Thanks to their recent Stanley Cup success and local community investment, the Florida Panthers have helped Fort Lauderdale become a hockey paradise.
When people think of Fort Lauderdale and South Florida, beaches, sunshine, palm trees, and luxury shopping usually come to mind. But with three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances, the Florida Panthers are helping the area become more of a hockey town as the region experiences an economic boom.
The past two Panthers playoff runs have generated nearly $100 million in local economic activity, according to the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority. Visit Lauderdale estimates the team has brought in an additional $30 million this postseason alone, and that’s before Florida hosts the Edmonton Oilers in Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday and Thursday. Hotels near the team’s recently built IcePlex practice facility are seeing a 30-40% bump in revenue and occupancy. Just weeks after the playoffs began, a local restaurant, MAAS, along the Fort Lauderdale beachfront, became the first establishment in the city’s history to be awarded a Michelin Star.
“We have a population in our downtown that’s almost doubled in the past 10 years, and they’ve really galvanized around the Panthers,” Jenni Morejon, the Fort Lauderdale DDA President and CEO, told Inside The Boardroom. “So, there’s been a real financial impact.”
While the Heat and Marlins play roughly 30 miles to the south in Miami and the Dolphins are a bit further south in Miami Gardens, Fort Lauderdale has truly adopted the Panthers as their own. Downtown has been lit up in red during the postseason as the team’s logo featuring a fearsome feline, along with Floridian palm trees and hockey sticks, is everywhere from storefronts to car flags. Last June, more than 100,000 lined local streets for the Panthers’ first-ever championship parade after their Final win over Edmonton, concluding with a rally at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park.
But even during the regular season, ticket resale prices at Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena are up 46.7% from the 2022-23 season, according to SeatGeek, the team’s official ticketing provider. Home regular-season average attendance increased from 16,682 in 2022-23, ranked 26th in the NHL, to 19,059 this season, fifth in the league and 99.7% of Amerant Bank Arena’s listed capacity.
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As South Floridians further embraced hockey, the Panthers made a huge investment in the Fort Lauderdale community. In March 2024, the Panthers opened its $65 million, 144,000 square foot IcePlex practice facility as part of a revitalized Holiday Park that includes a new bar and restaurant, a concert venue, and the team’s flagship store all just 2.5 miles from the beach, where All-Star Matthew Tkachuk ran into the Atlantic Ocean with the Stanley Cup following the Game 7 victory over Edmonton last year.
“The Panthers have really drawn that energy back to the urban core close to the beach,” Morejon said.
Beginning with the 2023 All-Star Weekend in Sunrise, Morejon said that event, the Panthers’ unprecedented success, and their investment in downtown have led to enthusiasm among new and young hockey fans and players. High school hockey teams are forming in South Florida for the first time, she continued. New youth and adult leagues are popping up, leading to the opening of hockey-centric retail stores in northern suburbs, and an organic, grassroots hockey culture thanks to their beloved Cats.
While Fort Lauderdale has a current population of just 185,000 and has seen a 32% increase in visitors over the last two years, according to the DDA, the new IcePlex has added some local charm to the downtown area. Players, coaches, and executives can be seen at coffee shops and riding around on golf carts, connecting with the community in ways that are only usually seen in small towns.
“On a hyperlocal level, some of our dining establishments have really taken the advantage of that because people want to be where the players are at,” Morejon said.
During the NHL Playoffs, entertainment venues, bars, and restaurants are packed for away games and even home games when fans can’t score tickets. The energy is palpable in the streets, Morejon said, filled with red-clad Panthers supporters.
For Cup Final home games, the DDA and the city are partnering on what they’re calling tactical urbanism projects. Panther print decals will fill the main drag, Las Olas Boulevard, leading up to a photo booth where fans can post their team spirit to social media. Bars and restaurants will host watch parties along with the wharf on the riverwalk and the Funky Buddha Brewery, while local coffee shops will offer special custom-branded cups. Support for the Panthers has even helped raise $6 million in private funds toward a $15 million downtown renovation of a park named after Wayne Huizenga, the team’s original owner.
The Panthers’ success both on and off the ice was likely a major reason why South Florida was chosen to host the NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 2, 2026, only the second warm-weather city to host the league’s tentpole regular season showcase in the event’s 18-year history. While the game will be held at Miami’s LoanDepot Park, that’s just a quick drive or Brightline train ride away from Fort Lauderdale, which has improbably become a hockey hotbed in one of the least likely locales.
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