South Florida pro sports teams are inspired by the success of the Florida Panthers

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Jaylen Waddle considers himself the Florida Panthers' good luck charm.

The Miami Dolphins wide receiver has been to several Panthers hockey games over the years. He banged the drum before a postseason matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. He cheered on coach Paul Maurice's team after a thrilling overtime win over Tampa Bay this year.

By Waddle's estimation, whenever he's in the building, that equals a win for his favorite hockey team.

“I’m going to go to the finals,” Waddle quipped after a practice last week. "I think they need to invite me sometime soon in an important game, because I think they’re pretty undefeated when I’m there.

"Panthers – Hey, I’ll be waiting.”

The Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year. They're three wins away from defending their 2024 title. The Panthers went from winning just 25 playoff games in their first 28 seasons combined to winning more than 40 — and counting — in the past three seasons. And their general manager, Bill Zito, has been in conversations for GM of the Year for several seasons after building title-contending rosters year after year.

They’re the pinnacle of success in South Florida, and other pro sports teams in the region have taken notice. Many are inspired by what the Panthers have built and use it as a blueprint for success.

“I think the Florida Panthers as an organization have done an unbelievable job of creating a sense of, ‘We’ve been here before,’ or a certain level of expectancy of performance,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “All of those things, you can never have too many friendly reminders of what you’re fighting for. There’s nothing more motivating than watching people that really sacrifice hard earned monthly income to support athletic performance. You can feel it."

The Dolphins were once that team for South Florida. Nearly 53 years ago, a fiery coach named Don Shula guided Miami to the NFL's only perfect season. Reminders of that dominant Dolphins era are still plastered throughout South Florida. But it's been a while since Miami has been such a powerhouse.

The Dolphins went to the playoffs in each McDaniel's first two seasons in Miami. They missed them last year and have not won a postseason game since 2000 — the longest such streak in the NFL.

Waddle and other Dolphins players, including standout defensive tackle Zach Sieler and linebacker Bradley Chubb have been to Panthers games recently. For them, watching a run like the Panthers' is just the motivation they need.

“They definitely bring an urge to the city,” Waddle said. “Every professional sport in the city, it’s just like they’re pretty much the standard with all that they’ve accomplished over the past years. It’s definitely like a fire under us to try to match them.”

Before the Miami Marlins got ready for a midweek game against the San Francisco Giants last month, manager Clayton McCullough donned a bright red Florida Panthers hat.

The first-year Marlins manager doesn't necessarily consider himself a huge hockey follower. He's only able to catch scores here and there.

“But I'm a fan now of our local Panthers team,” McCullough said. "I hope they can repeat as Stanley Cup champions."

McCullough has been tasked with being a centerpiece of the Marlins' latest rebuild. Miami went 62-100 last season, dropping at least 100 games for the second time in six seasons. He knows what success looks like after winning the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers as their first base coach last season.

He said it's good for the entire city when one team is winning titles.

"We're all part of a fabric here in the community," McCullough said. "When one team is doing well, it's great for the entire area, for South Florida, for them to be doing so well. And we hope too that we're making deep runs in September and October in the years to come.

"The fanbase, they get galvanized by that, and we'd love to support all of our pro teams here that are successful.”

Maurice and the Panthers players feel the support, and they have no problem sharing their triumphs.

“There’s room for all of us down here. There’s certainly enough people,” Maurice said. “I think it’s a great thing that you have sports that are foundational: football, basketball, baseball. And then the new sport, hockey. And there’s room for everybody there. So how about we just share it? Share the spotlight, share all of it. ... There’s room for everybody here. We’re happy to be a part of it.”

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl