Pressure Point: Panthers give South Florida a Big Three of pro sports dynasties

Freeze this moment, Florida Panthers fans.

Whether or not Brad Marchand and several other key players suit up again for the now two-time champion Panthers, the images of them skating the Stanley Cup around Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday night will remain indelible.

Just like Shula’s “Perfect” Dolphins and the Lebron-led Big Three Heat.

Along with joining the ranks of back-to-back champions in the major pro team sports, the Panthers cemented their place among South Florida’s greatest dynasties.

In addition, the Panthers’ three consecutive Final appearances with back-to-back titles follows on the heels of the Tampa Bay Lightning achieving the same feat.

The Lightning–Panthers handoff of dominance appears to be the first of its kind in major U.S. team sports. That is, two franchises from the same state each reaching three straight finals and each winning back-to-back titles in a span of six consecutive years.

“It’s so emotional. Because you have a childhood dream of winning the Stanley Cup. To do this back-to-back times, go to three straight finals, win two of them … I mean, we’re a dynasty,” said Matthew Tkachuk, who scored the second goal Tuesday.

The grit of this team was exemplified by Tkachuk, who revealed after game in a TV interview on TNT the severity of the injury he suffered in the 4 Nations Cup tournament that caused him to miss the last quarter of the regular season.

“I tore my abductor [muscle] off the bone and had some hernia thing, all on the same side. I wanted to throw in the towel a bunch of times,” said Tkachuk, who thanked the doctors, trainers and other medical people who got him ready to play in the playoffs. “I’ve got to thank a lot of people for getting me healthy again. This is for them.”

How about a Three-peat?

While immediate attention turns to celebration and another Summer of Love with the Stanley Cup, you can be sure the thought of a three-peat is already on the mind of the man who will try to put together the pieces to make it happen, general manager Bill Zito.

That has been achieved twice since the NHL expanded from the original six teams. The Montreal Canadiens (1976-79) and New York Islanders (1980-83) won four in a row.

Zito faces another challenging offseason with eight unrestricted free agents – most notably Marchand, Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad – plus one restricted free agent and insufficient salary cap space ($19 million) to satisfy all of them.

Bennett got the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs (15 goals, 22 points).

“It’s harder than I ever imagined to win the Stanley Cup once, and twice was even harder,” Bennett said.

The situation was similar last year with $20 million in cap space and a number of expiring contracts. Zito managed to sign forward Sam Reinhart to a long-term contract and add economical replacements for the players who left to get paid.

Just know that in Pantherland the motto is, “In Zito we trust.”

More discussion about the roster situation for next season below. First, more about what these Panthers have achieved.

The Panthers’ second Cup also made South Florida one of seven markets with multiple championships in the big four sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL); the Marlins won  the World Series in 1997, 2003. The others are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Detroit.

Like the Dolphins in their second Super Bowl win, the Panthers were more impressive in claiming their second Cup, seizing it by outscoring the Oilers 10-3 in the final two games, including 5-1 in Tuesday’s clincher.

Back-to-Back Titles: Rare feat in major sports

Winning consecutive championships is unusual across the major U.S. sports leagues:

• NFL: Only 8 repeat champions since the Super Bowl era began (most recently the 2003–04 Patriots)

• MLB: Last repeat champion was the Yankees in 2000

• NBA: 14 instances, most recently the 2017–18 Warriors

• NHL: 17 back-to-back champs, including the 2016–17 Penguins and 2020–21 Lightning

What are the odds against it?

It varies by league, but here’s a rough sense of probability and rarity:

League	Odds of Repeat (Estimated)	Reasoning
NBA	~1 in 8 (12–13%)	Dominance by superstars and continuity
NHL	~1 in 15–20 (5–7%)	Depth, injuries, parity
NFL	~1 in 25–30 (3–4%)	Single-game elimination, injuries
MLB	~1 in 25–30 (3–4%)	Randomness of short series, deep playoff field

Comparing South Florida’s legendary runs

Here’s how the Panthers’ repeat compares to the multi-title runs of the Dolphins and Heat.

Miami Dolphins (1972–73)

• Titles: Super Bowl VII (1972), Super Bowl VIII (1973)

• Era: Pre-salary cap, fewer playoff rounds, 14-game regular season

• Back-to-back titles: 1972: Only perfect season in NFL history (17–0); 1973: Repeated as Super Bowl champions with a near-perfect 15–2 record

• Key Players: Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, “No-Name Defense”

• Don Shula: Legendary coaching figure

• Legacy: The 1972 team still has the NFL’s only perfect season (17–0). A dominant, run-heavy team led by coach Don Shula, Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, and a stingy defense. The Dolphins’ repeat was part of an era-defining run — they went to 3 straight Super Bowls and were dominant, not just gritty.

• Impact: Set the gold standard for perfection and dominance.

• Comparison: The Dolphins had more aura and dominance. The Panthers repeat is more about resilience and overcoming modern parity.

Miami Heat (2012–13)

• Titles: NBA championships in 2012 and 2013

• Big Three: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh

• Back-to-back titles:

  • 2012: Beat OKC

  • 2013: Edged Spurs in 7-game classic

• Cultural impact: Massive media spotlight, villain-to-hero arc, one of the NBA’s defining modern dynasties.

• Legacy: The Big Three era Heat was glamorous and polarizing, but dominant. Four straight Finals was a massive achievement in a league built on superstar gravity.

• Comparison: While the Heat were expected to dominate, the Panthers built slowly, and success feels more like a validation of grit over star power.

 Florida Panthers (2024–25)

• Titles: Stanley Cup Champions in 2024 and 2025

• Back-to-back titles:

  • 2024: Defeated Oilers in seven games after winning the first three and losing the next three.

  • 2025: Defeated the Oilers in six games in a closely contested Final series that featured three overtime games.

• Legacy: A gritty, structured team led by Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Sergei Bobrovsky with historic playoff performances by Sam Bennett and veteran newcomer Brad Marchand. No superstars in the traditional sense, just a deep, relentless squad built for playoff battles.

• Impact: These Panthers represent a triumph of team culture over star-centric models in a parity-heavy NHL. This is a grittier, lower-profile dynasty — less glitz, more grind.

Dynasty comparison at a glance

Team	Title Years	Key Players	Style of Play	Legacy
Miami Dolphins	1972, 1973	Griese, Csonka, Warfield, Buoniconti	Dominant, physical, run-heavy	Only perfect season in NFL history
Miami Heat	2012, 2013	LeBron, Wade, Bosh	Star-driven, fast-paced	4 straight Finals, global spotlight
Florida Panthers	2024, 2025	Barkov, Tkachuk, Bobrovsky, Bennett, Marchand	Gritty, structured, deep roster	Modern NHL repeat in parity era

Final word

While the Dolphins dominated with perfection and the Heat dazzled with star power, the Panthers will go down as South Florida’s most gritty and resilient dynasty. And in today’s NHL, that might be the toughest type of dynasty to build.

Henrik Lunqvist, TNT analyst and Hall of Fame goalie said during the second intermission, ” I haven’t seen the Panthers make a mistake. They always make the right decision. It’s a master class right now.”

These Panthers were built for playoff hockey and they never strayed from their approach in the run to their second title. They succeeded by getting production up and down the roster.

Going into Game 6, the Panthers had 11 players with double-digit points this postseason, and five players with at least 20 points: Sam Bennett (22), Matthew Tkachuk (22), Brad Marchand (20), Carter Verhaeghe (20) and Aleksander Barkov (20).

Veteran Marchand, a former Panthers adversary, was acquired at the trade deadline and fit in seamlessly on the third line with Anton Lundell (17 points – six goals, 11 assists) and Eetu Luostarinen (18 points – five goals, 13 assists).

Seth Jones, the other trade deadline acquisition, fortified the defense and was third among the team’s defensemen in points (9) and tied for first in goals (4) during the playoffs.

About next season

In his greatest act of roster wizardry, Zito was able to fit the two veterans, Marchand and Jones, under the cap with Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve, then bring back Tkachuk for the postseason when the salary cap is moot.

Will that finally earn Zito his overdue Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award? He is a finalist for the third straight year.

Twice snubbed, but now a two-time Cup winner, and still dealing.

The Panthers are projected to enter the offseason with $19 million to work with. Top priority must be re-signing Bennett, who embodies the hard-nosed playoff warrior the Panthers covet.

Afterward, Bennett, acquired in a 2021 trade with Calgary, didn’t sound like he wants to be anywhere else.

“It’s a huge honor to be a part of this group. I’m not going to take it for granted. I love being here and I love this team,” Bennett said in his postgame media interview. “It’s a remarkable team to be a part of, just from the whole staff to the players to the management, the owner, the coaches. Truly everyone is world-class here.”

As much as Marchand earned the admiration of teammates and fans over the past six weeks, it may not be feasible to retain him and Bennett. At 37, Marchand will be seeking one more star-size contract, and indications are he will have plenty of suitors. But who knows?

“We’ll see what happens here soon,” Marchand said with a grin on TNT moments after skating with the Cup for the second time in his career.

Ekblad has been a Panthers lifer and has expressed wanting to finish his career as one. He will likely have to agree to a hometown discount to facilitate that.

The other unrestricted free agents are forwards Nico Strum and Tomas Nosek, defensemen Nate Schmidt and Jaycob Megna and backup goalie Vitek Vanecek.

Forward Mackie Samoskevich is a restricted free agent and should be retained.

However Zito chooses to play his hand, the only predictable variable is that he will come up with some surprises when he plays his cards.

That approach already has two Cups in hand. Why not a third?

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Panthers, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.