New Panthers, New Look: Cats’ Core Values Reflected in New Uniforms

SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers are coming off a season in which they not only captured the Atlantic Division title, but also set franchise records for both wins (47) and points (103). A new era of optimism has swept over the franchise and the winning attitude ushered in by the team’s passionate ownership group continues to inspire a burgeoning fan base.

With the unveiling of their new logo and uniforms today, the Panthers are simply taking another step forward in that evolution.

“The idea when we came into Florida and took responsibility for the stewardship of the franchise, was to start anew and create traditions that were unique to this new start,” Panthers Chairman, Owner & Governor Vincent Viola said. “I think the logo harkens to the vanguard of courage; the idea that you put a shield on the hockey uniform. It’s something to protect, but you also protect it. We wanted something that began a new tradition of winning and demonstrated courage and selfless dedication to a team pursuit of victory.”

“We wanted to really put a bold emphasis on the idea that this was a new era for the franchise,” added Viola’s son, John, who took the lead for his family in working with Reebok to bring the new uniforms to life. “It’s not necessarily a new direction, but a new evolution, a new maturity for the franchise.”

In creating this new look, ownership wanted to make sure that the new mentality and identity they were crafting for the franchise extended far beyond the cosmetic appeal of a color scheme or logo. In their collective eyes, the meaning behind these changes was equally as important. Their new crest had to be more than a shape and their new logo had to represent more than a mascot.

“What we really wanted to say to the people of South Florida was that we are here to stay,” Panthers Vice Chairman, Partner & Alternate Governor Doug Cifu said. “We wanted to bring stability to this franchise and wanted to imprint on the franchise our own ideas about what a Florida panther meant and what the Florida Panthers mean to this community. Vinnie and his son, John, and myself spent a lot of time with the designers going through every detail.”

In order to fully understand the meaning behind the core values that inspired the Panthers’ new look, you will need to go all the way back to the Battle of the Bulge, which took place from Dec. 16, 1944 until Jan. 25, 1945 in the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg on the Western Front toward the end of World War II.

A turning point in the war, this last-ditch effort by the Germans to turn the tides of the battle was met with unrelenting courage and sacrifice from the United States, which incurred its greatest causalities of the war during that particular campaign. As a former member of the 101st Airborne Division, Vinnie Viola wanted to pay homage to the selfless actions of those soldiers, choosing a crest inspired by the division’s “Screaming Eagle” patch as the centerpiece of the Panthers’ new uniform. Although the battle has long since ended, the actions of those involved exemplified the lasting idea of what it means to truly give everything for a cause you believe in.

“The 101st Airborne Division, particularly its experience in the Ardennes Forest during the Battle of the Bulge, represents, to me, everything that is worthy of our great nation,” said Vinnie Viola, who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1977, and later graduated from the U.S. Army Airborne, Infantry and Ranger Schools. “It’s the idea that we will not relent, we will dedicate ourselves to each other, and we will never surrender. When I was at the 101st, just shortly after the end of the Vietnam War, it was apparent to me that that spirit from World War II, from the fight for survival in around and Bastogne and before that with the airborne combat drops around the Battle of the Bulge, that spirit was still alive. It carried the unit through its combat in Vietnam and it was still alive when I got there in 1978.

“For something to be so powerful, a set of values that create a dedication from an …

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