John Vanbiesbrouck - Playing Career - Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers

Vancouver made the trade not with the intention of keeping Vanbiesbrouck, but rather in an attempt to keep other players on their roster from being drafted. Rules of the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft allowed teams to protect one goaltender, nine forwards and five defensemen. Additional rules stated that teams could only lose one goaltender in the draft and prevented teams from losing both a defenseman and a goaltender. Prior to the draft Florida Panthers general manager Bobby Clarke won a coin-toss giving them the first pick in the draft. Thus with their first selection, the Panthers picked Vanbiesbrouck to be the number one goalie for their team. Upon his arrival in Florida, Vanbiesbrouck went on a "mall tour" to help elevate the visibility of the franchise and made an informative video explaining ice hockey terms for Blockbuster, then owners of the franchise. In January 1994 he made his return to Madison Square Garden. In his first game back to his former home venue, Vanbiesbrouck made 51 saves ultimately losing the game 3–2 to his former team. During the season he was also named to the All-Star game as the Panthers' sole representative. In the game Vanbiesbrouck played the third period, made six saves and was credited with the win. At the completion of his first season in Florida, he played in 57 games posting a 21–25–11 record, registering a 2.53 GAA, and his career best save percentage of .924 ranked him second in the league. Vanbiesbrouck was named a Second Team NHL All-Star and was shortlisted for the Hart and Vezina Trophies. His 21 wins tied the Minnesota North Stars' Cesare Maniago's record for the most by an expansion goaltender. The record was later passed by Ron Tugnutt during the Columbus Blue Jackets inaugural season. The Panthers finished the season with 83 points, one point behind the New York Islanders, for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The following season was shortened due to the 1994–95 NHL lockout. As a result Vanbiesbrouck played in just 37 games registering a 14–15–4 record. He lowed his GAA from the previous year to 2.47 and increased his shutout total from one to four. However his save percentage dropped to .914. The Panthers again fell a point short of making the playoffs.

In the 1995–96 season, Vanbiesbrouck was named to the All-Star Game. In the game he played the second period and gave up three goals on seven shots. The Panthers were in playoff position for more than half of the season, but faltered late in the season and were close to falling out of the playoff race. Late in the season Vanbiesbrouck shutout the New Jersey Devils putting Florida into the playoffs. At the end of the regular season he played in 57 games posting a 21–25–11 with 2 shutouts. His games played ranked him tenth in the league while his GAA of 2.68 was ninth. In the first round Florida defeated the Boston Bruins in five games. Their second round match-up was against the heavily favored Philadelphia Flyers. Vanbiesbrouck posted a shutout in the first game of the series, the third post season shutout of his career and the first in Panthers playoff history. During the series Vanbiesbrouck held the Flyers scoreless for 116:46 straight minutes, as Florida upset Philadelphia winning four games to two. In the Conference Finals the Panthers were again huge underdogs to the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that featured the leagues two top scorers in Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. The Penguins took a 3–2 series lead, but the Panthers won game six 4–3 to force game seven. In game 7 Vanbiesbrouck made 39 saves in a 3–1 Panthers victory, winning the Eastern Conference and putting them in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Panthers fell behind the Colorado Avalanche 3–0 in the series. Game four was considered one of the classic games in finals' history. The game was a 0–0 tie entering the third overtime period. Early in the period, a long shot from Colorado's Uwe Krupp eluded Vanbiesbrouck giving the Avalanche a 1–0 win and the Stanley Cup. Vanbiesbrouck made 55 saves in the loss and finished third in voting for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

During the 1996–97 season he was elected by the fans to the All-Star Game as the starting goaltender. Vanbiesbrouck' 200,457 votes led the Eastern Conference. By season's end Vanbiesbrouck finished in the top ten in the NHL for save percentage (6), GAA (5) and tied for 11 in wins (27). The Panthers finished fourth in the Eastern conference and faced the Rangers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vanbiesbrouck made 34 saves in game one, shutting out the Rangers 3–0. It was the only game the Panthers won as the Rangers defeated them 4–1 in the series. The following season Vanbiesbrouck reached a personal milestone. On December 27, 1997 the Panthers defeated the New York Islanders 6–2 at Nassau Coliseum. The win marked the 300th of his career, making him the 15th goaltender, and second American, in NHL history to reach the mark. Despite his personal milestone Vanbiesbrouck suffered through his worst statistical season with the Panthers. The team fared no better as they finished the season in 12th place in the Eastern conference and out of the playoffs.