December 10, 1992: The NHL awards an expansion franchise to H. Wayne Huizenga, Chairman of Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation. Huizenga announces his intention to operate the franchise in South Florida.
March 1, 1993: The NHL and Huizenga announce that South Florida will join the NHL in time for the 1993-94 season. Bob Clarke is named Vice President and General Manager.
April 19, 1993: William A. Torrey is named President. The club is officially named the Florida Panthers.
April 21, 1993:Dean Jordan is named Vice President of Business Operations and Alternate Governor.
May 24, 1993:The Panthers announce three-year agreement with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the International Hockey League.
June 2, 1993:Roger Neilson is named first head coach of the Florida Panthers.
June 14, 1993:NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman presents Panthers' owner H. Wayne Huizenga with the official certificate of entry into the National Hockey League. The Panthers unveil their home and road uniforms, along with primary and secondary logos. The team colors are navy blue, red and yellow-gold.
June 24, 1993:The Florida Panthers select goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck as their first pick in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft in Quebec City. In all, the Panthers select 24 players.
June 26, 1993:At the Colisee in Quebec City, the Florida Panthers select forward Rob Niedermayer as the franchise's first-ever Entry Draft selection. The Panthers choose 13 amateur players in the Entry Draft.
July 8, 1993:Hall of Famer goaltender Bill Smith is named as the Panthers' goaltending coach.
July 28, 1993:The Florida Panthers unveil the artwork of inaugural logo created especially for the NHL team's first-ever season.
Seven Panthers players visit South Florida and begin a week-long promotional tour. Players include: goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck, forwards Rob Niedermayer, Scott Mellanby, Dave Lowry, Brian Skrudland, Andrei Lomakin, and defense man Joe Cirella.
August 3, 1993:In their first player trade in club history, the Florida Panthers acquire forward Jason Cirone from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Dave Tomlinson. The Panthers originally acquired Tomlinson from Toronto in exchange for future considerations and then dealt him to Winnipeg for Cirone.
September 7, 1993:The temperature drops to 22 degrees Fahrenheit at the Miami Arena as the process of ice-making for the Florida Panthers inaugural season begins.
September 11, 1993:52 players report to the Miami Arena for the first-ever on-ice Florida Panthers training camp.
September 16, 1993:The Panthers open their inaugural eight-game preseason schedule against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Lakeland (FL) Civic Center.
October 6, 1993:The Florida Panthers travel to Chicago Stadium and skate to a 4-4 tie against the Blackhawks in the franchise's first-ever game. Right Winger Scott Mellanby scores the Panthers' first-ever goal at 12:31 of the first period. It marked the first Panthers' broadcast in Spanish on WCMQ 1210 AM by Arley Londono and Manolo Alvarez.
October 9, 1993:Before an NHL record crowd of 27,227 at the Thunderdome in St. Petersburg, the Panthers capture their first-ever victory as goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck records a 2-0 shutout over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Scott Levins and Tom Fitzgerald tally goals for the Panthers.
October 12, 1993:The Panthers play their inaugural home opener before a sold-out crowd of 14,372 at the Miami Arena. Florida drops a 2-1 decision to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
November 10, 1993:In their first-ever game against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Canadiens, the Panthers capture a 3-1 victory at the Montreal Forum.
January 22, 1994:Goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck and right wing Bob Kudelski represent the Panthers at the NHL All-Star Game played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Kudelski becomes the first Panther to score in an All-Star Game when he scores two goals.
January 24, 1994:In front of a sellout crowd at Miami Arena, the Panthers set a team record with five goals in one period, and skate to their largest margin of victory with an 8-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens.
January 31, 1994:Rookie center Jesse Belanger is named NHL "Player of the Week" for the period ending January 30. Belanger is the first Panthers' player to receive the award and the first since the Player of the Week program was introduced in 1980-81 to win the award in his club's inaugural season. In four games played, Belanger scored four goals and four assists for eight points.
March 31, 1994:With the Panthers' 3-3 tie against New Jersey, Florida sets a record with 74 points, the most by a first-year team. Goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck is named NHL "Player of the Week" for the period ending March 21. The "Beezer" posted a 3-0-1 record and compiled a 2.20 GAA and .940 save percentage.
April 14, 1994:The Panthers complete the most successful season by a first-year NHL team with a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders at Miami Arena. After the game the players salute the fans for their great support and Captain Brian Skrudland echoed his teammates' sentiments, "We didn't know what to expect when we came down to Florida, and we certainly didn't expect to have the best fans in the National Hockey League."
June 15, 1994:Former Vice President and General Manager Bob Clarke is released from the remaining two years of his contract, and returns to the Philadelphia Flyers as Club President and General Manager.
June 28, 1994:The Panthers select ten players in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft including the number one pick overall in defenseman Ed Jovanovski from Windsor of the OHL. In all, the Panthers select 10 amateurs in the 11 rounds of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. A crowd of 4,000 overflows the Omni in Miami as the Panthers host "Hockeyfest", an NHL Draft party.
August 1, 1994:Bryan Murray is named general manager of the Florida Panthers.
September 4, 1994:The Panthers open second annual training camp as 59 players report to Peterborough.
January 11, 1995:The NHL Players Association accepts the NHL's final Collective Bargaining Agreement proposal, bringing an end to the 103-day labor dispute which reduces the NHL's 84-game season to a 48-game program.
April 20, 1995:The Panthers kick-off a state-wide license plate program, benefiting the Florida Sports Foundation.
June 7, 1995:The Carolina Monarchs are named as the Panthers' top minor league affiliate while Florida retains its affiliation with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the IHL.
June 8, 1995:Roger Neilson is relieved of his head coaching duties. Neilson was the Panthers' first-ever head coach, and in two seasons posted a record of 53-56-23, for a winning percentage of .489.
June 9, 1995:The Panthers sign defenseman Ed Jovanovski, the first player selected overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, to a multi-year contract.
July 8, 1995:The Florida Panthers turn Broward County Convention Center into a mecca for hockey enthusiasts, when they host the second annual "Hockeyfest".
July 11, 1995:The Panthers select left wing Radek Dvorak as their first pick, 10th overall, in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.
July 20, 1995:Rich Kromm is named head coach of the Panthers' affiliate, the Carolina Monarchs.
July 24, 1995:Doug MacLean is named head coach of the Florida Panthers. MacLean is the second head coach in the franchise's history.
August 15, 1995:Radek Dvorak is signed to a multi-year contract.
September 6, 1995:Duane Sutter is named assistant coach.
September 11, 1995:The Panthers' third annual training camp opens as 72 players report to Greensboro, North Carolina.
September 28, 1995:The Panthers trade defenseman Dallas Eakins to the St. Louis Blues for a fourth round draft choice in 1997.
October 2, 1995:The Panthers sign right wing David Nemirovsky to his first NHL contract.
October 7, 1995:The Panthers open their 1995-96 regular season against the defending Stanley Cup Champions New Jersey Devils.
October 12, 1995:The Panthers sign goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck to a contract extension.
January 20, 1996:Coach Doug MacLean leads the Panthers to the best record in the Eastern Conference and earns the right to coach the All-Star game in Boston, MA. MacLean is joined by Panthers' John Vanbiesbrouck and Scott Mellanby.
January 29, 1996:The Panthers sign free agent left wing Gilbert Dionne, younger brother of Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne.
February 1, 1996:The Panthers trade minor league defenseman Bob Boughner to the Buffalo Sabres for a 1996 draft choice.
February 21, 1996:The Panthers sign IHL free agent defenseman Dan Ratushny.
March 15, 1996:The Panthers claim forward Martin Straka from the New York Islander, via waivers.
March 16, 1996:The Panthers acquire Ray Sheppard and a fourth round draft pick in 1996 from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the Panthers' second and fourth picks in 1996.
March 20, 1996:The Panthers trade center Jesse Belanger to the Vancouver Canucks for a third round draft pick in 1996 and a conditional pick in 1997.
April 14, 1996:The Panthers conclude the 1995-96 season with 92 points (41-31-10) and a fourth place finish in the Eastern Conference. The team qualifies for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time and proceeds to defeat the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, before losing to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final.
June 22, 1996:The Panthers select nine players, including Marcus Nilson with the 20th pick of the first round, in the NHL Entry Draft in St. Louis, MO.
June 25, 1996:The Panthers sign goaltender David Lemanowicz, defenseman Mike O'Grady and free agent defenseman Wes Swinson.
July 16, 1996:The Panthers sign center Stu Barnes to a multiyear contract.
July 26, 1996:Defenseman Magnus Svensson is bought out of his contract.
August 6, 1996:The Panthers sign defenseman Bob Halkidis, centers CRaig Ferguson and Ryan Johnson and left wing Gaetan Poirer to contracts.
August 7, 1996:The Panthers re-sign free agent Ray Sheppard to a three-year contract. The Panthers and SportsChannel Florida agree to a multiyear deal.
August 22, 1996:The Panthers re-sign free agent forward Brad Smyth to a multiyear contract.
August 27, 1996:The Panthers sign free agent right wing Craig Martin to a one-year contract.
September 4, 1996:The Panthers sign veteran free agent goaltender Craig Billington to a contract.
September 5, 1996:The Panthers re-sign free agent goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick to a contract.
September 8, 1996:The Panthers re-sign free agent defenseman Jason Wooley to a contract.
September 9, 1996: The Panthers open their fourth annual training camp in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
