The Florida Panthers have permanently etched their place in NHL history by becoming the fourth team since 1997-98 to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
In defeating the Edmonton Oilers for the second consecutive season in six games, they ensured that the most hallowed trophy in sports would once again bear their names. The series opened with three overtime sessions across the first two matchups, with each team claiming a win. Florida then dominated Game 3, but Edmonton responded with a Game 4 victory to even the series.
From there, the Panthers took control, cruising to back-to-back wins in Games 5 and 6 to seal their title repeat.
Not only did the Panthers set, match, and break numerous records during their latest championship run, but they also broke a mark previously held by a club that featured the greatest player in hockey history: Wayne Gretzky.
Panthers Break Record Set by 1993 Los Angeles Kings and Wayne Gretzky
The Panthers were at their best away from Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, picking up 10 victories on the road to tie the previous record. Additionally, they set a new NHL postseason mark for most goals scored on the road with 61, 13 of which came from Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett.
For context, the 1993 Los Angeles Kings, led by Gretzky, scored 49 goals during their run to the Stanley Cup Final, which ended in a five-game loss to Patrick Roy, Éric Desjardins, and the Montreal Canadiens.
Ironically, 1993 remains the most recent year a Canadian-based NHL franchise won the Stanley Cup. The Oilers are the latest Canadian team to fall short, joining the 1994 and 2011 Vancouver Canucks, 2004 Calgary Flames, 2006 Oilers, 2007 Ottawa Senators, and 2021 Montreal Canadiens.
Former Oilers captain Mark Messier, now a commentator and analyst for ESPN, gave the Panthers their due in the aftermath of their second straight title.
“Anybody that knows hockey is in awe of what they’ve been able to accomplish,” Messier said as the Panthers celebrated on the ice with their families.
“They can play any style that you want. They have such underrated talent at many positions,” he said. “You don’t get the right players at the right stages of their careers all the time. This is a very sophisticated, talented, driven team.”
Messier would know better than most what it takes to be the last team standing. He won the Stanley Cup six times in his career: five with the Oilers and once with the New York Rangers.
Messier also played a brash and physical (and often controversial) brand of hockey, which the Panthers now embody.
