It’s been exactly a week since the Florida Panthers played their final game of the 2025-26 season. Florida capped off their frustrating, injury-filled campaign with an 8-1 trouncing of the Detroit Red Wings last Wednesday night at Amerant Bank Arena. The Panthers actually won each of their final three games despite knowing that their 2026 first-round pick, one the Cats initially traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2025 Trade Deadline deal for Seth Jones, was top-10 protected. That means if Florida finished in a position that laded them a selection in the first 10 of this year’s NHL Draft, the Panthers would keep their pick. Well, you can thank the hockey gods or just simple good karma, but despite the wins, Florida ended up finishing eighth-worst, guaranteeing them a pick in the top-10 regardless of what happens at next month’s NHL Draft Lottery. Getting back to the point of this post, the Panthers season is over and their home arena no longer needs to house and maintain an NHL-quality sheet of ice. With that being the case, earlier this week the arena’s excellent ice and maintenance crew undertook the process of removing the ice. You can check out a video of the process below: Generally, that process begins with turning off the building’s floor cooling system before spraying hot water on top of the ice so it can start to break down and lose its strength and durability. Crew members than take large hammer-mallet-like tools and walk across the surface, cracking the ice by slamming the tool into the ground over and over. Once the ice is all broken up into smaller chunks, it’s removed from the floor into drainage pits while the logos and advertisements are peeled away and disposed of. After that, crews make sure the arena’s floor surface is properly cleaned, and then the remaining boards are removed. That’s it, no more ice rink until September. Amerant Bank Arena will host several events in the coming weeks and months, including concerts for Bruce Springsteen and Ariana Grande, Professional Bull Riding and Monster Jam. As for the Panthers, they’ll get an extended summer break for the first time in several years. Expect them to be back in the playoff mix at this time next year, though. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Matthew Tkachuk Spotted With Family Cheering On Brother Brady's Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/matthew-tkachuk-spotted-with-family-cheering-on-brother-bradys-senators] Panthers Will Have A Small Performance Bonus Overage Cap Charge In 2026-27 Season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-will-have-a-small-performance-bonus-overage-cap-charge-in-2026-27-season] Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett Star In New National Commercial That Debuted During Stanley Cup Playoffs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/brad-marchand-sam-bennett-star-in-new-national-commercial-that-debuted-during-stanley-cup-playoffs] Report: Situation Between Florida Panthers, Sergei Bobrovsky Looks 'Pretty Bad' [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/report-situation-between-florida-panthers-sergei-bobrovsky-looks-pretty-bad] The Hockey Show: Panthers Season Ends With Silver Lining, Previewing Stanley Cup Playoffs With Bill Lindsay [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/the-hockey-show-panthers-season-ends-with-silver-lining-previewing-stanley-cup-playoffs-with-bill-lindsay] NHL Draft Lottery: Panthers Officially Have 6% Chance At Landing Top Pick [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/nhl-draft-lottery-panthers-officially-have-6-chance-at-landing-top-pick]
