You know, a team’s road to their very first championship is always interesting, no matter what the sport is. In 1989, the Calgary Flames capitalized on some key acquisitions over the years, as well as the Oilers being weakened a bit after The Great One was traded. In 1996, the Colorado Avalanche came off a move but were still building from that big trade a few years prior. And in 2019, the St. Louis Blues were finally rewarded after over five decades of close calls, bad seasons, and heartbreak.

The Florida Panthers debuted in the NHL in 1993, a year after their in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, debuted. In Year Three, they found lightning in a bottle and reached the Stanley Cup Final, but were swept by the Avs. What followed was many, many seasons of terrible records and hard luck in the few times they did make it. 2022 saw them end a long playoff series victory drought, but nothing much came of it.

And then, less than a month after the Cup was awarded, a big deal was made.

Not exactly the Lindros trade, but it’s up there. On July 22, 2022, the Calgary Flames dealt Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional 4th-round pick in this year’s draft to the Panthers, who gave up Jonathan Huberdeau, Cole Schwindt, Mackenzie Weegar, and a conditional 1st-round pick in this year’s draft. I remember this deal; the Flames had just lost to the Oilers in Round 2, and there were talks about that core being broken up. I said from jumpstreet, “The Flames got fleeced.” I should have bought a Lotto ticket the second after I said that.

The Panthers didn’t do to badly that following year. All they did was make the playoffs, take out the 65-win Bruins, and go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. They also won a game in the Final for the first time ever. But what could they do for an encore? That’s the question.

As we would see, Tkachuk went from being part of one big 3 to another, as the 2023-24 season would see those Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and longtime captain Aleksandar Barkov as the points leaders for the Panthers. Reinhart exploded that year. 94 points, but fifty-seven of them went in the net! I remember that year he had and I was saying how nobody’s really talking about Reinhart. Tkachuk had 88 points (26G/62A) that year, and Barkov had 80 points (23G/57A) in 73 games played. A very strong big three for that Panthers team. In net, Sergei Bobrovsky went 36-17-4 with a 2.37 GAA, a .915 SV%, and six shutouts. His backup, Anthony Stolarz (oh, the irony!) had a 16-7-2 record, a 2.03 GAA, a .925 SV%, and a pair of shutouts.

The Panthers finished the regular season with a record of 52-24-6 and 110 points; only the Rangers and Stars had better records. In the Atlantic Semis, they dispatched of a Lightning team still broken by the Avs in just five games–the team’s first-ever playoff series win over their in-state rivals. The Atlantic Final saw the Panthers win a six-game battle over the Boston Bruins, which included that moment where Sam Bennett delivered that cheap hit to Brad Marchand (again: oh, the irony!). In the Eastern Conference Final, the Panthers defeated the Presidents’ Trophy winning Rangers in six games to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year.

The Panthers faced off against the Edmonton Oilers–who were in the Final for the first time in 18 years, and the first time with that dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. What looked like an evenly matched Final was everything but that, as the Panthers won the first three games just like that. So we were headed for the first sweep in the Final since 1998. However, the Oilers took Game Four. And Game Five. And Game Six. Now, it was getting interesting. Game Seven was close and low scoring. Carter Verhaeghe struck first, Mattias Janmark tied it–1-1 after 20. 2nd period saw Reinhart give them the lead, and that 2-1 score would last for the rest of the evening.

Sam Reinhart scored the Cup-clinching goal in Game Seven

The Florida Panthers became Stanley Cup Champions for the very first time on June 24, 2024–exactly one year ago today. The 31-year wait was over and done with on that evening. However, they would have to wait just under a year longer for a Conn Smythe winner, as the trophy ended up going to Connor McDavid due to the fact that he was about ten levels above beast mode during the entire playoffs. Barkov (8G/14A) and Tkachuk (6G/16A) were the points leaders during that run, as each player had 22. Carter Verhaeghe had 21 points, 11 of them goals, including one of Florida’s two goals in Game Seven. Reinhart finished with 16 points, 10 of them goals, including the one that clinched the Stanley Cup.

Of course, the Panthers repeated as Cup Champions on June 17, 2025. Regarding the trade, the Calgary Flames have the last pick of the first round of this year’s draft. Oh boy. Though, considering that Florida beat the Oilers both times, I think Flames fans are content with that, at least. It was a hell of a road to a first Cup for the Florida Panthers, and now they have a second to go with it. However, people need to hold the phone on any dynasty talk. They still need at least one more, and no team has three-peated in my lifetime, plus, I’m a fan of a team who thwarted one three-peat attempt. This was an amazing and memorable run for sure, and to say that the Panthers have taken that appearance in 2023 and run with it is a very huge understatement.