Florida Panthers Uniforms: Sign of New Era or Last Look of Young Franchise

Florida Panthers Unveiled New Uniforms Last Week: Is it a Sign of New Era, or Last Look of Young Franchise?

The Florida Panthers are looking towards a brighter future coming off their historic season, and they plan on looking good while doing it.

Just last week, the Panthers unveiled their new sweaters that feature brand new primary and alternate logo designs.

The 2015-16 squad secured their first Atlantic Division title, having not finished in first place in their division since they won the no-longer-existent Southwest Division back in the 2011-12 season.

This year the Panthers finished third overall in the Eastern Conference, setting two regular-season franchise records in most wins (47) and most points (103). They even set a new regular-season attendance record back in March, with a sold-out BB&T Center packed with 20,817 Panthers fans.

Though March 19 was “Spacey in Space” night in Sunrise – a mysterious Panthers tradition involving actor and Panthers fan Kevin Spacey – where fans received their very own “Spacey mask”, there is no denying this season’s increased attention towards the Florida NHL franchise that has remained in the shadow of the Tampa Bay Lightning for so many years.

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What better way to capitalize on this new buzz around the team than re-branding and paving the way for new merchandise?

The 2016-17 uniforms feature the new primary shield logo with a fresh panther illustration. The red home sweaters include “PANTHERS” across the top of the shield, while the white away jerseys say “FLORIDA.”

Both have shoulder numbers on each side and dawn the new alternate logo just below them, which features a full-body panther standing on top of the Florida state flag. A gold-outlined white stripe cuts across the arms and center of the red home jersey, while a gold-outlined white stripe does the same on the away.

Now that the new look has been established, it is time for the part that matters most.

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Does this team have what it takes to continue the success it achieved this past season?

The New York Islanders eliminated the Panthers in six games in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ironically, the Islanders had not won a playoff series since 1993, the year the Panthers franchise was founded.

While it was a disappointing finish to what was a satisfying regular season for the Panthers, the key for this franchise will be to maintain its competitiveness and to continue rubbing shoulders with the elite teams of the Eastern Conference.

Not an easy task when the Panthers are in a division that includes the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, and of course, their Governor’s Cup rival Tampa Bay Lightning.

But having just re-signed their leading scorer Jaromir Jagr to a one-year extension, the Panthers’ approach appears to be to utilize the future Hall-of-Famer not only for his unquestionable skills on the ice, but to help continue seasoning up-and-coming younger forwards like Vincent Trocheck, Aleksander Barkov and the newly-acquired Jared McCann.

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If the Panthers can find similar success next season, and maybe even win their first playoff series in more than a decade, the conversation of the “R” word – that being “relocation” – could eventually fade away for the Florida franchise and become only the concern for the Carolina Hurricanes.

In the meantime, enjoy the new threads Panthers fans. They could be the beginning of a new era or the beginning of the end.