Did you know that one point, the non-entity known as the Florida Panthers once made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals? It's true, and they did it in what can be best described as the "Magic Carpet Ride" of 1996. The 1995-96 season for the Florida Panthers was a culmination of what in the beginning, was a rise to top from the middle of the pack since their inception in 1993. Having missed the playoffs in both of their previous seasons by mere points, the Panthers were looking to break through in 1995-96. Who knew that it would be the year of the Rat? Yes, the Panthers were associated with the Rat, as one of the faces of the team Scott Mellanby one-timed a rat against the wall before a game in October 1995. He would go on to score two goals in that game. For the rest of the Panthers home games, fans would shower the ice with plastic rats after every Panthers goal. That magic would carry them to the Finals, where they were ultimately swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
Unfortunately for Panthers fans, this would be the highest point in their existence, as they haven't advanced past the first round of the playoffs since then, when they have made the playoffs, and haven't seen the playoffs in a decade.
Today's mask is the John Vanbiesbrouck mask from his Florida Panthers days. The mask is widely considered the best Panthers mask in existence, as it takes the Shark mask of Brian Hayward and parlays it into a Panther version. As for Vanbiesbrouck, his career went through the New York Rangers, Florida, Philadelphia, and New York Islanders. His best years were in a Florida uniform and even today, he is still the standard bearer when it comes to Florida goalies, as the likes of Roberto Luongo, Trevor Kidd, Tomas Vokoun, and Craig Anderson have continued the tradition of good goaltending, even when the rest of the team stinks.
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