The Florida Panthers were born in Miami. From their debut year in 1993 through 1997, South Florida’s NHL team played at Miami Arena, sharing the place with the Miami Heat.
It’s where the rats hit the ice for the first time. It all started in 1995, right before a game, when a player noticed a live rat scurrying across the locker room and took care of it with his stick. The player then went on to score two goals — and a tradition was born. Fans started tossing rubber rats onto the ice to celebrate goals and victories.
The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1996 season while playing at Miami Arena in Overtown. But a sparkling new ice palace soon rose on the edge of the Everglades next to Sawgrass Mills mall.
In 1998, the Sunrise arena opened. The Panthers packed their bags and headed northwest for the opening of what was first called National Car Rental Center. It is now Amerant Bank Arena
The pink birthday cake on the edge of downtown Miami no longer exists except in our memories. So let’s take a look through the Miami Herald photo archives at those early years for the Panthers on the Magic City ice.