For roughly 23 years -- from 1997-2020 -- the Panthers wallowed away anywhere from the middle to the bottom of the NHL standings. To put it a little less politely, they were a forgettable franchise in a market where hockey was an undercard and not the main event.

The Florida Panthers don't play hockey every day. It only seems like that's the case.

I want to see Connor McDavid raise the Stanley Cup. I want to see all that regular-season hardware -- five scoring titles, three Hart trophies as league MVP, the four-time NHLPA most outstanding player -- metaphorically traded for a Stanley Cup ring,