The Florida Panthers hold a full team practice at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Jan. 3. 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. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] 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 [https://archive.thehockeynews.com/issue/613633/589966?t=Panther%20success%20easy%20as%201-2-3] 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. THN Archive is an exclusive vault of 2,640 issues and more than 156,000 for subscribers, chronicling the complete history of The Hockey News from 1947 until today. Visit THN.com/archive [https://archive.thehockeynews.com/] and subscribe today at subscribe.thehockeynews.com [https://subscribe.thehockeynews.com/]. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Three takeaways: Sam Reinhart, Sasha Barkov continue making things happen [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/three-takeaways-sam-reinhart-sasha-barkov-continue-making-things-happen] Panthers outduel Colorado 8-4, extend winning streak to seven games [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-outduel-colorado-8-4-extend-winning-streak-to-seven-games] Panthers recall Mackie Samoskevich, place Nick Cousins on Injured Reserve [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-recall-mackie-samoskevich-place-nick-cousins-on-injured-reserve] Streaking Panthers arrive in Colorado riding high, but with injury questions [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/streaking-panthers-arrive-in-colorado-riding-high-but-with-injury-questions] Three takeaways: Panthers dig deep for clutch win in Vegas, Tkachuk turning a corner [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/three-takeaways-panthers-dig-deep-for-clutch-win-in-vegas-tkachuk-turning-a-corner] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
