Editing Florida Panthers (section)

====The Rat Trick and a trip to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals====
A very unusual goal celebration developed in Miami during the [[1995–96 NHL season|1995–96 season]]. On the night of the Panthers' 1995–96 home opener, a [[rat]] scurried across the team's locker room. Scott Mellanby reacted by "[[one timer|one-timing]]" the rat against the wall, killing it. That night, he scored two goals, which Vanbiesbrouck quipped was "a [[rat trick]]." Two nights later, as the story found its way into the world, a few fans threw rubber rats on the ice in celebration of a goal. The [[rubber]] rat count went from 16 for the third home game to over 2,000 during the playoffs.<ref name="Rat Pack"/>

In the [[1996 Stanley Cup playoffs|1996 playoffs]], as the fourth seed in the East, the Panthers faced the [[Boston Bruins]] in the first round and won in five games. [[Bill Lindsay]]'s series-clinching goal is still a trademark image for the run the third-year franchise went on. The Panthers went on to upset the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in six games followed by the second-seeded [[Pittsburgh Penguins]] in seven (with [[Tom Fitzgerald (ice hockey)|Tom Fitzgerald]] scoring what would end up being the game-winning goal) to reach the [[1996 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Finals]] against the [[Colorado Avalanche]], another team making its first Finals appearance.<ref name="Rat Pack"/> The Avalanche, however, swept the Panthers in four games. Despite losing in the Finals, the Panthers set a record for most wins by an expansion team in their first postseason appearance with 12 victories (this record would later be broken by the [[Vegas Golden Knights]] during their inaugural season in 2017–18).<ref>{{cite news|title =No stopping the Avalanche – Colorado completes Cup sweep of Panthers with 3OT victory|url =http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SAEC&p_theme=saec&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB03D7A86BE23F7&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|author =Ulman, Howard|agency =Associated Press|date =June 11, 1996|access-date =March 25, 2007|archive-date =June 9, 2011|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110609205058/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SAEC&p_theme=saec&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB03D7A86BE23F7&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|url-status =live}}</ref> For his team's surprising success, Bryan Murray was honored as NHL Executive of the Year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-05-07/sports/9605060431_1_coach-doug-maclean-jason-podollan-voting|title=Murphy's Toe Ready|access-date=May 14, 2013|archive-date=June 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623212637/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-05-07/sports/9605060431_1_coach-doug-maclean-jason-podollan-voting|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Panthers began the next season with a 12-game unbeaten streak, but faded in the second half of the season after trading second line center [[Stu Barnes]]. They lost in five games in the first round of the playoffs to the [[Wayne Gretzky]]-led [[New York Rangers]]. The team would plummet in the [[1997–98 NHL season|1997–98 season]]. After a 7–12–4 start, the Panthers fired Doug MacLean, replacing him for the season with general manager Bryan Murray. The change did not aid matters, as Florida posted a franchise-worst 24–43–15 record, including a 15-game winless streak. This season also marked the end of goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck's time in Florida; in the midst of that streak, he was shelled by the [[Chicago Blackhawks]] and never played another game for the Panthers. In the following off-season, Vanbiesbrouck signed with the Flyers as a free agent.