1995–96 Florida Panthers season

National Hockey League season

1995–96 Florida Panthers
Eastern Conference champions
Division	3rd Atlantic
Conference	4th Eastern
1995–96 record	41–31–10
Home record	25–12–4
Road record	16–19–6
Goals for	254
Goals against	234
Team information
General manager	Bryan Murray
Coach	Doug MacLean
Captain	Brian Skrudland
Alternate captains	Scott Mellanby Gord Murphy
Arena	Miami Arena
Average attendance	13,278
Minor league affiliate(s)	Carolina Monarchs Tallahassee Tiger Sharks Detroit Falcons
Team leaders
Goals	Scott Mellanby (32)
Assists	Robert Svehla (49)
Points	Scott Mellanby (70)
Penalty minutes	Paul Laus (236)
Plus/minus	Bill Lindsay (+13)
Wins	John Vanbiesbrouck (26)
Goals against average	John Vanbiesbrouck (2.68)
← 1994–95 1996–97 →

The 1995–96 Florida Panthers season was the 3rd season of the franchise that was established in 1993 and is tied for their most successful season ever, until 2024, when they won the Stanley Cup Finals. In only their third season in the National Hockey League, the Panthers qualified for the playoffs, and won three playoff series to become Eastern Conference champions. In the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals, Florida lost to the Colorado Avalanche in four games. The Panthers would not win another playoff series until 2022.

Offseason

Head coach Roger Neilson was fired on June 8. Player-development director Doug MacLean was named his replacement on July 24.

Regular season

Year of the Rat

A very unusual goal celebration developed in Miami. On the night of the Panthers' 1995–96 home opener, a rat scurried across the Florida locker room. Panthers winger Scott Mellanby reacted by "one-timing" the rat against the wall, killing it . That night he scored two goals, which goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck quipped was "a rat trick". Two nights later, as the story found its way into the world, a few fans threw rubber rats on the ice in celebration of a goal. The rubber rat count went from 16 for the third home game to over 2,000 during the playoffs. In an amusing coincidence, 1996 was also year of the Rat according to Chinese astrology.

In the 1996 playoffs, as the fourth seed, the Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins in five games, then upset the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in six and the second-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Their opponents, the Colorado Avalanche, eliminated the Panthers in four games.

Final standings

Atlantic Division
No.		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	Philadelphia Flyers	82	45	24	13	282	208	103
2	New York Rangers	82	41	27	14	272	237	96
3	Florida Panthers	82	41	31	10	254	234	92
4	Washington Capitals	82	39	32	11	234	204	89
5	Tampa Bay Lightning	82	38	32	12	238	248	88
6	New Jersey Devils	82	37	33	12	215	202	86
7	New York Islanders	82	22	50	10	229	315	54

Eastern Conference
R		Div	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	Philadelphia Flyers	ATL	82	45	24	13	282	208	103
2	Pittsburgh Penguins	NE	82	49	29	4	362	284	102
3	New York Rangers	ATL	82	41	27	14	272	237	96
4	Florida Panthers	ATL	82	41	31	10	254	234	92
5	Boston Bruins	NE	82	40	31	11	282	269	91
6	Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	40	32	10	265	248	90
7	Washington Capitals	ATL	82	39	32	11	234	204	89
8	Tampa Bay Lightning	ATL	82	38	32	12	238	248	88

9	New Jersey Devils	ATL	82	37	33	12	215	202	86
10	Hartford Whalers	NE	82	34	39	9	237	259	77
11	Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	33	42	7	247	262	73
12	New York Islanders	ATL	82	22	50	10	229	315	54
13	Ottawa Senators	NE	82	18	59	5	191	291	41

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

The fifth-seeded Boston Bruins had one of the best offenses in the Eastern Conference, scoring 282 goals led by Cam Neely (26 goals) and Adam Oates (25 goals, 67 assists). The Panthers won their first-ever playoff game 6-3 before a sold out Miami Arena, and soon built a 3–0 lead despite being outshot by the Bruins on all games. The Bruins stepped up to win Game 4 with a 6-2 blowout before the Boston crowd. Game 5 was tied 3-3 when with 4:57 left, Bill Lindsay scored with a dive through the air goal while being tripped by star defenseman Ray Bourque, giving the Panthers their first-ever playoff series victory. This was the last year in a record 29 consecutive seasons in the playoffs for the Bruins, as they missed the 1997 post-season.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

The Philadelphia Flyers finished atop the Eastern Conference in the regular season with 103 points, led by the high-scoring "Legion of Doom" and the strong goaltending of Garth Snow and Ron Hextall. Philadelphia had just eliminated the other Florida team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in 5 games after overcoming a 2–1 series deficit.

Vanbiesbrouck posted a 2–0 shutout in Game 1, and it took until midway through Game 2 for the Flyers to get rolling offensively in a narrow 3–2 win. Game 3 saw Flyers veterans Dan Quinn, Dale Hawerchuk, Eric Desjardins and Hextall set the tone in a 3–1 victory. With young defenseman Ed Jovanovski tightly covering Flyers superstar Eric Lindros, the Panthers reversed the tide, defeating the Flyers in overtime in Game 4 and double-overtime in Game 5, in what would turn out to be the last Flyers game at the Spectrum. Lindros promised to win game 6 to return the series to Philadelphia, but the Panthers won with a 4–1 score. Florida became the third team to reach the conference finals in their third season – following fellow expansion team New York Islanders in 1975 and the Quebec Nordiques in 1982.

Eastern Conference Finals

The 2-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins were energized by the return of Mario Lemieux, who missed the entire 1994–95 season due to injury, and had the league's best offense, scoring 362 goals, and the most wins in the Eastern conference with 49, finishing just one point behind the Flyers. The Penguins advanced to the third round for the first time since 1992, defeating the Washington Capitals in six games and the New York Rangers in five games.

Despite being outshot 33–25 in game one the Panthers came out on top with an impressive 5–1 win, with 32 saves by Vanbiesbrouck and two goals by forward Tom Fitzgerald. The Penguins wanting to avoid going down two games to none against the Panthers came out with a better effort in game two and won the game 3–2 and evened the series at one game each. In game three the Panthers fired an incredible 61 shots on Penguins goaltender Tom Barrasso and it paid off as the Panthers won 5–2 – two goals by Stu Barnes – to take a 2–1 series lead. The Penguins tied game four on Brad Lauer's goal with 11:03 remaining in regulation, and Bryan Smolinski scored with 3:31 to go to give the Penguins a 2–1 lead, tying the series. In game five the Penguins shut out the Panthers 3–0, with Barrasso stopping 28 shots.

Leading the series three games to two Pittsburgh looked to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in game six. The Penguins led 2–1 in the second period but the Panthers scored three of the next four goals and edged the Penguins 4–3 to tie the series at 3–3. In game seven Florida got a 1–0 lead on Mike Hough's goal at 13:13 of the first period. After a scoreless second period Pittsburgh tied the game on Petr Nedvěd's power-play goal at 1:23 of the third period. The Panthers regained the lead on Tom Fitzgerald's bizarre 58-foot slapshot at 6:18 and got an insurance goal from Johan Garpenlov at 17:23. Florida hung on to win the game 3–1, with a total of 39 saves by Vanbiesbrouck, and closed the series four games to three.

By reaching the finals in only their third season, the Panthers became the fastest expansion team to do so since the St. Louis Blues reached the Stanley Cup finals in their first three seasons. Many Panthers players were managing their first trips to the finals after long careers, such as Vanbiesbrouck (13 years).

Stanley Cup Finals

In the first Stanley Cup Finals where neither team had ever reached the decision before, the Panthers faced the Colorado Avalanche, who were in their inaugural season after relocating from Quebec City. Led by captain Joe Sakic, forward Peter Forsberg and defenceman Adam Foote, the Avalanche got even stronger once goaltender Patrick Roy joined the team in December 1995. The Avalanche finished the season with a 47–25–10 record for 104 points, won the Pacific Division and finished second in the Western Conference. On their way to the Western title, the Avs beat the Vancouver Canucks, the Chicago Blackhawks and Presidents' Trophy winners Detroit Red Wings, all in six games.

The series started in Denver, and the Avs dominated the Panthers at the McNichols Sports Arena. On game 1, Vanbiesbrouck shut out Colorado for half the game, before three goals were scored in a stretch of 3:49 minutes in the second period, leading to a 3–1 victory. The following game was an 8–1 blowout, starting with three power play goals in the first period as Florida incurred in bad penalties that forced Vanbiesbrouck to be pulled out in favor of Mark Fitzpatrick. Returning to Miami, Game 3 was closer, with Florida scoring twice in the first period. But the Avs still came through, taking over the lead with a Joe Sakic goal early in the second period and holding on to a 3–2 victory.

With their backs to the wall, the Panthers played a defensive game four. Vanbiesbrouck and Roy stood out, combining for 118 saves, and the two teams played a marathon game that took until the third overtime period. Uwe Krupp's unassisted goal at 4:31 ended 44 minutes and 31 seconds of overtime and gave the Avalanche a 1–0 win and a four-games-to-none series win. Goaltender Patrick Roy stopped all 63 shots he faced. Colorado outscored Florida 15–4 in the series, and Patrick Roy stopped 147 of 151 shots, for a save percentage of .974. Joe Sakic was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, having led all skaters in goals with 18, and points with 34. For both Patrick Roy and Claude Lemieux, it was their third Stanley Cup win in eleven years.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1995–96 regular season

October: 7–4–0 (home: 5–2–0; road: 2–2–0)

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record	Recap
1	L	October 7, 1995	0–4	@ New Jersey Devils (1995–96)	0–1–0	Recap
2	W	October 8, 1995	4–3	Calgary Flames (1995–96)	1–1–0	Recap
3	W	October 11, 1995	6–1	Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)	2–1–0	Recap
4	W	October 13, 1995	6–2	Ottawa Senators (1995–96)	3–1–0	Recap
5	W	October 15, 1995	5–3	New York Islanders (1995–96)	4–1–0	Recap
6	L	October 17, 1995	3–6	Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96)	4–2–0	Recap
7	W	October 21, 1995	3–0	Hartford Whalers (1995–96)	5–2–0	Recap
8	W	October 24, 1995	6–1	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96)	6–2–0	Recap
9	L	October 25, 1995	2–7	@ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)	6–3–0	Recap
10	W	October 28, 1995	4–1	@ Ottawa Senators (1995–96)	7–3–0	Recap
11	L	October 31, 1995	4–5 OT	New York Islanders (1995–96)	7–4–0	Recap

November: 10–2–1 (home: 7–1–1; road: 3–1–0)

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record	Recap
12	W	November 2, 1995	2–1	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)	8–4–0	Recap
13	W	November 3, 1995	3–2	@ Washington Capitals (1995–96)	9–4–0	Recap
14	W	November 5, 1995	4–1	Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)	10–4–0	Recap
15	W	November 7, 1995	4–2	Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)	11–4–0	Recap
16	W	November 9, 1995	2–1	Edmonton Oilers (1995–96)	12–4–0	Recap
17	W	November 11, 1995	4–1	Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)	13–4–0	Recap
18	W	November 14, 1995	5–2	Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96)	14–4–0	Recap
19	T	November 16, 1995	2–2 OT	Vancouver Canucks (1995–96)	14–4–1	Recap
20	L	November 18, 1995	2–3	@ Los Angeles Kings (1995–96)	14–5–1	Recap
21	W	November 19, 1995	4–3	@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96)	15–5–1	Recap
22	W	November 21, 1995	4–3	New Jersey Devils (1995–96)	16–5–1	Recap
23	W	November 26, 1995	5–1	Los Angeles Kings (1995–96)	17–5–1	Recap
24	L	November 29, 1995	1–2 OT	Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)	17–6–1	Recap

December: 8–4–1 (home: 3–1–1; road: 5–3–0)

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record	Recap
25	L	December 1, 1995	1–2	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)	17–7–1	Recap
26	W	December 2, 1995	5–3	@ Hartford Whalers (1995–96)	18–7–1	Recap
27	W	December 5, 1995	4–3	@ Washington Capitals (1995–96)	19–7–1	Recap
28	T	December 7, 1995	3–3 OT	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96)	19–7–2	Recap
29	W	December 9, 1995	3–1	Boston Bruins (1995–96)	20–7–2	Recap
30	W	December 11, 1995	2–1	@ New Jersey Devils (1995–96)	21–7–2	Recap
31	W	December 12, 1995	3–1	@ New York Islanders (1995–96)	22–7–2	Recap
32	L	December 14, 1995	4–6	@ Boston Bruins (1995–96)	22–8–2	Recap
33	W	December 16, 1995	7–2	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)	23–8–2	Recap
34	W	December 21, 1995	6–1	Winnipeg Jets (1995–96)	24–8–2	Recap
35	W	December 23, 1995	2–1	New Jersey Devils (1995–96)	25–8–2	Recap
36	L	December 28, 1995	4–5	Washington Capitals (1995–96)	25–9–2	Recap
37	L	December 30, 1995	5–6	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)	25–10–2	Recap

January: 6–4–3 (home: 3–1–0; road: 3–3–3)

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record	Recap
38	L	January 3, 1996	2–7	@ Vancouver Canucks (1995–96)	25–11–2	Recap
39	W	January 5, 1996	3–2	@ Edmonton Oilers (1995–96)	26–11–2	Recap
40	L	January 6, 1996	0–2	@ Calgary Flames (1995–96)	26–12–2	Recap
41	W	January 8, 1996	5–2	@ San Jose Sharks (1995–96)	27–12–2	Recap
42	T	January 10, 1996	4–4 OT	@ Colorado Avalanche (1995–96)	27–12–3	Recap
43	T	January 12, 1996	6–6 OT	@ Dallas Stars (1995–96)	27–12–4	Recap
44	W	January 16, 1996	4–1	San Jose Sharks (1995–96)	28–12–4	Recap
45	T	January 22, 1996	1–1 OT	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)	28–12–5	Recap
46	W	January 23, 1996	5–4	@ Washington Capitals (1995–96)	29–12–5	Recap
47	L	January 25, 1996	2–6	Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)	29–13–5	Recap
48	W	January 27, 1996	6–3	Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)	30–13–5	Recap
49	W	January 29, 1996	2–1	Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)	31–13–5	Recap
50	L	January 31, 1996	1–6	@ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)	31–14–5	Recap

February: 4–5–3 (home: 2–3–2; road: 2–2–1)

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record	Recap
51	T	February 1, 1996	2–2 OT	@ Boston Bruins (1995–96)	31–14–6	Recap
52	W	February 3, 1996	5–3	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)	32–14–6	Recap
53	L	February 6, 1996	2–4	@ Detroit Red Wings (1995–96)	32–15–6	Recap
54	W	February 8, 1996	3–1	Detroit Red Wings (1995–96)	33–15–6	Recap
55	T	February 11, 1996	2–2 OT	St. Louis Blues (1995–96)	33–15–7	Recap
56	L	February 14, 1996	2–4	Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)	33–16–7	Recap
57	L	February 16, 1996	4–5 OT	Colorado Avalanche (1995–96)	33–17–7	Recap
58	W	February 18, 1996	6–4	Dallas Stars (1995–96)	34–17–7	Recap
59	W	February 21, 1996	4–1	@ New Jersey Devils (1995–96)	35–17–7	Recap
60	L	February 24, 1996	0–4	New York Rangers (1995–96)	35–18–7	Recap
61	L	February 25, 1996	1–6	@ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)	35–19–7	Recap
62	T	February 29, 1996	2–2 OT	Washington Capitals (1995–96)	35–19–8	Recap

March: 3–9–1 (home: 3–3–0; road: 0–6–1)

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record	Recap
63	L	March 2, 1996	1–7	@ Hartford Whalers (1995–96)	35–20–8	Recap
64	L	March 5, 1996	0–2	@ St. Louis Blues (1995–96)	35–21–8	Recap
65	L	March 7, 1996	3–5	@ Winnipeg Jets (1995–96)	35–22–8	Recap
66	L	March 10, 1996	1–4	Boston Bruins (1995–96)	35–23–8	Recap
67	L	March 11, 1996	4–8	@ Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96)	35–24–8	Recap
68	T	March 13, 1996	3–3 OT	@ New York Rangers (1995–96)	35–24–9	Recap
69	W	March 17, 1996	3–0	New Jersey Devils (1995–96)	36–24–9	Recap
70	W	March 19, 1996	5–2	Ottawa Senators (1995–96)	37–24–9	Recap
71	W	March 21, 1996	3–2	New York Islanders (1995–96)	38–24–9	Recap
72	L	March 23, 1996	2–4	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)	38–25–9	Recap
73	L	March 27, 1996	0–3	@ New York Rangers (1995–96)	38–26–9	Recap
74	L	March 28, 1996	2–3	Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)	38–27–9	Recap
75	L	March 30, 1996	1–2	Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)	38–28–9	Recap

April: 3–3–1 (home: 2–1–0; road: 1–2–1)

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Record	Recap
76	W	April 1, 1996	3–2	Hartford Whalers (1995–96)	39–28–9	Recap
77	L	April 3, 1996	2–3	@ Ottawa Senators (1995–96)	39–29–9	Recap
78	L	April 6, 1996	1–2	@ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)	39–30–9	Recap
79	W	April 8, 1996	5–3	@ New York Rangers (1995–96)	40–30–9	Recap
80	L	April 10, 1996	1–2	Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)	40–31–9	Recap
81	T	April 12, 1996	1–1 OT	@ New York Islanders (1995–96)	40–31–10	Recap
82	W	April 14, 1996	5–1	New York Rangers (1995–96)	41–31–10	Recap

Legend:

Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1996 Stanley Cup playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (5) Boston Bruins – Panthers win 4–1

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Attendance	Decision	Series	Recap
1	W	April 17, 1996	6–3	Boston Bruins	14,703	Vanbiesbrouck	Panthers lead 1–0	Recap
2	W	April 22, 1996	6–2	Boston Bruins	14,703	Vanbiesbrouck	Panthers lead 2–0	Recap
3	W	April 24, 1996	4–2	@ Boston Bruins	14,922	Vanbiesbrouck	Panthers lead 3–0	Recap
4	L	April 25, 1996	2–6	@ Boston Bruins	14,810	Vanbiesbrouck	Panthers lead 3–1	Recap
5	W	April 27, 1996	4–3	Boston Bruins	14,703	Vanbiesbrouck	Panthers win 4–1	Recap

Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (1) Philadelphia Flyers – Panthers win 4–2

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Attendance	Decision	Series	Recap
1	W	May 2, 1996	2–0	@ Philadelphia Flyers	17,380	Vanbiesbrouck	Panthers lead 1–0	Recap
2	L	May 4, 1996	0–2	@ Philadelphia Flyers	17,380	Vanbiesbrouck	Series tied 1–1	Recap
3	L	May 7, 1996	2–3	Philadelphia Flyers	14,703	Vanbiesbrouck	Flyers lead 2–1	Recap
4	W	May 9, 1996	4–3 OT	Philadelphia Flyers	14,703	Vanbiesbrouck	Series tied 2–2	Recap
5	W	May 12, 1996	2–1 2OT	@ Philadelphia Flyers	17,380	Vanbiesbrouck	Panthers lead 3–2	Recap
6	W	May 14, 1996	4–1	Philadelphia Flyers	14,703	Vanbiesbrouck	Panthers win 4–2	Recap

Eastern Conference Finals vs. (2) Pittsburgh Penguins – Panthers win 4–3

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Attendance	Decision	Series	Recap
1	W	May 18, 1996	5–1	@ Pittsburgh Penguins	17,355	Vanbiesbrouck	Panthers lead 1–0	Recap
2	L	May 20, 1996	2–3	@ Pittsburgh Penguins	17,181	Vanbiesbrouck	Series tied 1–1	Recap
3	W	May 24, 1996	5–2	Pittsburgh Penguins	14,703	Vanbiesbrouck	Panthers lead 2–1	Recap
4	L	May 26, 1996	1–2	Pittsburgh Penguins	14,703	Vanbiesbrouck	Series tied 2–2	Recap
5	L	May 28, 1996	0–3	@ Pittsburgh Penguins	17,355	Vanbiesbrouck	Penguins lead 3–2	Recap
6	W	May 30, 1996	4–3	Pittsburgh Penguins	14,703	Vanbiesbrouck	Series tied 3–3	Recap
7	W	June 1, 1996	3–1	@ Pittsburgh Penguins	17,355	Vanbiesbrouck	Panthers win 4–3	Recap

Stanley Cup Finals vs. (W2) Colorado Avalanche – Avalanche win 4–0

Game	Result	Date	Score	Opponent	Attendance	Decision	Series	Recap
1	L	June 4, 1996	1–3	@ Colorado Avalanche	16,061	Vanbiesbrouck	Avalanche lead 1–0	Recap
2	L	June 6, 1996	1–8	@ Colorado Avalanche	16,061	Vanbiesbrouck	Avalanche lead 2–0	Recap
3	L	June 8, 1996	2–3	Colorado Avalanche	14,703	Vanbiesbrouck	Avalanche lead 3–0	Recap
4	L	June 10, 1996	0–1 3OT	Colorado Avalanche	14,703	Vanbiesbrouck	Avalanche win 4–0	Recap

Legend:

Win Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
† = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Panthers only.
‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Panthers only.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
No.	Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
27	Scott Mellanby	RW	79	32	38	70	4	160	22	3	6	9	−10	44
44	Rob Niedermayer	C	82	26	35	61	1	107	22	5	3	8	−8	12
24	Robert Svehla	D	81	8	49	57	−3	94	22	0	6	6	3	32
29	Johan Garpenlov	LW	82	23	28	51	−10	36	20	4	2	6	−2	8
14	Stu Barnes	C	72	19	25	44	−12	46	22	6	10	16	10	4
26	Jesse Belanger‡	C	63	17	21	38	−5	10	—	—	—	—	—	—
12	Jody Hull	RW	78	20	17	37	5	25	14	3	2	5	4	0
21	Tom Fitzgerald	RW	82	13	21	34	−3	75	22	4	4	8	3	34
11	Bill Lindsay	RW	73	12	22	34	13	57	22	5	5	10	6	18
6	Jason Woolley	D	52	6	28	34	−9	32	13	2	6	8	3	14
5	Gord Murphy	D	70	8	22	30	5	30	14	0	4	4	1	6
9	Radek Dvorak	RW	77	13	14	27	5	20	16	1	3	4	2	0
20	Brian Skrudland	C	79	7	20	27	6	129	21	1	3	4	6	18
10	Dave Lowry	LW	63	10	14	24	−2	36	22	10	7	17	8	39
18	Mike Hough	LW	64	7	16	23	4	37	22	4	1	5	5	8
55	Ed Jovanovski	D	70	10	11	21	−3	137	22	1	8	9	2	52
2	Terry Carkner	D	73	3	10	13	10	80	22	0	4	4	8	10
8	Magnus Svensson	D	27	2	9	11	−1	21	—	—	—	—	—	—
26	Ray Sheppard†	RW	14	8	2	10	0	4	21	8	8	16	4	4
25	Geoff Smith	D	31	3	7	10	−4	20	1	0	0	0	−1	2
3	Paul Laus	D	78	3	6	9	−2	236	21	2	6	8	3	62
28	Martin Straka†	C	12	2	4	6	1	6	13	2	2	4	−2	2
16	Gilbert Dionne†	LW	5	1	2	3	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
15	Brett Harkins	LW	8	0	3	3	−2	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
23	Rhett Warrener	D	28	0	3	3	4	46	21	0	1	1	3	0
19	Brad Smyth	RW	7	1	1	2	−3	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
51	David Nemirovsky	RW	9	0	2	2	−1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
34	John Vanbiesbrouck	G	57	0	2	2		10	22	0	1	1		20
22	Bob Kudelski‡	RW	13	0	1	1	1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
40	Steve Washburn	C	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0
7	Mike Casselman†	C	3	0	0	0	−1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
30	Mark Fitzpatrick	G	34	0	0	0		12	2	0	0	0		0

Goaltending

No.	Player	Regular season										Playoffs
No.	Player	GP	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
34	John Vanbiesbrouck	57	26	20	7	1473	142	2.68	.904	2	3178	22	12	10	735	50	2.25	.932	1	1332
30	Mark Fitzpatrick	34	15	11	3	810	88	2.96	.891	0	1786	2	0	0	30	6	6.00	.800	0	60

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honor	Recipient
League (annual)	NHL All-Rookie Team	Ed Jovanovski (Defense)
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Doug MacLean (coach)
		Scott Mellanby
		John Vanbiesbrouck

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date
First game	Radek Dvorak	October 7, 1995
	Rhett Warrener	October 7, 1995
	David Nemirovsky	October 8, 1995
	Ed Jovanovski	November 2, 1995
	Mike Casselman	February 24, 1996
	Brad Smyth	February 25, 1996
	Steve Washburn	April 14, 1996

Transactions

Trades

The Panthers acquired Ray Sheppard from the San Jose Sharks on the trade deadline in 1996.

Draft picks

Florida's draft picks at the 1995 NHL entry draft held at the Edmonton Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta.

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	College/junior/club team
1	10	Radek Dvorak (RW)	Czech Republic	HC České Budějovice (Czech)
2	36	Aaron MacDonald (G)	Canada	Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
3	62	Mike O'Grady (D)	Canada	Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
4	80	Dave Duerden (LW)	Canada	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
4	88	Daniel Tjarnqvist (D)	Sweden	Rögle BK (Sweden)
5	114	Francois Cloutier (LW)	Canada	Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
7	166	Peter Worrell (LW)	Canada	Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
8	192	Filip Kuba (D)	Czech Republic	HC Vítkovice (Czech Republic)
9	218	David Lemanowicz (G)	Canada	Spokane Chiefs (WHL)

Notes

Sheppard wore number 16 in his first two games.
Warrener wore number 45 in his first eleven games

References

"Florida Panthers 1995-96 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
"1995-96 Florida Panthers Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 9, 2023.

"Panthers fire coach Roger Neilson - UPI Archives". UPI. June 8, 1995. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
"MacLean hired to increase Panthers' roar". Tampa Bay Times. July 25, 1995. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
"1995–1996 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
"History: 1996 Playoffs". Archived from the original on January 29, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
"1996 N.H.L. PLAYOFFS;Panthers Put Bruins TO Wall". The New York Times. April 25, 1996. Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via NYTimes.com.
"Bruins 6, Panthers 2". UPI. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
"N.H.L. PLAYOFFS;Panthers Eliminate Bruins". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 28, 1996. Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via NYTimes.com.
"From Bruins to Ruins : After 30 Years, Another Boston Tradition--Playoff Hockey--Crumbles Beneath Weight of Inept Team". Los Angeles Times. April 8, 1997. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
^ "Inquirer.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
"HOCKEY;Vanbiesbrouck Blanks Flyers as Panthers Jump on Top". The New York Times. May 3, 1996.
"DUELING GOALIES: PANTHERS, FLYERS TIE AT 1". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
"Looking back at the Florida Panthers' 1996 playoff run". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
"Remembering the Spectrum: Flyers say goodbye after 29 years". Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
Nobles, Charlie (May 15, 1996). "NHL PLAYOFFS;Surprising Panthers Eliminate the Flyers". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2022 – via NYTimes.com.
"Florida Panthers' 1996 rat pack celebration a well-deserved honor | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016.
Farber, Michael. "WITH BRILLIANT TRADES AND BLENDED TALENT, THE AVALANCHE CAPTURED THE STANLEY CUP, GIVING COLORADO ITS FIRST MAJOR PRO CHAMPIONSHIP". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
Farber, Michael. "SHOW STOPPERS COLORADO, A DYNASTY IN THE MAKING, SWEPT FLORIDA TO WIN THE STANLEY CUP". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
^ "1995-96 Florida Panthers Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
"Postseason All-Star Teams". NHL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
"1996 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
"1995-96 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
"1995 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.

v t e 1995–96 NHL season
Northeast	Boston Buffalo Hartford Montreal Ottawa Pittsburgh
Atlantic	Florida New Jersey NY Islanders NY Rangers Philadelphia Tampa Bay Washington
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See also	Draft Waiver draft Rat trick Legion of Doom Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup Finals

v t e Florida Panthers
Founded in 1993 Based in Sunrise, Florida
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