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Florida Panthers Blogger •
This has been a very important week for the Florida Panthers that has been somewhat under the radar around the league. It's no secret the Panthers have been one of the most futile franchises in all of sports this decade, and whether right or wrong, the blame has been put on the hockey decisions of former majority owner Alan Cohen.
Before I get into my thoughts on the new majority owners, let me give my slant on Cohen. There is no question I've been hard on him. Most fans of this organization followed suit. But there is no question he wanted the best for this organization. What reflected very poorly on him were his choices of GMs and coaches that eventually made catastrophic decisions that affected then, now, and the future.
Mike Keenan and Jacques Martin were instrumental in setting this team back so badly the effects are still felt to day in big ways. Many of the old school Panther fans still feel the sting of the Stu Barnes for Chris Wells trade in the late 90's. They probably thought it couldn't get any worse than that. But what has happened in recent years makes that seem like a simple demotion to the minors for conditioning.
The trades of Roberto Luongo and Jay Bouwmeester are the biggest black eyes on this franchise that still haven't healed. Surely no one knows everything that happened behind the scenes with these situations, but when you have the likes of Keenan calling the shots in the Luongo situation, it's his way or the highway, to a major fault. Realistically what was received for a bonafide number one superstar goalie in this league was Bryan Allen and Shawn Matthias. I like both of these players, but please. Matthias still cannot crack the starting lineup for a myriad of reasons, and Allen, while tough as nails, has been banged up and doesn't have much offense in his game.
It was widely speculated that Bouwmeester had some legitimate return value at the trade deadline last year, especially with Philly (JVR). With Jacques Martin calling the shots he gambled, and predictably lost, with the Panthers tanking down the stretch when offense was needed the most. Jay would have brought that to this organization then and now, but the worst case scenario came to fruition. He was traded during the draft, for Jordan Leopold, and once again, please. The organization suffered huge losses in both situations.
Cohen put his trust in these hockey men, who in their own right, do have impressive credentials in this game, AS COACHES. To put them in charge of personnel decisions with Keenan's brashness and Martin's inexperience/stubbornness will end up being the source of negative light on Cohen's tenure. However, I want to thank Mr. Cohen for his efforts to try to the best he could for this club. He wants to win as much as anyone involved with this team. He just didn't know the right time to make changes, or to stick with a course that showed promise.
Stu Siegel and Cliff Viner are now Co-General Partners of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment. With them comes tremendous optimism, hockey sense, and a sense of accountability from top to bottom that will be a welcomed change to this organization.
The most important thing I take away from their new positions is they are local guys. They want to reinvent from the inside and then take that to the public to rejuvenate the fan base and excitement around the team. They both were limited partners within the organization for years, so they know the inner working of the team and community already. They are now in the position to make the changes needed to improve across the board.
Secondly, they ask to be held accountable for their performance and decision making. What was that? Yes, they want to hear from the fans. They want everyone to be involved. Unlike Cohen who didn't want the spotlight and was uncomfortable with the constant criticism, Siegel and Viner want it. They need it. They want to make themselves and the fans proud of that which they support. What more can fans ask for? It is such a breath of fresh air, and I'm so excited about the winds of change.
As is widely known, there is much work to do with this team to make them perennial contenders. Both gentlemen know this as well as anyone as they are admitted huge fans first. In the salary cap era it's harder to make massive changes quickly, but I am confident this tandem will be on the case day and night to give all Panther fans what they have deserved for a long time: success and pride.
Panthers 6, Sabres 2
What just happened? Did the Panthers just show some...dare I say it...killer instinct? Panther fans had to be thinking "here we go again." When we took another bad penalty and the Sabres made it 3-2, with momentum shifting, it looked like a fourth consecutive overtime was on the way. But enough was enough of letting late leads slip away for this team, and they came through in a massive way with three goals a 1:02 span late in the third to put the game away. It was great to see Dominic Moore get his first goal as a Panther in hopes that gets him going.
The Sabres were red hot coming into this game and the Panthers made the best goaltender in the league in Ryan Miller look mediocre. It was a remarkably complete performance in every facet. This team seems to keep things much simpler on the road in terms of game plan, and it showed as their outlets out of their own zone were crisp, bad decisions were few, and Ballard and McArdle brought the noise with several solid hits.
The main issue of concern is still the untimely penalties. There is certainly some youth on this team, so that does have something to do with it, but you can be sure Coach DeBoer is harping on them about this issue as the Red Wings and Rangers await back to back starting tomorrow. To split these two games would be a rousing success for such a tough road trip. Two wins and I might pass out.
With internal change casting sunshine on the entire organization, and the product on the ice coming together under PDB's solid coaching, fans can rest assured that this group is finally in good hands. Time will tell, but odds are this new stability will trickle down in ways that give us something to believe in. It feels good to be proud again. I forgot how it felt.
Dan Spiegel...
Florida Panthers Blogger
Before I get into my thoughts on the new majority owners, let me give my slant on Cohen. There is no question I've been hard on him. Most fans of this organization followed suit. But there is no question he wanted the best for this organization. What reflected very poorly on him were his choices of GMs and coaches that eventually made catastrophic decisions that affected then, now, and the future.
Mike Keenan and Jacques Martin were instrumental in setting this team back so badly the effects are still felt to day in big ways. Many of the old school Panther fans still feel the sting of the Stu Barnes for Chris Wells trade in the late 90's. They probably thought it couldn't get any worse than that. But what has happened in recent years makes that seem like a simple demotion to the minors for conditioning.
The trades of Roberto Luongo and Jay Bouwmeester are the biggest black eyes on this franchise that still haven't healed. Surely no one knows everything that happened behind the scenes with these situations, but when you have the likes of Keenan calling the shots in the Luongo situation, it's his way or the highway, to a major fault. Realistically what was received for a bonafide number one superstar goalie in this league was Bryan Allen and Shawn Matthias. I like both of these players, but please. Matthias still cannot crack the starting lineup for a myriad of reasons, and Allen, while tough as nails, has been banged up and doesn't have much offense in his game.
It was widely speculated that Bouwmeester had some legitimate return value at the trade deadline last year, especially with Philly (JVR). With Jacques Martin calling the shots he gambled, and predictably lost, with the Panthers tanking down the stretch when offense was needed the most. Jay would have brought that to this organization then and now, but the worst case scenario came to fruition. He was traded during the draft, for Jordan Leopold, and once again, please. The organization suffered huge losses in both situations.
Cohen put his trust in these hockey men, who in their own right, do have impressive credentials in this game, AS COACHES. To put them in charge of personnel decisions with Keenan's brashness and Martin's inexperience/stubbornness will end up being the source of negative light on Cohen's tenure. However, I want to thank Mr. Cohen for his efforts to try to the best he could for this club. He wants to win as much as anyone involved with this team. He just didn't know the right time to make changes, or to stick with a course that showed promise.
Stu Siegel and Cliff Viner are now Co-General Partners of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment. With them comes tremendous optimism, hockey sense, and a sense of accountability from top to bottom that will be a welcomed change to this organization.
The most important thing I take away from their new positions is they are local guys. They want to reinvent from the inside and then take that to the public to rejuvenate the fan base and excitement around the team. They both were limited partners within the organization for years, so they know the inner working of the team and community already. They are now in the position to make the changes needed to improve across the board.
Secondly, they ask to be held accountable for their performance and decision making. What was that? Yes, they want to hear from the fans. They want everyone to be involved. Unlike Cohen who didn't want the spotlight and was uncomfortable with the constant criticism, Siegel and Viner want it. They need it. They want to make themselves and the fans proud of that which they support. What more can fans ask for? It is such a breath of fresh air, and I'm so excited about the winds of change.
As is widely known, there is much work to do with this team to make them perennial contenders. Both gentlemen know this as well as anyone as they are admitted huge fans first. In the salary cap era it's harder to make massive changes quickly, but I am confident this tandem will be on the case day and night to give all Panther fans what they have deserved for a long time: success and pride.
Panthers 6, Sabres 2
What just happened? Did the Panthers just show some...dare I say it...killer instinct? Panther fans had to be thinking "here we go again." When we took another bad penalty and the Sabres made it 3-2, with momentum shifting, it looked like a fourth consecutive overtime was on the way. But enough was enough of letting late leads slip away for this team, and they came through in a massive way with three goals a 1:02 span late in the third to put the game away. It was great to see Dominic Moore get his first goal as a Panther in hopes that gets him going.
The Sabres were red hot coming into this game and the Panthers made the best goaltender in the league in Ryan Miller look mediocre. It was a remarkably complete performance in every facet. This team seems to keep things much simpler on the road in terms of game plan, and it showed as their outlets out of their own zone were crisp, bad decisions were few, and Ballard and McArdle brought the noise with several solid hits.
The main issue of concern is still the untimely penalties. There is certainly some youth on this team, so that does have something to do with it, but you can be sure Coach DeBoer is harping on them about this issue as the Red Wings and Rangers await back to back starting tomorrow. To split these two games would be a rousing success for such a tough road trip. Two wins and I might pass out.
With internal change casting sunshine on the entire organization, and the product on the ice coming together under PDB's solid coaching, fans can rest assured that this group is finally in good hands. Time will tell, but odds are this new stability will trickle down in ways that give us something to believe in. It feels good to be proud again. I forgot how it felt.
Dan Spiegel...
Florida Panthers Blogger
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