The Present-Day Florida Panthers are the 70s Steelers

Yes, I get most of the history I’m going to mention spans before the Super Bowl era.

From 1945 to 1971, the Steelers only made the postseason ONCE. They were the butt of jokes and had several instances where they almost relocated.

Constant coaching changes and teams that were at best mediocre were part of the story of the early Steelers.

The question of why there would be an NFL team in a factory-ridden city circulated football fans.

The Steelers turned their franchise around in the 70s and won four titles and now are one of the most premier franchises in SPORTS. Only the very old-timer Steelers fans remember the dismay from the early days at this point.

The Florida Panthers have an almost identical story. However, they were Stanley Cup finalists in their third season back in 1996.

From 1997-2016, they made the playoffs FOUR times and did NOT win a series. It wasn’t until 2022 where they broke their over a quarter of a century drought of winning a series.

During the period aforementioned, constant relocation rumors were at play and coaching carousels, just like the pre-70s Steelers.

Just like people thought an NFL team should not be in a factory-ridden city, many used to say “hockey doesn’t work in a tropical paradise.”

Now the Panthers are heading to their THIRD straight cup final looking to repeat. With the cap going up, they will be a threat for potentially another half decade.

I just find history repeats itself in creative ways…