With Panthers win, South Florida among 7 markets with multiple titles in Big 4 sports
Accept it, America:
South Florida is one of the premier sports towns in the country.
With the Florida Panthers' 5-1 Game 6 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night in the Stanley Cup Final, they put the Greater Miami area in rarified air.
South Florida is now one of just seven sports markets with multiple championships in all four major pro sports (the NHL, NFL, NBA, and NBA).
The others? New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia.
What makes Miami's membership in that fraternity all the more impressive? Of the four teams in our region, only the Dolphins have been around for at least four decades.
And yet, the Panthers now have two titles (2024 and 2025), the same as the Dolphins (1972 and 1973) and the Florida/Miami Marlins (1997 and 2003). They're all chasing the Miami Heat, who won in 2006, 2012, and 2013.
But with a still-young core, a brilliant front office, a future Hall of Fame coach, a market that is super desirable for free agents, and (last but not least) a helpful tax situation, there's no reason the Panthers can't win another one (or two) before this run is done.
That, of course, will infuriate Big Six purists who hate all things about the Sun Belt's decade-long dominance of the NHL.
The Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning have collectively appeared in the Stanley Cup Final the last six years — winning four of them.
There's no denying that the lack of traditional markets in the SCF has had an impact on interest. The domestic television ratings for this series have been brutal (airing the games on TNT, and not free TV, definitely did not help).
But beyond that, there's a sense among sports fans in general — and hockey grumps in particular — that South Florida doesn't deserve its success. success. That the market doesn't really care about its teams.
Tell that to the sold-out arena Tuesday that was as loud as any hockey crowd in America.
Demand for Tuesday's game was off the charts for a South Florida hockey event. The cheapest get in on the secondary market just two hours before the opening faceoff was still roughly $900, with lower-level seats fetching four times that amount.
And while even the Panthers will admit there's still room for growth in regional support, the arrow is pointing straight up.
Their decision to broadcast their regular season games on over-the-air television was a stroke of genius (viewership more than doubled this past season over last), and there's a waiting list for 2025-2026 season tickets.
And who could blame those willing to dig deep in their pockets?
All the Panthers do is win.
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