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'A true hockey destination': Why this is the Golden Age of the Florida Panthers

ESPN
Summary
Nutrition label

82% Informative

Florida Panthers will play in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2, 2026 against the New York Rangers at LoanDepot Park in Miami .

The Winter Classic is part of the NHL 's plan to make the state of Florida a priority.

The state has hosted numerous Super Bowls , the NBA Finals , the World Series , national championship games.

The Panthers sold out of season tickets for the first time in their 31-year history.

The Dolphins are the market's oldest professional franchise at 59 years old -- and the 24th youngest in the NFL .

The Panthers are eighth in average attendance and fifth in American markets among American markets.

The Panthers started gaining stability when owners Vincent and Teresa Viola purchased the team in 2013 .

CEO Matt Caldwell said the organization went through a shift when it came to how it would engrain itself in the community.

The Panthers have made their arena accessible so it could house thousands of emergency response workers that came to the area to assist.

VR Score

84

Informative language

82

Neutral language

67

Article tone

semi-formal

Language

English

Language complexity

35

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

short-lived

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no affiliate links