To say Florida reaching the Stanley Cup Final in year three of existence shocked the hockey would would be a gross understatement

The Florida Panthers came out of nowhere in 1996 to shock the hockey world and reach the Stanley Cup Final in just their third season of existance.

It was an unheard of accomplishment, as back then expansion teams generally remained horrible for a handful of seasons before showing any signs of life or promise.

On top of that, the Panthers were just the latest non-traditional hockey market, along with Anaheim, Tampa, San Jose and Dallas, to be thriving.

To say it was quite the change from some of the initial expansion stories in the 60s and 70s would be an understatement.

The Hockey News dove into the Panthers unprecedented run with a cover story on its June 14, 1996 edition, Volume 49, Issue 37 penned by Jay Greenberg. 

There is a bit of nostalgia in the story, as Florida's success was more than shocking at the time, both for the team's youth as a franchise and the makeup of its roster. 

The Panthers were comprised mostly of hard-working veterans and no superstars, except perhaps their goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck. 

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