Florida Panthers Holdings, Inc. - 1997 dated Specimen Stock Certificate

Specimen Stock printed by American Bank Note Company. The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey franchise situated in the Miami metropolitan region. They participate in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division within the Eastern Conference. Initially, the team hosted its home games at Miami Arena before relocating to FLA Live Arena in 1998. Based in Sunrise, Florida, the Panthers hold the distinction of being the southernmost franchise in the NHL. Since 1996, Bally Sports Florida (previously known as SportsChannel and Fox Sports Florida) has held the local broadcasting rights for the team. The Panthers maintain affiliations with two minor league teams: the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. The franchise commenced its play in the 1993–94 NHL season, achieving a record for the highest points by an expansion team in its first season, a record that stood until the Vegas Golden Knights surpassed it in the 2017–18 season. The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996 but were defeated by the Colorado Avalanche. Since that time, the team has qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs on seven occasions, not winning a playoff series again until 2022, and has faced challenges in achieving consistent success.

Wayne Huizenga, the prominent figure behind Blockbuster Video, was granted an NHL franchise for Miami on December 10, 1992. This date coincided with The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of rights to establish a team in Anaheim, which would later be known as the Mighty Ducks. At that time, Huizenga was also the owner of the newly established Florida Marlins in Major League Baseball and held a stake in the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). The franchise fee was set at $50 million. Huizenga declared that the team would compete at the Miami Arena, sharing the venue with the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association, until a new arena could be constructed. The team's offices were not established until June 1993, and Dean Jordan, the vice president of business operations, admitted that "none of the business people, myself included, knew anything about hockey." This franchise marked the return of professional ice hockey to Miami for the first time since the Tropical Hockey League ceased operations in 1939.

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