The American state of Florida may not be well known as a hockey hotbed due to its warm weather throughout the year, but two NHL teams compete there, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.
Are the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning Rivals?
The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are natural rivals because of their geographical proximity and due to the fact both teams compete in the NHL’s Atlantic Division. The rivalry between the two clubs is generally referred to as the Battle of Florida and the distance between the team’s home arenas is just 180 miles (290 kilometres).
In past NHL campaigns, the state rivalry has also been known as either the Governor’s Cup, the Sunshine Cup or the Nextel Cup Challenge.
The rivalry between the two clubs got off to a quick start as Tampa Bay fans weren’t happy that the Panthers franchise named itself after the state of Florida rather than the city of Miami, which they were originally based in. In addition, the Florida Panthers was originally proposed as the name in an earlier bid for an NHL team by the city of Tampa Bay, but the rights to the name were then bought by Wayne Huizenga, the first owner of the Florida Panthers franchise.
The teams first met on September 16th, 1993 in a preseason contest with the first regular season tilt coming on October 9th, 1993. The game took place at the ThunderDome (now known as Tropicana Field) in front of 27,227 fans with the Panthers earning a 2-0 win for the club’s first-ever NHL regular-season victory.
That game currently holds the NHL regular-season attendance record for any contest which hasn’t been played outdoors as a part of the NHL Heritage Classic, NHL Stadium, or NHL Winter Classic series. To add to the rivalry in the first regular-season meeting, the Lightning’s scoreboard and tickets referred to their opponents as the Miami Panthers rather than the Florida Panthers.
The rivalry hasn’t been as heated as some of the NHL’s other famous rivalries though as the teams have met just twice in the playoffs. The first meeting didn’t come until the 2020/21 season with Tampa Bay winning four games to two in the first round. The clubs met again in the 2021/22 postseason with Tampa Bay winning the second-round series in a four-game sweep.
The Sunshine Cup
The Sunshine Cup was introduced in 1993/94 and awarded to the winner of the regular-season series between the teams. The trophy was presented by the Sunshine Network, which was the cable television broadcaster for both franchises.
In 2003/04 the Nextel Cup Challenge was born with both of those cups being used as a tool used to raise cash for local charities. Florida Governor Rick Scott then introduced the Governor’s Cup in 2014 to help support youth hockey and popularize the sport in the state of Florida, but all three cups lasted just one season.
When Did the Tampa Bay Lightning Franchise Join the NHL?
The Tampa Bay Lightning began play as an NHL expansion team in the 1992/93 season. The team’s nickname is The Bolts and as of January, 2023 had won three Stanley Cup championships: in 2003/2004, 2019/20, and 2020/21. The franchise also reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2014/15 and 2021/22 but came out on the losing end.
The club won Conference Championships in 2003/04, 2014/15, 2019/20 and 2021/22, the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top regular-season team in 2018/19 and captured Division Championships in 2002/03, 2003/04, 2017/18 and 2018/19.
Where is the Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey Stadium?
The Lightning currently play their home games at the Amalie Arena, which opened to the public on October 20th, 1996. The rink was known as the Ice Palace from 1996 to 2002, the St. Pete Times Forum from 2002 to 2012 and the Tampa Bay Times Forum from 2012 to 2014.
The club played home games during its first NHL season at the Expo Hall inside the Florida State Fairgrounds and then moved to the Florida Suncoast Dome in its second campaign. This venue was located in St. Petersburg and originally built for baseball. It was then reconfigured for ice hockey and renamed the ThunderDome.
Do the Tampa Bay Lightning Have a Mascot?
The Tampa Bay Lightning have a lightning bug as a mascot which is named ThunderBug, and makes appearances throughout the local community as well as performs at the team’s home games.
When Did the Florida Panthers Franchise Join the NHL?
The Florida Panthers’ first NHL campaign came in 1993/94, just a year after Tampa Bay joined the league and the franchise is the league’s southernmost team. The club, which is nicknamed The Cats, set a new record for points by an expansion team in its first year with 83 but failed to make the playoffs. The point record for a franchise team was then broken in 2017/18 by the Vegas Golden Knights when they posted 109.
As of January, 2023 the Panthers have appeared in one Stanley Cup Final but were beaten by the Colorado Avalanche in four straight games in 1995/96. The club didn’t win a postseason series again until 2021/2022.
Florida captured Conference Championships in 2003/04, 2014/15, 2019/20 and 2021/22), won the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season team in 2018/19 and hoisted Division Championships in 2002/03, 2003/04, 2017/18 and 2018/19.
Where is the Florida Panthers Hockey Stadium?
The Panthers play their home games at the FLA Live Arena which is located in the city of Sunrise, Florida, which sits in the greater Miami Metropolitan Area. The rink opened to the public on October 3rd, 1998 and was previously known as the National Car Rental Center from 1998 to 2002, the Office Depot Center from 2002 to 2005, the Bank Atlantic Center from 2005 to 2012 and the BB&T Center from 2012 to 2021. The club played at the Miami Arena before moving to its new rink in 1998.
Do the Florida Panthers Have a Mascot?
The Florida franchise has a mascot known as Stanley C. Panther, which is named after the state animal (Florida Panther) and the Stanley Cup. The mascot appears at home games and in areas across South Florida and is often accompanied by another team mascot, which is a large rat named Viktor E. Ratt.
Does Tampa Bay Lightning or the Florida Panthers Have More Stanley Cups?
The Tampa Bay Lightning have won three Stanley Cups as of January, 2023 while the Florida Panthers had yet to win one.
They have won their cups in 2004, 2020, and 2021. Their recent 2 wins are a very large accomplishment as they won 2 Stanley Cups in a row, almost making it 3 as they played the Colorado Avalanche but ended up losing in game 6.
Many players have 2 rings as being apart of this Tampa Bay team, including the famous captain Steven Stamkos and also the 3 in a row cup winner Pat Maroon.
Are there Any Minor Hockey Teams in Florida?
The state of Florida currently has three other professional hockey teams in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). These are the Florida Everblades, the Jacksonville Icemen and the Orlando Solar Bears.
The Everblades, who play in the city of Estero, are affiliated with the Florida Panthers, the Jacksonville Icemen are affiliated with the New York Rangers and the Orlando Solar Bears are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Former ice hockey ventures in Florida include the Tropical Hockey League (THL) and The Miami Screaming Eagles. The Tropical Hockey League was based in Miami and consisted of four local teams. The league was launched in 1938/39 and played just one season before folding. It was resurrected briefly in 1940 but folded for good a year later.
The Miami Screaming Eagles were a co-founding franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1971, but the club never got off of the ground as it had no arena to play in. The franchise was then sold and became the Philadelphia Blazers.
All NHL Players Born in Florida
As of January 1st, 2023, there have been 19 Florida-born players in the NHL. These are:
| Player | Birthplace | NHL Points (As of Jan 9th, 2023) |
| Dan Hinote | Leesburg, Florida, USA | 90 |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | Pembroke Pines, FL, USA | 296 |
| Garnet Hathaway | Naples, FL, USA | 112 |
| Jakob Chychrun | Boca Raton, FL, USA | 160 |
| Ryan Carpenter | Oviedo, FL, USA | 72 |
| Quinn Hughes | Orlando, FL, USA | 196 |
| Jack Hughes | Orlando, FL, USA | 157 |
| Jayson Megna | Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA | 27 |
| Andrew Peeke | Parkland, FL, USA | 26 |
| Dallas Eakins | Dade City, FL | 9 |
| Brandon Duhaime | Coral Springs, FL, USA | 22 |
| Blake Geoffrion | Plantation, FL, USA | 13 |
| Val James | Ocala, FL | 0 |
| Nathan Smith | Tampa, FL, USA | 4 |
| Brian Ferlin | Jacksonville, FL, USA | 1 |
| Chase Priskie | Pembroke Pines, FL, USA | 0 |
| Justin Richards | Orlando, FL, USA | 1 |
| Kyle Keyser | Coral Springs, FL, USA | Goalie |
In 1992, Manon Rhéaume signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning to become the first female to play in any of North America’s major professional sports leagues. She appeared in a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues and in a preseason outing against the Boston Bruins in 1993.
Rhéaume, who was born in Quebec City, Canada., went on to spend five years in minor pro leagues, playing a total of 24 games for seven different teams. She also won gold medals at the 1992 and 1994 IIHF Women’s World Championship for Canada as well as a silver medal at the Winter Olympics in 1998.
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Jamie is the founder of Hockey Response and he is the chief writer/ lead editor. Jamie has been playing hockey for over 20 years. He was the defenseman of the year in NL and has played Jr A level hockey. Jamie has coached several kids hockey camps and he was the assistant coach of the Western Kings.