Fire
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Like their namesake mascot, the Florida Panthers are a rare breed.
The Panthers are physical and feisty. Skilled and speedy. As likely to outscore as outhit an opponent -- perhaps in the same game.
Florida can be an all-around overachiever. The team has top-tier talent -- on both sides of the puck -- with a killer instinct. It's an enviable combination, one the Panthers used to separate from the pack these past 12 months. But Florida wasn't always so self-assured.
There were years when the Panthers were an afterthought -- a warm-weather novelty.