October 7, 2026
October 7, 2026
1995-1996 Florida Panthers: Rats in Miami Beach
The Florida Panthers entered the National Hockey League as an expansion franchise in the 1993-1994 regular season. It took a couple of seasons to build a foundation that could be respectable on the ice, and once they found the right combination of talent, the Panthers surprisingly took off in the 1995-1996 regular season. Along with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Panthers aimed to establish a hockey fan base in the Sunshine State.
The 1995-1996 Florida Panthers went 41-31-10 with 92 points, finishing 11 points behind the Philadelphia Flyers in the Atlantic Division, according to Hockey-Reference. On their home ice at the Miami Arena the Panthers went 25-12-4, while they went 16-19-6 on the road. The Panthers handled head-to-head play fairly well, going 3-1-1 against the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals, 3-1 against the Hartford Whalers and Ottawa Senators, 3-3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-2-1 against the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, 2-2 against the Buffalo Sabres, and 2-0 against the Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Panthers enjoyed a 7-game winning streak early in the regular season, which began with a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on November 2 and ended with a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 14.
A rather amusing story involving right winger Scott Mellanby occurred at the home opener. A rat somehow got onto the ice, and in response, Mellanby gave the rat a “one-timer” slap shot against the wall, killing it. Panthers fans picked up on this and threw 16 rubber rats onto the ice in the first 3 home games. Mellanby scored 2 goals in the home opener after this unusual event.
Mellanby had 32 goals and 38 assists for 70 points, with 19 power play goals, 16 power play assists and 3 game-winning goals on 225 shots. Center Rob Niedermayer had 26 goals and 35 assists for 61 points, with 11 power play goals, 12 power play assists and 6 game-winning goals on 155 shots. Left winger Johan Garpenlov had 23 goals and 28 assists for 51 points, with 8 power play goals, 14 power play assists and 7 game-winning goals on 130 shots. Right winger Jody Hull had 20 goals and 17 assists on 120 shots. Center Stu Barnes had 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points, with 8 power play goals, 13 power play assists and 5 game-winning goals on 158 shots.
Center Jesse Belanger had 17 goals and 21 assists, with 7 power play goals and 13 power play assists on 140 shots. Center Tom Fitzgerald had 13 goals and 21 assists, with 6 short-handed goals on 141 shots. Right winger Radek Dvorak had 13 goals and 14 assists, with 4 game-winning goals on 126 shots. Left winger Bill Lindsay had 12 goals and 22 assists on 118 shots. Left winger Dave Lowry had 10 goals and 14 assists, with 5 power play goals in 63 games. Defenseman Ed Jovanovski had 10 goals and 11 assists on 116 shots.
Goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck was the primary option to guard Florida’s net, going 26-20-7 and allowing 142 goals on 1,473 shots in 3,178 minutes. He recorded 1,331 saves, a .904 save percentage, a 2.68 goals against average and 2 shutouts. Goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick went 15-11-3, allowing 88 goals on 810 shots in 1,786 minutes, and recorded 722 saves, an .891 save percentage and a 2.96 goals against average.
Over 2,000 rubber rats would be thrown onto the home ice by Miami fans during the playoffs as the Panthers made a memorable run, the first deep playoff run in franchise history.
The Panthers eliminated the Boston Bruins 4 games to 1 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. In Game 1 on April 17 at the Miami Arena, the Panthers won 6-3. Boston center Sandy Moger and right winger Rick Tocchet each scored goals, while right winger Ray Sheppard came through with 2 goals for Florida. Also scoring for Florida were Garpenlov, Hull, left winger Mike Hough and defenseman Jason Woolley. In Game 2 on April 22, the Panthers beat the Bruins 6-2. Defenseman Ray Bourque and right winger Steve Heinze each scored goals for Boston, while Dave Lowry scored 2 goals for Florida. Sheppard had 1 goal and 3 assists, and Woolley, Jovanovski and Garpenlov also scored 1 goal each.
In Game 3 on April 24 at the FleetCenter, the Panthers beat the Bruins 4-2. Jody Hull scored 2 goals, and Hough and Mellanby each scored 1 goal for Florida, while Tocchet and right winger Shawn McEachern scored for Boston. In Game 4 on April 25, the Bruins beat the Panthers 6-2. In Game 5 on April 27 at the Miami Arena, the Panthers put the Bruins away with a 4-3 win. Boston got goals from Moger, left winger Ted Donato and center Jozef Stumpel, while Florida countered with goals from Lindsay, Lowry, defenseman Paul Laus and team captain Brian Skrudland, a center.
The Eastern Conference Semifinals saw the Panthers down the Philadelphia Flyers 4 games to 2. In Game 1 on May 2 at the CoreStates Spectrum, the Panthers blanked the Flyers 2-0, with Barnes and Lowry scoring 1 goal each. The Flyers came back to win Game 2 on May 4 by a score of 3-2, and then won again in Game 3 on May 7 at the Miami Arena by a score of 3-1. In Game 4 on May 9, the Panthers won a thrilling 4-3 overtime contest. Right winger Mikael Renberg scored 2 goals for Philadelphia and center Rod Brind’Amour scored 1, while Niedermayer’s 2 goals, a goal by Barnes and the game-winning goal by Lowry were enough for Florida.
In Game 5 on May 12 back at the CoreStates Spectrum, the Panthers beat the Flyers 2-1 in double overtime. Center Eric Lindros, Philadelphia’s bona fide star, scored a goal, while Barnes and Hough each scored for Florida, with Hough netting the game-winner. Finally, the Panthers eliminated the Flyers with a 4-1 win in Game 6 on May 14 at the Miami Arena. Left winger John LeClair scored the only Philadelphia goal, while Lindsay, Lowry, Garpenlov and Niedermayer all scored for Florida.
The Eastern Conference Finals was a tough test for the Panthers as they went the 7-game distance with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In Game 1 on May 18 at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, the Panthers won 5-1. Fitzgerald and Lowry both scored 2 goals, while Mellanby had 1 goal and 2 assists. Center Kevin Miller scored the only Pittsburgh goal. The Penguins won Game 2 by a score of 3-2 on May 20. In Game 3 on May 24, the Panthers won 5-2 at the Miami Arena. Centers Petr Nedved and Bryan Smolinski scored 1 goal each for Pittsburgh, while Florida countered with 2 goals by Barnes, 1 goal and 1 assist by Dvorak, and goals by Sheppard and center Martin Straka. Lowry had 3 assists.
The Penguins took Game 4 on May 26 by a score of 2-1, and then Game 5 on May 28 with a 3-0 shutout. In Game 6 on May 30 at the Miami Arena, the Panthers won 4-3. Along with Miller, right winger Tomas Sandstrom and left winger Joe Dziedzic scored goals for Pittsburgh, while Lindsay had 1 goal and 1 assist for Florida, and Lowry, Niedermayer and Straka added goals.
Finally, in Game 7 on June 1 at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, the Panthers won 3-1. Fitzgerald had 1 goal and 1 assist, with his goal standing as the game-winner. Garpenlov and Hough also scored, while Nedved scored the only Pittsburgh goal.
The 1996 Stanley Cup Finals slipped away from the Panthers in a 4-game sweep as they fell to the Colorado Avalanche in that franchise’s first year in Denver. However, the 1995-1996 Florida Panthers had a successful season overall, winning the Prince of Wales Trophy, while General Manager Bryan Murray won the NHL Executive of the Year Award. Ed Jovanovski was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.
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