By Jameson Olive
Far from the frozen ponds of Canada and the frozen tundra of Eastern Europe, the Florida Panthers organization is quietly carving out its own puck-centric paradise in one of the most unlikely locations in the entire National Hockey League: South Florida.
Lacing up ice skates against a backdrop of palm trees and sandy beaches, the team has been steadily working hard to forge its own traditions out of the untraditional ever since the franchise’s inaugural season in 1993.
“I don’t believe that geographical locations play a part in hockey,” says Panthers Alternate Governor Bill Torrey, who served as the team’s president from 1993 to 2001. “No matter where you are, it’s an exciting attraction when it’s presented properly.”
In many ways, competing in a market widely regarded as a paradise of glitz and glamour, presentation—not wins and losses—has long been considered one of the greatest year-round challenges facing the NHL’s southernmost franchise. Although the Panthers can entice locals by offering a chance to take in the “coolest” game on earth, numerous losing seasons and countless roster upheavals have kept the team from achieving any sort of lasting appeal in the eyes of the public.
That was, however, until now. After winning its second-ever division title and setting franchise records for wins (47) and points (103) last season, the team has become one of the hottest tickets in town, with attendance at the BB&T Center bumping to 15,384 per game last season, impressive considering they had been dead-last in the NHL the season before at 11,265.
“It’s obviously not a traditional market in terms of hockey, but I always knew and believed that fans were looking for an excuse to come,” says Panthers Executive Chairman Peter Luukko, who oversaw the well-established Philadelphia Flyers for 25 years before joining the Panthers in 2015. “It was important to get relevant. Unfortunately, the team hadn’t played well, and I don’t think the fans necessarily felt that the organization was committed.
“That being said, I remember watching the team back in the ’90s when they played at the Miami Arena, sitting with [NHL Commissioner] Gary Bettman and talking about how we would never really know if hockey could work in South Florida until we gave it a chance.”
That chance came in the summer of 2013, when New York businessman Vincent Viola purchased the Panthers for a reported $240 million. Since then, the spending hasn’t stopped, especially as Viola continues to invest heavily in the organization, including spending more than $200 million in an effort to lock in several key players, such as Aaron Ekblad and Aleksander Barkov, to long-term contracts this past off-season.
That sort of money, of course, got fans talking.
“It feels good to feel like we finally have an owner who’s not only really proud to be a Panther, but who’s also willing to do whatever it takes to put us in a position to win,” says Panthers season ticket holder Todd Watson, who’s the vice president of wealth management at RBC Bank in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
“For many, many years, it wouldn’t have surprised me if the team was shipped out of town, but that’s not the case anymore,”?Watson says.
“We’re fans even when we lose, but this is probably the most exciting time I can remember. I think ownership did everything in their power to make that happen.”
As a former or current season ticket holder of several other professional sports franchises in South Florida, including the MLB’s Miami Marlins, the NBA’s Miami Heat and the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, Watson says the Panthers recently began to stand out in the crowded marketplace through its personal, one-on-one approach to engaging fans.
“They treat you like family,” says Watson, who attends games with his wife, Monica, and son, Daniel.
While Watson and other longtime super-fans provide unwavering support for the Panthers, many newcomers, intrigued by the team’s recent success, have also begun to dip their toes into hockey’s icy waters, resulting in a 154-percent increase in television viewership on Fox Sports Florida during October this season.
If anything, these numbers are indicative of a curiosity among local fans, many in search of the next big thing in South Florida sports. With the Dolphins and Marlins in the midst of lengthy playoff droughts, as well as the sudden end of the Heat’s wildly successful Big Three era, these fans are eager to rally behind another winner, regardless if they play on hardwood, turf or, yes, even ice.
“In any community, people want to feel like they’re a part of something,” says Panthers President and CEO Matthew Caldwell. “They want some emotional attachment to the sport. We’re the only professional sports team in Broward County. We’re not in Palm Beach or Miami, although we do have a lot of fans that come from there. We feel that if we build a winner and it’s something to be proud of, those communities will rally behind us. To us, that’s what it’s all about.”
Originally appeared in the Winter 2016 Issue.
