by Adam GretzFiled under: Lightning, Panthers, NHL Fans, Team USA
In this five-part series, Adam Gretz looks at the growth of USA Hockey and the number of "non-traditional" cities and regions that are now producing players in the wake of NHL expansion. This week, we'll run a new installment every day.There's been one common theme with the different regions we've talked about this week: on-ice success from the NHL team. It may not have been instant success (and in most cases, it wasn't. Far from it, actually) but the success eventually came, and from there, the sport really started to flourish. It's been a different story in Florida, where the two NHL franchises -- the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers -- have struggled on the ice for most of their existence. And I realize that's difficult to say when both teams have each played in a Stanley Cup Final, with the Lightning actually winning it during the 2003-04 season.
Looking at the big picture, however, and since the two clubs entered the NHL 17 years ago, they've combined for just eight trips to the playoffs (five for the Lightning, three for the Panthers) while the Panthers haven't made a postseason appearance since the 1999-00 season, and haven't won a postseason series since the year of the rat, when a patchwork group made a stunning run to an Eastern Conference championship in 1996, eventually falling in four games to the Colorado Avalanche.
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