Why is there two Florida hockey teams?
Professional major league teams
Florida added two NHL teams in the 1990s as part of the NHL's expansion into the south, and two MLB teams in the 1990s.
Florida is home to two National Hockey League teams. The Tampa Bay Lightning was established in 1992, and currently play their home games in the Amalie Arena, located in downtown Tampa. In 2004, the team won their first Stanley Cup.
| State Name | NHL Team(s) |
|---|---|
| Florida | Florida Panthers Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Illinois | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Massachusetts | Boston Bruins |
| Michigan | Detroit Red Wings |
Florida Panthers, American professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida (near Fort Lauderdale), that plays in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Panthers have won one conference title (1996).
Buffalo is the smallest of the 24 American N.H.L. markets. Raleigh, N.C., home of the Hurricanes, is the second smallest.
Pittsburgh ranked first overall when it came to NHL fan engagement, fourth in stadium capacity and fifth in the number of Stanley Cup wins. Detroit, St. Louis, and New York rounded out the top five list for best hockey cities.
New York and Los Angeles are the only two metropolitan areas with two or more teams in all four major sports (New York has MLB's Yankees and Mets, the NBA's Knicks and Nets, the NFL's Giants and Jets, and the NHL's Rangers, Islanders, and Devils.
FOOTBALL. Football is the most popular sport in America and Florida as well, with three National Football League (NFL) teams to cheer on.
In the past decade, the team has surged to become one of the elite NHL teams on the ice, now with 16,000 season ticket holders. That has also helped grow the popularity of the sport of hockey in Florida.
| Florida Panthers | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| History | Florida Panthers 1993–present |
| Home arena | FLA Live Arena |
| City | Sunrise, Florida |
Are the Orlando Solar Bears in the NHL?
The Solar Bears entered into a three-year affiliation agreement with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL prior to the 2018-19 season. The affiliation was extended an additional two seasons on July 19, 2021.
Florida Panthers
Today there are only 120 to 130 Florida panthers left in the wild. They are found in southern Florida in swamplands such as Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve.
In total, there are eleven teams in the NHL that have never won the Stanley Cup: the Minnesota Wild, the Arizona Coyotes, the Buffalo Sabres, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Florida Panthers, the Ottawa Senators, the Vancouver Canucks, the Nashville Predators, the San Jose Sharks, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the ...
The Tampa Bay Lightning joined the NHL in 1992. The team name came from Tampa's status as the "Lightning Capital of North America." The Lightning thrilled the home fans by routing Chicago 7-3 in the first game in franchise history, but finished their debut season with just 53 points.
New York and Los Angeles are the only two metropolitan areas with two or more teams in all four major sports (New York has MLB's Yankees and Mets, the NBA's Knicks and Nets, the NFL's Giants and Jets, and the NHL's Rangers, Islanders, and Devils.
They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home games at Miami Arena before moving to the FLA Live Arena in 1998. Located in Sunrise, Florida, the Panthers are the southernmost team in the NHL.
The Florida Panthers play their home games at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida. Sunrise is a town just west of Ft. Lauderdale and just north of Miami. A part of Broward County, Sunrise is conveniently located at the center of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). It was founded in 1993 as an expansion team.
