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LBC’s All-Time Florida Panthers: 18. Bryan McCabe

We finally made it to the weekend and another Friday edition of the All-Time Panthers Countdown. If you don’t already know the rules, click here to find out how it works.

Yesterday, we looked into Mike Van Ryn’s four seasons in Sunrise (257 games, 25 goals, 80 assists). If you hang with us today, you’ll get to read about yet another Toronto defenseman, the last team captain in Panthers history.

Follow the jump for videos, the full writeup, and assorted beverages.

18. Bryan McCabe

McCabe was a lefthanded 6’2″ defenseman from St. Catharines, Ontario. He played four seasons in the WHL split between the Medicine Hat Tigers (82 games, six goals, 37 assists), the Spokane Chiefs (152 games, 39 goals, 145 assists), and the Brandon Wheat Kings (20 games, six goals, 10 assists). In the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders selected him in the second round, with the 40th overall pick.

Half of McCabe’s WHL career happened after he was drafted, honing his craft at the junior level. He made his professional debut in 1995-96 with the Islanders, playing in all 82 games in each of his first two NHL seasons. He would spend parts of three seasons with the club, scoring 18 goals and 45 assists in 20 contests. The Islanders traded him to the Vancouver Canucks with Todd Bertuzzi and a third round pick (Jarkko Ruutu) for Trevor Linden on February 6, 1998.

After parts of two seasons with Vancouver (95 games, eight goals, 25 assists), he spent part of a season with the Chicago Blackhawks (79 games, six goals, 19 assists) and seven seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs (523 games, 83 goals, 214 assists). He also added 10 goals and 16 assists through 51 playoff contests. He was traded to the Panthers prior to the 2008 training camp with a fourth round draft pick (Sam Brittain) for Mike Van Ryn.

McCabe played in 69 games for Florida as the new kid in town in 2008-09. He had eight multi-point games, including two goals in a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 18th. On March 4th, he racked up a season high four points on a goal and three assists as the Panthers defeated the Washington Capitals, 6-2. He averaged a team second best 23:08 TOI on the first pairing with Jay Bouwmeester. He ranked sixth on the team with 15 goals on 153 shots along with 24 assists.

2008-09: McCabe Highlights (via FloridaPanthersVideo)

Just prior to the 2009-10 season, on September 23rd, McCabe was named team Captain, a position he would hold throughout his time in South Florida. He was one of four Panthers to play in each of the Panthers’ 82 games that season, logging multiple points five times. He had a five game point streak starting of February 13th (one goal, nine assists). In consecutive games during the streak, he registered one goal and three assists in a March 3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers 7-4 and three assists in a 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on March 6th. In total, he potted eight goals on 169 shots with a team second-best 35 assists. He also ranked fourth on the team with 83 penalty minutes. His average 23:20 time on ice led the team.

McCabe’s 1000th Game Tribute Video (via LennyLenihan)

2010-11 would see McCabe start out the season collecting four assists in a 6-0 win over the Lightning on October 16th. Through 48 games he averaged 21:01 TOI, scoring five goals on 88 shots, dishing out 17 assists and finishing with a plus-3 rating. On February 26, the Panthers traded him to the New York Rangers for Tim Kennedy and a third round pick (Logan Shaw). He scored two goals and four assists through 19 games to close out the season.

After officially retiring from playing on February 15th, 2012, McCabe joined the Panthers in an advisory capacity. He skated with the team during development camp. With any luck, you should be able to spot him in the coming weeks anytime the Panthers suit up.

All-Time Statline: Three seasons, 199 games, 28 goals, 76 assists, 104 points, minus-2 rating, 152 PIM, 17.8 APS.

That’s it for this week. We’ve got 17 more Panthers of past and present left to go, and if you’ve read these every day, you know who they are. Next week, we’ll cover a center from BC, an original Panther defenseman from Ontario who spent his whole career in South Florida, a long ago first overall pick, a Czech right winger, and a left winger from Alberta.

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