After turning aside 39 of 40 shots to power the Florida Panthers to a 3-1 victory over the star-studded Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on June 1, 1996, the man they call "Beezer" had somehow turned an impossible dream into a stunning new reality.
In just their third year of existence, the Panthers were heading to the Stanley Cup Final.
"They had some chances and I had to push my heart back down because it was in my throat," Vanbiesbrouck said following the win. "We got it done. I don't know how, but we got it done."
As part of their "Panthers Rewind" series, FOX Sports Florida re-aired the game on Sunday.
In revisiting the matchup, it's incredible to watch how the Panthers pushed around the Penguins on the defensive side of the puck. After all, Pittsburgh owned the NHL's top offense during the regular season and were led up front by two all-time greats in Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.
Even though they had combined for 131 goals and 310 points during the regular season, both Lemieux and Jagr were held in check throughout the entire series against the Cats. In fact, the duo, which teamed up for 10 playoff goals prior to the series, scored just twice against Florida.
And following Game 3, neither Lemieux nor Jagr lit the lamp for the remainder of the series.
"It was the best defense I've ever played against," said Lemieux, who finished as the league's scoring leader that year with 161 points. "You'd beat one guy, and there were two others there."
Mike Hough opened the scoring for the Panthers in Game 7, capping off a 2-on-1 break with Robert Svehla 13:13 into the first period to make it 1-0. His only point of the series, Hough's goal showcased Florida's diverse attack. In the series, all but two Cats had at least one point.
Following a scoreless second period, Petr Nedved scored for the Penguins to make it 1-1 at 1:23 of the final frame. But just under five minutes later, Tom Fitzgerald put the Panthers right back on top when he fooled Tom Barrasso with a blast from the blue line to make it 2-1 at 6:18.
Fitzgerald posted two points in Game 7, including his second game-winner of the series.
With 2:37 remaining in regulation, Johan Garpenlov sealed the win for the Panthers when he took a pass from Bill Lindsay and blasted home a one-timer past Barrasso to up the lead to 3-1.
At the time, the Cats were just the 14th team in NHL history to claw back from down 3-2 in a series to win. And by claiming the Prince of Wales Trophy, they not only earned a date with the eventual-champion Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final, but also made NHL history. Prior to the Las Vegas Golden Knights reaching the Stanley Cup Final during their inaugural season in 2017-18, no team had won more games in their first playoff run than Florida in 1996.
"Our game plan was to fly west, not to go south, and we're flying west," said Panthers coach Doug MacLean, who shared Vanbiesbrouck's shock. "We were 500-1 odds to make the Stanley Cup, and I didn't take that bet myself. I thought we'd make the playoffs, and that was about it."
A favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy had the Panthers won it all, Vanbiesbrouck, who the team selected first in the expansion draft, finished with a .932 save percentage in the playoffs.
For the full broadcast schedule of upcoming "Panthers Rewinds" click HERE.
