[ot-caption title=”NHL legend Jaromir Jagr has been crucial to the Panthers winning season thus far. (Via, Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)”]

When people think of South Florida sports, the cold sport of hockey probably doesn’t come to mind right away (or ever).  But the local Florida Panthers are off to a scorching start.  The team plays in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League and play at the BB&T Center, which is located in the nearby city of Sunrise.

As of January 10th, through forty-one games, the Panthers boast a record 25-12-4, a mark that leads the Atlantic Division and sits at second in the entire conference. The Panthers are a young team, inaugurated in 1993, and have little on their resume to really brag about.  Four playoff appearances and none since 2012 are less than impressive.  But this year’s start is the best since the 1996 season in which the Panthers ventured all the way to the Stanley Cup before losing to the Colorado Avalanche.  And things certainly appear to be trending in the right direction.

A major part of the turnaround should most definitely be attributed to the acquisition of Jaromir Jagr.  Jagr is a 43-year-old star that only seems to get better with age. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins way back in 1990 and has had a hall of fame worthy career.  The Panthers brought in the right winger last season, and this year, the journeyman has really found his role, leading the team in scoring with thirteen goals through thirty-six games.  Jagr is currently the oldest player in the NHL.

Going back to this season, the team is setting unprecedented marks.  Currently, the squad has won eleven straight games including shootout wins over Canadian powerhouses Ottawa and Vancouver.  This run is the largest winning streak the team has experienced over the past several seasons. Besides Jagr, others who have been key contributors players on the roster are Center Johnathan Huberdeau and Goalie Roberto Luongo. Huberdeau has twenty-two assists throughout his third season as a professional hockey player, and Luongo has been a rock in net, racking up 882 saves in thirty-two games played. The team has shown tremendous chemistry and is off to a fabulous start this season, but the’ve got bigger things to play for down the stretch.  Heading into the latter part of the season and hopefully the playoffs, the Panthers will hope to continue this positive momentum and land a deep postseason run that really has eluded them for nearly two decades.  They’ll look to battle and advance, hopefully bringing South Florida its first Stanley Cup in the process.  Go Panthers!