TV ratings have more than doubled, and social media metrics have skyrocketed, an indication the Panthers are breaking through to casual fans.
They’ve built a state-of-the-art practice facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and recorded their highest youth hockey participation since USA Hockey began tracking it 11 years ago, and have extended their arena lease with Broward County. Florida plans to replace the arena's scoreboard and make other improvements.
“That’s a huge, huge deal for us, because we have a minimum nine years but then potentially 19 years of a great public-private partnership,” Caldwell said. “The county’s committing $25 million per year to the building for both [capital expenditures] and [operating expenses]. That gives us a lot of stability to do upgrades at the arena.”
Sports Business Journal named the Panthers “Sports Team of the Year” on May 21, choosing them over a group of nominees that included the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association, the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball and the Washington Commanders of the National Football League.
Captain Aleksander Barkov received two awards June 2: the Selke Trophy, voted the NHL’s best defensive forward for the third time, and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his leadership and contribution to the community. Bill Zito is a finalist for General Manager of the Year, which has yet to be awarded.
“It’s amazing that we’re able to [go to the Cup Final for] the third year in a row, and all the hard work is paying off, for sure,” said Barkov, who has played for Florida since 2013-14. “Like, we’ve been playing really well and keep getting better every single year, and then obviously going to Finland [for the NHL Global Series] this year and Winter Classic next year, it means a lot to Florida Panthers and the community and to South Florida.”
The Winter Classic? In South Florida? And the Lightning are going to host the Boston Bruins in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Feb. 1 too?
“We didn’t even know if it was possible to have a game in Florida,” Caldwell said. “Now we have two of them next year. It’s going to be tremendous.”
No matter what happens in this series, the Panthers have big plans for the future.
“We still think there’s a lot more to accomplish,” Caldwell said. “It’s one of these things where I’m trying to be present and enjoy the moment, but at the same time, I don’t want to rest on our laurels, because we think we can be bigger and better.”