5 Former Florida Panthers Hall of Fame Inductees – Hockey Writers – Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers, in their history, have never had so many players go on to make the Hall of Fame. However, in this Hall of Fame’s next class of inductions, a number of former Panthers have a worthy case for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. While some players may not be remembered as prominently as the Panthers, they all made an impact on the team during their careers. All have eligible cases to be presented at the announcement on Monday, June 22, at 3:00 pm.

John Vanbiesbrouck

One Panther who has a long shot at being inducted into the Hall of Fame is the original Panther and leader in their first Stanley Cup appearance, goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck. In his career, he has won the Vezina Trophy once, finished third twice and fourth once in the Vezina voting, finishing in the top 10 five times. He also finished inside the top five Hart Trophy votes two times.

Vanbiesbrouck also finished 14th in Calder Trophy voting in his rookie season with the New York Rangers. He was a three-time All-Star and received three All-Star votes. He is also a member of the US Hockey Hall of Fame and is ranked third among American goaltenders in wins.

Vanbiesbrouck finished with 374 career wins, third most among American goaltenders and 19th overall in the NHL. At the time, he was the second American goalie to reach 300 career goals, and when he did, he was the 15th goalie to reach that milestone. He finished with a career regular season save percentage of .899 and a career regular season goals against average of 2.98.

Throughout his playoff career, apart from leading the Panthers to the Cup final in the 1995-96 season, he had success while increasing his performance. This includes 28 career wins and a .915 career save percentage, a real, tangible improvement from his regular season numbers, when his play peaked when the games mattered most. All of these aspects of his case lead to a clear argument for his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and, as former Panthers go, make him the most likely and influential Panther.

Eric Staal

The next player likely to be on the ballot is Eric Staal, who was only a Panther at the end of his career, playing for them in his final NHL season. He played 72 games in the regular season, scoring 15 goals and adding 14 more assists to his tally. He also appeared in 21 playoff games in their run that ended in a Stanley Cup Final loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Throughout his decorated career, he appeared in 1,365 games and accumulated 1,063 points, including 455 goals in every regular season game. He had three seasons with 40 or more goals and another three with 30 or more goals during his time with the Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild. As a playoff player, he also appeared in 104 playoff games and recorded 25 goals and 39 assists for a total of 64 points.

He has the most Stanley Cup championship of his career, recording 28 points in his team’s Stanley Cup run with the Hurricanes in 2006 in 25 games. He was also in two more Stanley Cup Finals at the end of his career with both the Montreal Canadiens and Florida.

He added an Olympic gold medal to his impressive start at the 2010 Games in Vancouver for Team Canada, and also competed for Canada at the 2022 Olympic Games. He also has a gold medal and a silver medal for his performance in the World Hockey Championships. That, along with his Stanley Cup, makes him a member of the Triple Gold Club for his achievements in both NHL and international hockey.

During his NHL career, he appeared in six All-Star games. He finished 15th in Calder Trophy voting in his rookie campaign. He also had multiple seasons in the Hart Trophy voting, with his best finish being fourth in his second NHL season.

He has appeared in the Selke Trophy voting numerous times, with his best finish of 16th in the 2012-13 season. His longevity, career excellence, and breakthrough success make him a strong candidate for the next Hall of Fame class, leaving a mark on sports that leads to a clear case for joining this great list of all-time greats.

Alexei Kovalev

The next likely name on the ballot is a player who was with the Panthers for a short time, playing 14 games in his final NHL season and contributing two goals and three assists. This player is Alexei Kovalev. However, most of his Hall of Fame nominations came from his outstanding performances before the Panthers.

Throughout his career, he played in 1,316 regular season games and scored 430 regular season goals and added 599 assists for a total of 1,029 points. He had one NHL regular season with more than 40 goals, finishing with 44 in the 2000-01 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also had two more seasons with 30 or more goals.

Kovalev appeared in 123 playoff games during his time in the NHL. In those games, he scored 45 playoff goals and added 55 career playoff assists, good for a total of 100 playoff points with appearances for the Rangers, Penguins, and Canadiens. This also led to him winning one Stanley Cup championship with the 1993-94 Rangers, recording 21 points in 23 games during that time.

His international career includes one Olympic gold medal from 1992 in Albertville and one Olympic bronze medal in Salt Lake City. He also appeared at the World Juniors, winning gold in 1992, and at the World Championships, winning a bronze medal in 2005.

He appeared in three All-Star games throughout his career and received votes to the All-Star team two more times. He finished the Hart Trophy voting three times with eighth, 16th, and 22nd place finishes. He hasn’t been with the Panthers for a long time, but he still has Hall of Fame potential for all of his accomplishments, mostly outside of Florida, and he’s one of the most obvious former Panthers.

Jay Bouwmeester

The next Hall of Fame candidate on this list is a player who played for the Panthers longer than the last two names, including being drafted and developing in the first half of his career. Defensive back Jay Bouwmeester started with the third overall pick and played 471 games at South Florida.

Throughout his career, in addition to his time at Florida, he played in 1,240 regular season games and totaled 88 goals and 336 assists. He had three seasons of 10 or more goals.

Throughout his career, he appeared in 75 playoff games, during his time with the St. Louis Blues. In those games, he scored zero goals and dished out 13 assists, the highlight being the Stanley Cup championship, where he had seven of those. He has received a variety of votes in award voting throughout his career in the NHL.

In his rookie season with the Panthers, he finished seventh in the Calder Trophy and was named to the All-Rookie first team. He had two finishes in the top 15 of the Norris Trophy polls, one 11th place finish and one 14th place finish, along with another top 20 finish with a 17th place finish.

Bouwmeester has played in two All-Star games throughout his NHL career. He joined the Triple Gold Club for his international success, including an Olympic gold medal and a World Hockey Championship, combined with a Stanley Cup win. He was part of two Olympic teams, with one gold medal to his name, playing for Team Canada at the 2010 Olympic Games and representing the country at the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino.

Gary Roberts

The next Hall of Fame inductee is Gary Roberts, who played 108 games for the Panthers, scored 27 goals, added 42 assists, and racked up 122 penalty minutes. Throughout the rest of his career, he played in 1,224 games, scored 438 goals and added 471 assists, for 909 regular season points. He accumulated 2,560 career penalty minutes in his style of play.

In all of his 130 playoff games spanning multiple franchises, he posted 32 goals and 61 assists for 93 points, along with 332 penalty minutes, to set the tone for his team in tough-nosed games. He was a one-time Stanley Cup champion, recording 12 points in the Calgary Flames’ 22-game Cup win.

Throughout his NHL career, he had many offensive seasons, the highlight being his 1991-92 season with the Flames, when he scored 53 goals. He also scored 41 goals in the 1993-94 season with the Calgary Flames. Additionally, he showed strong play, with two seasons of 40 or more assists and four seasons of 30-39.

He also appeared in three All-Star games throughout his career while receiving votes three more times. He was also the winner of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in the 1995-96 campaign, as the player who best demonstrated endurance, sportsmanship, and dedication to sports.

He also appeared in the Selke Trophy voting, finishing ninth in 1993-94 and 20th in 2000-01. He is one of 31 club members with 2,500 or more career penalty minutes.

Each of these players made an impact, to a different degree, on the Panthers, but all have worthy points in their column to be candidates for the Hall of Fame for their accomplishments at the NHL level and, in some cases, the international level. Each of these players has left a lasting mark on the game of hockey and has a claim to be the next former Panther inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.