expansion franchise, setting league records for wins and points by a first-year franchise.
In each of their first two seasons, the Panthers missed qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs by a single point, which was unheard of for a team still in its infancy.
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It was in year three that the Panthers really put their stamp on the NHL, reaching the playoffs as a four-seed and taking down the top two teams in the Eastern Conference en route to a shocking appearance in the Stanley Cup Final.
The gritty, underdog Panthers were turning heads, reaching the mecca of the sport despite fielding a roster with no superstars to speak of, just a grizzled group of hard-working veterans and a talented, young players still cutting their teeth at that high of a level.
Unfortunately for Florida, the Stanley Cup Final did not go particularly well for them, as they were dropped in four straight games by the Colorado Avalanche.
Still, the Panthers did not go out without one hell of a fight.
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With their backs against the wall, Florida would not give in to the high-powered Avalanche, holding them scoreless well into multiple overtime sessions.
Finally, at the 4:31 mark of the third overtime, Avs defenseman Uwe Krupp beat Panthers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck with a long slapshot to the blocker side.
The defeat was crushing, but at the end of the day, it was still extremely cool that the third-year Panthers were receiving the consideration and respect rarely offered to a franchise so young.
Also, the game itself was epic.
Watching Vanbiesbrouck and Patrick Roy go save-for-save with the Stanley Cup on the line was pure cinema.
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Check out some of the vintage action in the videos below:
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Photo caption: June 1996; Miami, FL; USA; FILE PHOTO; Colorado Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy (33) and forward Valeri Kamensky (13) in action against Florida Panthers forward Rob Niedermayer (44) during the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals at Miami Arena. (RVR Photos-Imagn Images)
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