South Florida pro sports teams are inspired by the success of the Florida Panthers
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Jaylen Waddle considers himself the Florida Panthers' good luck charm.
The Miami Dolphins wide receiver has been to several Panthers hockey games over the years. He banged the drum before a postseason matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. He cheered on coach Paul Maurice's team after a thrilling overtime win over Tampa Bay this year.
By Waddle's estimation, whenever he's in the building, that equals a win for his favorite hockey team.
'I'm going to go to the finals,' Waddle quipped after a practice last week. "I think they need to invite me sometime soon in an important game, because I think they're pretty undefeated when I'm there.
"Panthers – Hey, I'll be waiting.'
The Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year. They're three wins away from defending their 2024 title. The Panthers went from winning just 25 playoff games in their first 28 seasons combined to winning more than 40 — and counting — in the past three seasons. And their general manager, Bill Zito, has been in conversations for GM of the Year for several seasons after building title-contending rosters year after year.
They're the pinnacle of success in South Florida, and other pro sports teams in the region have taken notice. Many are inspired by what the Panthers have built and use it as a blueprint for success.
'I think the Florida Panthers as an organization have done an unbelievable job of creating a sense of, 'We've been here before,' or a certain level of expectancy of performance,' Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. 'All of those things, you can never have too many friendly reminders of what you're fighting for. There's nothing more motivating than watching people that really sacrifice hard earned monthly income to support athletic performance. You can feel it."
The Dolphins were once that team for South Florida. Nearly 53 years ago, a fiery coach named Don Shula guided Miami to the NFL's only perfect season. Reminders of that dominant Dolphins era are still plastered throughout South Florida. But it's been a while since Miami has been such a powerhouse.
The Dolphins went to the playoffs in each McDaniel's first two seasons in Miami. They missed them last year and have not won a postseason game since 2000 — the longest such streak in the NFL.
Waddle and other Dolphins players, including standout defensive tackle Zach Sieler and linebacker Bradley Chubb have been to Panthers games recently. For them, watching a run like the Panthers' is just the motivation they need.
'They definitely bring an urge to the city,' Waddle said. 'Every professional sport in the city, it's just like they're pretty much the standard with all that they've accomplished over the past years. It's definitely like a fire under us to try to match them.'
Before the Miami Marlins got ready for a midweek game against the San Francisco Giants last month, manager Clayton McCullough donned a bright red Florida Panthers hat.
The first-year Marlins manager doesn't necessarily consider himself a huge hockey follower. He's only able to catch scores here and there.
'But I'm a fan now of our local Panthers team,' McCullough said. "I hope they can repeat as Stanley Cup champions."
McCullough has been tasked with being a centerpiece of the Marlins' latest rebuild. Miami went 62-100 last season, dropping at least 100 games for the second time in six seasons. He knows what success looks like after winning the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers as their first base coach last season.
He said it's good for the entire city when one team is winning titles.
"We're all part of a fabric here in the community," McCullough said. "When one team is doing well, it's great for the entire area, for South Florida, for them to be doing so well. And we hope too that we're making deep runs in September and October in the years to come.
"The fanbase, they get galvanized by that, and we'd love to support all of our pro teams here that are successful.'
Maurice and the Panthers players feel the support, and they have no problem sharing their triumphs.
'There's room for all of us down here. There's certainly enough people,' Maurice said. 'I think it's a great thing that you have sports that are foundational: football, basketball, baseball. And then the new sport, hockey. And there's room for everybody there. So how about we just share it? Share the spotlight, share all of it. ... There's room for everybody here. We're happy to be a part of it.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
26 minutes ago
- New York Post
Jalen Ramsey skipping start of Dolphins minicamp with trade talks simmering
Jalen Ramsey will not be at the Dolphins' minicamp when it opens this week as the two sides continue to search for a trade for the cornerback. The player and team mutually agreed to part ways back in April, but so far, a trade hasn't materialized and it has led to Ramsey opting not to attend mandatory minicamp this week, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday. Jalen Ramsey walks onto the field prior to a game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on December 29, 2024 in Cleveland, The NFL insider also indicated that Ramsey would remain away from the team until the situation is resolved. A former All-Pro defender and seven-time Pro Bowler, Ramsey has spent his last two seasons with the Dolphins and appeared in all 17 games last season in South Florida. It would appear that both sides are ready to move on from each other as the organization begins to prepare for the 2025 season. Advertisement Asked about it last week, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told reporters he wasn't paying much mind to it. 'I don't really check in on a day-to-day [basis]. Zero has changed from my end. I let [general manager] Chris [Grier] work, and I'm diligently coaching,' he said. Jalen Ramsey warms up prior to a game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on December 29, 2024 in Cleveland, of this comes a season removed from the Dolphins signing Ramsey to a three-year, $72.3 million extension and making him the highest-paid corner in the NFL. Advertisement In order to swing any sort of deal, a team would have to be willing to take on the massive contract that includes a $16.6 million cap hit for the upcoming season. Ramsey did see a dip in his play last season when he missed the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2016. He had 60 tackles, a sack, two interceptions and 11 passes defended. Advertisement Ramsey had been taken fifth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Jaguars and played there until he was traded to the Rams in the middle of the 2019 season. He played in Los Angeles until he was traded to Miami in the 2023 offseason.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Panthers vs. Oilers Stanley Cup Final changes rinks. And, probably, little else
While The Talking Heads sang, ' where I want to be' and the TV sports talking heads will make 'home-ice advantage' a conversation topic, Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final in Amerant Bank Arena could look very much like the two overtime games in Edmonton that started this rematch. Expect neither team to alter style. Sunrise's ice isn't Edmonton's, known for decades as the NHL's best, but it isn't a swamp. And, the biggest home-rink advantage is personnel deployment. Still, you want to strut with Stanley, you can't be a mouse in your house. Since the NHL came out of the 2005 lockout and excluding the 2020 playoffs that were confined to Edmonton's Rogers Place, only one team won the Cup with a losing record at home in the Final: 2018-19 St. Louis, which lost two of three at home to the Bruins, but won Games 2, 5 and 7 in Boston. Of the other 17 Cup Finals in that time span, none of the winners lost more than one home game. READ MORE: After excelling on road all playoffs, it's time for Panthers to produce at home in Cup Final That's despite, in these times of uniformity among NHL rinks, the lone by-law advantage for home teams is personnel deployment. As the home team in Games 3 and 4, the Panthers get to make any player changes last before face-offs (unless they iced the puck, which means the players on the ice have to stay there). So, when Edmonton puts out center Connor McDavid, right wing Leon Draisaitl and Whatever Left Wing Fits At The Moment, the Panthers have an easier time getting the forward line and/or defense pair they want on the ice. 'The advantage is marginal,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. 'A lot of it happens probably just on running your bench in terms of minutes that you put on people when you're on the road and you get a D zone draw, especially when you have the players at the top end like Edmonton has. You run your top end of your bench harder than you will at home.' Evidence of that: ice times going into Friday's second overtime. Despite 80 minutes of hockey down, the Panthers had two forwards, center Jesper Boqvist and Jonah Gadjovich, under 10 minutes of ice time for the game. Edmonton, which rolled four lines more successfully, had no such players. If a fast, physical series also becomes a long series, that matters. 'Florida does like their line matchups,' Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'So, it'll be difficult for us to get away from those. But, we had the opportunity to play four lines, which allows us to shake those matchups a bit.' READ MORE: Panthers' top line hasn't scored yet in Stanley Cup Final. Is it a cause for concern? They are — and will remain — who you think they are Nobody knows more about making high-skill plays on various ice surfaces than NHL all-time leading scorer Wayne Gretzky, whose playoff history includes games on the NHL's smoothest, swiftest track in Edmonton and games in Los Angeles and Miami Arena. During TNT's postgame wrapup of Game 2, Gretzky opined that in Sunrise, the Oilers should play a more direct game to account for June ice that can give pucks minds of their own on passes and slick stickhandling moves. Perhaps the guy with more assists in NHL history than anyone else has total points is right. But, evidence from last year's Cup Final says the Oilers got used to working on whatever quality ice is underfoot. Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had to steal Game 1 for the Panthers, stopping all 32 Edmonton shots (the Panthers had only 18). In Game 5, McDavid had two goals and two assists, including an all-time highlight on which he slithered among three Panthers to set up Corey Perry. Edmonton's lone goal in Game 7 came off a stretch pass breakaway. 'You're not going to change how your team's playing,' Knoblauch said. 'You make little adjustments. But your identity is your identity throughout the playoffs.' The Panthers play the same smart, pounding, opponent-irritating way at home and on the road, better at the latter recently. Two of their last three home games, they got zeroed by Toronto in Game 6 and Carolina in Game 4, each time with a chance to end the series. Meanwhile, their last seven road games, the Panthers have scored, counting backwards, five; three; five; five; five; six; and six. That's exactly five goals per game. Home playoff goals by this year's leading Panthers playoff goal scorer, center Sam Bennett? One or one more than Ms. Valdes-Valle, your elementary school Spanish teacher. But, he's set an NHL record with 12 goals on the road.
NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup Final is as tight as can be. Game 3 could tilt the series
After going the distance in the Stanley Cup Final last year with the Florida Panthers beating the Edmonton Oilers by a goal in Game 7 and being one win apart during the regular season, not much is separating these two NHL powerhouses so far in their championship series rematch. This final is just about as close as can be through two games, with each team winning once in overtime and knowing full well one puck off the post or into the net could have dramatically changed the situation. That remains the case going into Game 3 on Monday night at Florida, with the very real chance that a couple of bounces and small adjustments could tilt the series one way or the other. 'It's just the back-and-forth punches of a heavyweight tilt,' veteran Oilers forward Adam Henrique said after practice Sunday. 'Every shift matters so much because it might be a 1-0 game and a 2-1 game, and those mistakes that could either cost you or pay dividends for you and keeping that pressure high — that can be the difference.' This has been a different final than many in the recent past, in part because there's no underdog in it who no one expected to get this far, the opponents know each other well and the teams are nearly at full strength. That has made for some quality hockey where the goals have piled up and yet the defense and goaltending have at the same time been stellar. 'Everything is contested all over the ice, so you're having more events and it's more intense, but what a wonderful thing to be able to say that in the final,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after his team's optional skate in Fort Lauderdale. 'Both teams are competing defensively. They're blocking shots, they're battling, they're backchecking and it's still a high-event game. That's some high-end skill.' That high-end skill has been on display. Three-time league and reigning playoff MVP Connor McDavid fittingly leads all scorers with five points, and longtime Edmonton running mate Leon Draisaitl has matched Florida's Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand at three goals apiece. Game 1 finished 4-3 in overtime and Game 2 was 5-4 in double OT. The Oilers have more shots, 92 to 74, while the Panthers have led for over 67 minutes compared to trailing for nearly 28 minutes. It has been tied for large swaths of regulation, and for all the offense, players acknowledge there has not been a whole lot of ice with which to operate. 'It's very tight,' said Marchand, who scored the Game 2 winner 8:04 into the second overtime. 'You can't make any mistakes. Just every time you do, they seem to get something off of it. And we're obviously balanced throughout the lineup, so it's very tight out there. The games speak for themselves. It's been a battle. Very intense and a lot of fun to be a part of.' Like Maurice did after his team lost the opener, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch is making some changes going on the road where he does not control the matchups. He jumbled his defense pairs, putting Evan Bouchard with Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm with John Klingberg, and Brett Kulak with Jake Walman. 'We're always making adjustments to counter whatever teams are doing, who's playing well,' Knoblauch said. 'Fortunately, our players are comfortable with any changes that we do make just because of how much we've fluctuated our pairs and lines throughout the season. In Games 1 and 2 we had some changes, and games throughout the rest of the series there'll be some more.' The push and pull has been quite something to behold. Tune in to just one period or a handful of shifts and it's easy to get the idea that one team or the other is dominating, and then not long after it alternates. 'Both teams will have times where they look like they've got possession of the game, but it's just not going to last. It doesn't last,' Maurice said. 'This is so close out there, so you can take a look at that video and I can find you 15 goals for the Edmonton Oilers that just didn't go in, and I can find you the exact same for the Florida Panthers.' The emotional ebbs and flows, Maurice insists, are also not as big of swings as it looks from the outside. He didn't feel as devastated after the Game 1 defeat or as euphoric after the Game 2 triumph as it may have appeared. His players are accustomed to these waves from losing in the final to Vegas in 2023 and winning in seven games a year ago after surrendering a 3-0 series lead. 'It's all about staying in the moment,' Panthers winger Sam Reinhart said. 'You can't think too far ahead, and you can't think too far in the past.' Draisaitl, who scored the Game 1 OT goal, acknowledged the what-ifs creep into players' heads in the immediate aftermath of a difficult result. But he and his teammates and their counterparts on the other side understand they can't dwell too much given the razor thin margin of error. 'Two really good teams going at it,' Draisaitl said. 'You have to stay detailed and know that all those little bounces matter.'
