Florida Panthers started in Miami-Dade County, but are they now Broward’s team?

SUNRISE, Fla – Everywhere you look in the 954, there’s Florida Panthers buzz.

From banners at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, to signs on county buses, and flags on light poles.

On players’ helmets is the logo for Visit Lauderdale, the tourism arm of the county.

So can Broward County rightly claim the team as its own?

Mayor Nan Rich thinks so.

“The Panthers are Broward County’s team!” she exclaimed. “We’re happy everybody loves the Panthers but they only have one home, and that’s in Broward County.”

County administrator Monica Cepero, a die-hard Cats fan, proudly showed off her collection of bobbleheads and jerseys and made the bold prediction: Panthers will win the Stanley Cup in five games.

But Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava responded with a reminder that the team started in Miami in 1993, making their debut at the old Miami Arena.

“I’m a regional thinker. Mayor Nan Rich knows that. We’re great friends, so it’s a friendly rivalry,” Levine Cava said. “I’m willing to share, they started here in Miami-Dade.”

Still, ice hockey isn’t a household sport, no matter where in South Florida you live.

In interviews outside grocery stores and strip malls around Fort Lauderdale and Miami, many told Local 10 they weren’t big hockey fans and didn’t know much about the sport.

Some said they preferred soccer.

Others, however, were hopeful that the success of the team will create new fans.

The phrases might be different, but the sentiment is the same: Vamos Gatos! Go, Cats, go!