The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) based in Miami, Florida. The Florida Panthers compete in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference along with Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Florida Panthers have a rivalry with the Tampa Bay Lightning, although neither have played the other in the playoffs. They do, however, compete with each other for the Governor’s Cup each year.
The Florida Panthers play their home matches at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, which opened in 1998. The arena was originally called the National Car Rental Center and has had a number of name changes over the years including the Office Depot Center, and the BankAtlantic Center, before renaming to the BB&T Center in 2012. Prior to playing here the team played at the Miami Arena. The BB&T Center has a capacity of 19,250 for ice hockey, and used to be the home of NSPL’s Florida ThunderCats, AFL’s Florida Bobcats, ABA’s Florida Pit Bulls, and LFL’s Miami Caliente. Currently the Florida Panthers are the only team to call it home. The arena hosts the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic each year and also hosted the 2003 NHL All-Star Game. You can see many concerts at the BB&T Center from the likes of P!nk, Elton John, and Phil Collins.
Miami has a burgeoning food scene heavily inspired by Latin and Caribbean influences. Hot Restaurants include Swan and Bar Bevy and Fiola but there are also tons of staples such as La Camaronera, Rio Cristal, and Shorty’s which should not be missed