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Florida Panthers Blogger •
Not as if this is any surprise. Sports Illustrated recently put out an admitted non-scientific article about the best and worst run franchises in all the major sports. I guess those of us in the U.S. can just be thankful the NHL was included in the conversation.
What team kept the Panthers out of the worst spot? Unbelievably but also believably, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The pain of Leafs Nation continues now after a 42-year absence of Lord Stanley's appearance. But at least Brian Burke is now there to right the ship. Unfortunately such optimism continues to be lacking in South Florida.
I previously mentioned in my last blog that the combination of Michael Yormark, Jacques Martin, and owner Alan Cohen have shown all that they are. They have run the gambit. Time for change, even if it's just at the GM level. But since Panther fans are banking on a self-admitted non-hockey guy of an owner to make such a call, the frustration builds. Here is the what SI gave as its reason for Cohen/Florida's ranking:
"Thirteen years after their surprise run to the Stanley Cup finals as a third-year franchise, the Panthers' early success seems as much a fluke as hockey in South Florida. Pharmaceutical tycoon Cohen has been unable to find a way to connect with the fans. He made the wrong hire of Jacques Martin as head coach in 2004, then allowed him to be the team's GM as well after Mike Keenan left two years later. Then last April, as the Panthers were slumping to another lame finish in the Southeast, Cohen relieved Martin of his coaching duties but let him stay on as GM."
This is right on the mark, but there is so much more that could have been said about the dysfunction in this organization. And to be fair, Cohen doesn't need to connect with the fans as much as Yormark has failed in his job of keeping the fans happy and satisfied with this team on and off the ice.
Jacques Martin surely knows nothing about booking the Jonas Brothers (thank God) or Cold Play (dear God make them stop) to play at the Bank Atlantic Center, which still fall under the Yormark and Cohen umbrella. Many Panther fans would say they care just as much OR MORE about booking such concerts as the Panther franchise. Can they be blamed as business men in charge of the whole facility? No. But the candy-coating of this team's failures is the real issue amongst passionate Panther fans. That must stop, but my fear is these two cannot get out of their own way to make the right decisions: to sell the team, step down, or make wholesale philosophical changes to make this team a perennial contender.
I hate the feeling that this franchise is teetering on complete obscurity forevermore. Some would say it's already there. Hopefully something will happen to pull it out of the fire. But who will change or accept the challenge?
UPDATED: I didn't include the link because that helps their traffic and not HB's, but the link is included in the comments. The article covers the five best (Carolina, San Jose, Pittsburgh, NJ, and Detroit), and the five worst (Nashville, Atlanta, NYI, Florida, Toronto). If your team isn't listed, there's nothing on them. Thanks for your input.
What team kept the Panthers out of the worst spot? Unbelievably but also believably, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The pain of Leafs Nation continues now after a 42-year absence of Lord Stanley's appearance. But at least Brian Burke is now there to right the ship. Unfortunately such optimism continues to be lacking in South Florida.
I previously mentioned in my last blog that the combination of Michael Yormark, Jacques Martin, and owner Alan Cohen have shown all that they are. They have run the gambit. Time for change, even if it's just at the GM level. But since Panther fans are banking on a self-admitted non-hockey guy of an owner to make such a call, the frustration builds. Here is the what SI gave as its reason for Cohen/Florida's ranking:
"Thirteen years after their surprise run to the Stanley Cup finals as a third-year franchise, the Panthers' early success seems as much a fluke as hockey in South Florida. Pharmaceutical tycoon Cohen has been unable to find a way to connect with the fans. He made the wrong hire of Jacques Martin as head coach in 2004, then allowed him to be the team's GM as well after Mike Keenan left two years later. Then last April, as the Panthers were slumping to another lame finish in the Southeast, Cohen relieved Martin of his coaching duties but let him stay on as GM."
This is right on the mark, but there is so much more that could have been said about the dysfunction in this organization. And to be fair, Cohen doesn't need to connect with the fans as much as Yormark has failed in his job of keeping the fans happy and satisfied with this team on and off the ice.
Jacques Martin surely knows nothing about booking the Jonas Brothers (thank God) or Cold Play (dear God make them stop) to play at the Bank Atlantic Center, which still fall under the Yormark and Cohen umbrella. Many Panther fans would say they care just as much OR MORE about booking such concerts as the Panther franchise. Can they be blamed as business men in charge of the whole facility? No. But the candy-coating of this team's failures is the real issue amongst passionate Panther fans. That must stop, but my fear is these two cannot get out of their own way to make the right decisions: to sell the team, step down, or make wholesale philosophical changes to make this team a perennial contender.
I hate the feeling that this franchise is teetering on complete obscurity forevermore. Some would say it's already there. Hopefully something will happen to pull it out of the fire. But who will change or accept the challenge?
UPDATED: I didn't include the link because that helps their traffic and not HB's, but the link is included in the comments. The article covers the five best (Carolina, San Jose, Pittsburgh, NJ, and Detroit), and the five worst (Nashville, Atlanta, NYI, Florida, Toronto). If your team isn't listed, there's nothing on them. Thanks for your input.
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