Crazy Things Have Happened to the Florida Panthers in Sunrise

The Florida Panthers played their first game at their brand new arena in Sunrise — then called the National Car Rental Center — on  October 9, 1998.

The $185 million venue was a favorable deal from Broward County to lure the team from the undersized and obsolete Miami Arena where the team drew mostly sellout crowds for its first five seasons of existence.

The arena, as you know, has had many names over the years.

National Car Rental Center became Office Depot Center; then came BankAtlantic Center. When there was a banking merger, BB&T Center became the arena’s new name in the 2010s.

For a brief period, the building was without a sponsor and was called FLA Live Arena.

Today, the Sunrise arena is known as Amerant Bank Arena.

Regardless of the name, there have been many memorable hockey events in the building, highlighted by the two magical June evenings in 2024 and 2025 when the Panthers captured the Stanley Cup.

Things were not always that great.

There were plenty of lean years during which, with the right advertising coupons, you could buy a ticket for $5.

Only you never knew what you might see at a Panthers game.

PANTHERS IN HISTORIC SHOOTOUT

On the night of  December 16, 2014, the Panthers played host to the Washington Capitals.

Normal game, right?

Turns out, the game went to overtime — and then the shootout.

The shootout went on for an NHL-record 20 rounds.

What made this more memorable was that the Panthers faced elimination five times during the shootout. Each time, one of their lesser lights came through.

Six Capitals had their first ever shootout attempt.

Of those, John Carlson and Brooks Orpik were successful. For the retired Orpik, it was his only career shootout attempt.

Five Panthers had their first shootout attempt: Brian Campbell, Erik Gudbranson, Aaron Ekblad, Dylan Olsen, and Willie Mitchell.

Olsen scored on his first attempt. Derek MacKenzie (second attempt) and Sean Bergenheim (10th) scored their first shootout goals.

A defenseman who did not score much, Olsen scored on his only career shootout attempt in the 17th round.

When Nick Bjugstad put a deke on Caps’ goalie Braden Holtby in the 20th round, TV play-by-play announcer Steve Goldstein let fly the phrase “let’s go home!” — which became the precursor to his now famed “Let’s go home, baby!”

WHO’S IN GOAL?

One of the weirdest nights in the arena’s history came on March 3, 2015.

The events of that strange evening even forced an NHL rule change.

In a game against Toronto which was critical to the Panthers’ playoff hopes, starting goaltender Roberto Luongo did not come out for the second period after absorbing a hard blow to the shoulder in the first.

Backup Al Montoya came in to replace Luongo but early in the third period, Montoya suffered a groin injury when he sprawled out to attempt to stop Nazem Kadri’s game-tying goal.

Montoya struggled to get back to the bench.

Now what?

The Panthers did not have another goalie. Luongo had left the arena and drove to Cleveland Clinic in Weston to get checked out.

Coach Gerard Galant and general manager Dale Tallon huddled during the game delay to determine what to do.

Meanwhile, fourth line center Derek MacKenzie put on the goalie gear and was ready to guard the crease.

Panthers goalie coach Robb Tallas, a former NHL goalie who hadn’t played an NHL game in 14 years, was ready to sign a one-game contract to be eligible to go in the net.

This never happened due to technicalities involving the NHL Central Registry.

Montoya stoically went back into the net, in obvious pain. He relinquished what turned out to be the winning goal off the stick of the Leafs’ Peter Holland.

Luongo, hearing the news on the radio, raced back to the arena in his dress clothes and made it back onto the bench.

He talked the Panthers into letting him return and finish the game.

“We’re playing a pretty good game, and all of a sudden, boom, boom, you lose two goalies real quick,” Gallant said. “Fortunately for us, both of them were able to return and play some of the game, and Robbie didn’t have to go in there. But there was a lot of confusion going on.”

Luongo was perfect in his return, but the Panthers were unable to salvage the game or a playoff berth.

The rules at the time stated that if both goaltenders are injured “that team shall be entitled to dress and play any available goalkeeper who is eligible.”

Kind of confusing.

The events of that evening led to the EBUG rule.

The term “EBUG” stands for emergency backup goalie and it’s now mandatory that each team have a netminder on standby in their building for every home game. The NHL rule book states that each team is allowed to dress 18 skaters and two goalies per game.

The standby, or EBUG, can play for either team.

There have been several incidents where the EBUG entered a game, the most famous being David Ayres’ historic 2020 win for Carolina against Toronto, the team employing him.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the EBUG as we now know it will disappear after this season.

Each team must carry their own qualified EBUG who will travel and practice with the team.

HISTORY ON THE LINE

In the final game of the 2021 Covid-shortened season, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper conceded home ice in the first round to the Panthers and rested his regulars.

Daniel Walcott, a 27-year-old rookie making his NHL debut, started the game on a line with Mathieu Joseph and Gemel Smith.

Ok, right?

Then a few tweets from the Lightning got social media going.

Yes, those 5,040 fans in attendance had just witnessed hockey history.

Although there are no official records, it was believed to be the first time a line consisting of three Black players started an NHL game.

Covid protocol had necessitated the availability of more players than normal. Walcott had split the season between the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) and the Lightning taxi squad.  

Postgame, the discussions did not focus on the Lightning’s 4-0 drubbing by the Panthers, but on the significance of the evening.

Walcott knew he was in the lineup that morning, but it wasn’t until three minutes before game time that he realized he was a starter.

“It was a whirlwind of emotion,” Walcott said. “It’s been a long time coming. A lot of people have been cheering me on for the last couple of years. To even get that starting lineup was kind of special, with guys that I’m familiar with. These past two days have been filled with emotion but I’m glad I got to play my first NHL game.”

Cooper was focused more on ability than the history-making moment.

”Maybe it’s a story today, but as the league gets more diverse you hope it’s not going to be a story anymore,’’ Cooper said. “It’s going to be kind of the norm. It’s the league for everybody.”

Said Florida forward Anthony Duclair: “In the locker room, I saw the lineup. That’s great to see. I’m so proud. Just the way that the NHL is moving forward, it’s great to see. For those guys, I’m sure it was a special night for them, and for Walcott, first game, I’m sure he was very pleased. But that was an unbelievable feeling, even for myself playing against those guys. It was great to see.”

For the record, there have been all-Black lines before, starting with Herb and Ozzie Carnegie and Manny McIntyre playing senior hockey in the 1940s.

More recently, the Ontario Reign of the AHL had a line of veteran Devante Smith-Pelley and youngsters Akil Thomas and Quinton Byfield.

For the NHL, it was a first.

Walcott never played another NHL game. He spent last season with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) and is currently unsigned.

With a new season upon us, who knows what kind of crazy things will come next.

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2024 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 2025

FLORIDA PANTHERS

ON DECK

• NHL Free Agency: Opened June 1
• Panthers Rookie Camp, Fort Lauderdale IcePlex: September 11
• Prospect Showcase @ Tampa Bay Lightning: Starts September 12, Wesley Chapel
• Training Camp: Mid-September
• Exhibition Games: Starts Sept. 21 @ Nashville (doubleheader)
• Championship Ring Celebration: Oct. 6; Time/Site TBA
• Opening Night: Oct 7 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 5 p.m.
• Complete Florida Panthers 2025-26 Schedule