The longest Stanley Cup-winning streak in the history of the NHL is 5 times. In comparison to that, the Florida Panthers do still have some way to go. Even the Montreal Canadiens’ record of 10 consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearances is almost impossible to repeat. But the team from South Florida has been on the rise. They have been doing all the right things that a Champion team should.
Winning back-to-back Stanley Cups is no cakewalk. Teams are struggling to win it once, ask the Edmonton Oilers. Meanwhile, the Panthers have been so consistent, so dominant, especially in the 2025 Playoffs, that even the experts and legends like Wayne Gretzky have acknowledged their impressive showing. Maybe that’s why the fans are left disgruntled by the latest ESPY verdict.
The awards organized by ESPN felicitate the best in sports every year. Being recognized by one of the biggest sports broadcasting channels is almost like a stamp of validation by the most knowledgeable and eminent personalities who have built a distinguished career in sports journalism. And the 2025 ESPY award ceremony has crowned a new set of Champions. Well, we are more interested in the controversial call made, which was shared by Florida Panthers beat writer, Alex Baumgartner. His X update on July 17 read, “The Florida Panthers DO NOT win the ESPY for Best Team. That honor goes to the Philadelphia Eagles.”
The ESPY, which stands for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly, decided to bestow the 2025 Best Team accolade to the team that won Super Bowl LIX. America’s biggest sporting event, and globally one of the most popular events ever, the Super Bowl win is as prestigious as it is glorifying. It was a redemption arc for the Eagles, who had lost the Super Bowl 2 years ago to the same team, the Kansas City Chiefs. But this time, they blew away Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce’s camp.
The Eagles were quite dominant, start to finish, ending the season with an NFL record 18 wins. And the way they dominated the Defending Champions in the Super Bowl, it was a statement, no doubt. Weirdly enough, there are a few similarities between the Florida Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Both were defensively rock solid, with the Eagles even having the NFL’s top-ranked defense. The way both teams dominated their opponents in the Finals was a proclamation of their authority.
The Florida Panthers DO NOT win the ESPY for Best Team. That honor goes to the Philadelphia Eagles.
— Alex Baumgartner (@ABaumgartner91) July 17, 2025
Yet, it seems the Eagles got their fair share at the Awards, while the Panthers have come home empty-handed. Even the 2025 Stanley Cup Finalists, the Oilers, had a representative in the winners’ circle. Their star center, Leon Draisaitl, got the Best NHL Player award. Another award had NHL’s name on it – the Best Record-Breaking Performance. Washington Capitals captain, Alexander Ovechkin, was honored for becoming the all-time leading goal-scorer in the NHL.
And yet, the Panthers found no takers. The consideration would have been for the Best Team award only, because the Florida team didn’t have legendary stars on their roster. But when they came together, they were unstoppable. From the management to the head coach and the players, everyone has been responsible for the success. Which is why many believe not declaring the Panthers as the Best Team is a gross injustice.
The Florida Panthers are a clear ESPY favorite for hockey fans
The Panthers’ domination in the NHL since 2022 has led people to regard them as a mini-dynasty. They have been in the Finals 3 consecutive times. And even before that, the Panthers won the President’s Trophy in the 2021-22 season. Such a sustained show of consistency was enough for a fan to be convinced. The tweet read, “Any team that goes Back To Back deserves Team of the Year award”.
Another fan took to sarcasm to mock ESPN’s decision: “Of course, why would the back to back champs, 3x in a row SCF appearances team win it?” Well, the award is for the 2024-25 season, and who has dominated this particular campaign. The thing is, as we mentioned, the Panthers were overwhelmingly the favorites for the Playoffs. They secured an NHL record, 10 road wins in the 2025 Playoffs. They also scored the most on the road.
June 22, 2025, Fort Lauderdale, Fl, USA: Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice addresses the crowd as players celebrate on stage during the team s Stanley Cup victory parade and rally along A1A on Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Fort Lauderdale USA – ZUMAm67_ 20250622_zaf_m67_028 Copyright: xAlxDiazx
The way they shut down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the Finals was pure supremacy. The Panthers literally showed the hockey community how Conn Smythe Trophy winners and Hart Trophy winners don’t give them trouble. Rather, they flipped the script. The Oilers were left clueless – if Draisaitl and McDavid can’t, then who can? This Florida Panthers fan ain’t waiting for outside affirmation. He knows who’s the best. “We don’t need National accolades. Panther Fans know who the best team was this year”.
A few fans broke down the problem with the ESPY awards. One of them went, “Yeah this award show is pretty bias towards basketball and football. All I care about is the cup”. Well, the facts say that this year’s Best Team award went to a football team. Last year, it was won by the South Carolina women’s basketball team. Before that, it was the Kansas City Chiefs. Seems like a trend. Even this year, so many individual awards went to either football (Best Play award) or basketball (Gatorade Male Player of the Year, Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, Best Athlete in Men’s Sports). And there are a few others we aren’t mentioning.
Is there really a bias when these awards are being conferred? For one fan, the decision is apparently driven by viewership and popularity. The tweet read, “Expected. ESPN goes by ratings, not the truth.” Well, the viewership problem of the NHL on the US side has been a major worry. While the Florida Panthers kept on ramping up their performance as the Playoffs progressed, the viewership stayed stagnated or even dropped from previous years. On the other hand, we have the Super Bowl, the most popular sporting event in America.
Objectively, it is a difficult call to make, isn’t it? Who do you think has been the better team in the 2024-25 season? Let us know in the comments!
The post Calls Mount Against ESPYs Post Florida Panthers Snub Despite Back-to-Back Stanley Cup Wins appeared first on EssentiallySports.
