FROM THE EDITOR

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GOAL ORIENTED

There’s nothing like the roar of more than 20,000 hockey fans cheering on the Florida Panthers (or jeering the Cats’ opponent) inside FLA Live Arena on any given game night. But photographer Alexander Aguiar and I were lucky enough to experience the opposite—the quiet hush and empty seats while the Panthers took the ice for practice. What a thrill to spend the day with Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov—two of the nicest, most talented, and most highly lauded players in the NHL. We’re thrilled they’re on our team (and in our pages this month).

UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Icons. They’re admired, signifi cant, infl uential. The Magic City has boasted an abundance of them over its storied history, and this issue of Aventura Magazine celebrates just a handful of the people and places that make this city an icon unto itself.

When it comes to architecture, Miami’s Art Deco scene—all the rage in the 1920s, defi ning the early Miami Beach vibe and persisting to this day—is one of the city’s most recognizable elements. Don’t miss Jesse Scott’s “Deco-licious” guide to celebrating Art Deco Weekend on page 22. Speaking of looks, man-about-town (and master beat mixer) DJ Cardy is a Miami native, but he’s known worldwide for his signature sound and sartorial sense. Turn to “Fashion Beats” on page 28 to steal his style as he reveals his fi ve favorite local shopping spots.

It’s no secret that Miami is a sports-crazed city. Sure, there are the ‘Fins and the Heat, and we’re all hopeful for a Marlins resurgence, plus—if the rumors are true—to see fútbol great Lionel Messi in InterMiami FC pink next season. But up the road in Sunrise, hockey is taking South Florida by storm. FLA Live Arena (home of the Florida Panthers) will host the 2023 NHL All-Star Game early next month for the fi rst time in 20 years, giving local fans a chance to see the stars of the league showcasing their prodigious abilities. And then there are the Florida Panthers themselves: Last year, after putting on a spectacular regular season and winning the NHL’s Presidents’ Trophy, they were eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. But this year, the team has a new weapon in winger Matthew Tkachuk, who joined the Panthers with an eight-year, $76-million contract last summer. Can his gritty style of play—combined with the leadership of veteran captain Aleksander Barkov and the Panthers’ other hotshot players—put the Cats in the hunt to hoist the Cup this year? Don’t miss my feature story, “Calling the Shots,” beginning on page 56, to fi nd out.

From men on ice to women on fi re, check out the inspiring stories of fi ve fi erce females who are turning up the heat as Magic City movers and shakers. Turn to page 64 to get to know them (and get inspired by them) in Jess Swanson’s profi le feature, “Woman Up.”

We’d be hard-pressed to talk about iconic Miami without harking back to the pop culture explosion of the 1990s, when Gianni Versace mingled with models and Madonna and Alisters of all kinds strolled Ocean Drive. There to capture it with his camera (before we all had smartphones in our pockets) was Manny Hernandez, affectionately known as “Manny of Miami.” Travel back in time through his lens in Melissa Puppo’s photo essay feature, “Freeze Frame,” starting on page 74.

We’re lucky to live, work, and play in one of the most iconic cities in the world. I hope this issue inspires you to fi nd your own way to be part of the Magic City infl uence.

Cheers to all things iconic in 2023!

Kristen Desmond LeFevre klefevre@aventuramagazine.com