Twenty-six years. Sixteen coaches. Ten basic managers, together with Dale Tallon twice and one set of brothers, Bryan and Terry Murray.
There have been 5 homeowners, not counting the group of eight traders briefly fronted by beloved Miami quarterback Bernie Kosar, who mentioned hockey was his, “first and special love” earlier than fading away to the larger pockets of Alan Cohen.
Cohen light away after 4 detached seasons, telling folks he preferred investing in horses greater than hockey gamers as a result of, “They don’t talk back.”
Cliff Viner purchased the workforce. His tenure’s reminiscence is of making an attempt a quiet divorce in Key West the place his ex-wife’s relinquishing of any proper to the Panthers grew to become such a talk-story the workforce launched a press release on all of it.
Viner divorced the Panthers after three listless years.
Does this assist any? Does it start to clarify why Friday mattered? Does it inform of the lengthy and tortured treadmill the Panthers had been skating on for greater than a quarter-century?
At 10:43 p.m. on Friday night time, Carter Verhaeghe was once more the cavalry, scoring in extra time because the Panthers beat Washington in a 4-3 thriller. That meant the Panthers gained a playoff collection. That’s no typo. They really gained a collection. A ghost went poof.
“I’m not going to lie, it feels superb,’ mentioned Aleksander Barkov, who’s in his ninth Panthers season.
Dolphins followers bemoan not profitable a playoff recreation since 2000. The Marlins haven’t gained since 2003. That’s children’ stuff in comparison with the Panthers and their 26 years between developments within the playoffs.
Here’s one story: Pavel Bure led the league with 58 targets in 1999-2000, and was benched in a playoff collection the place the Panthers have been swept by New Jersey. Benched.
“Don’t ask me why,” he mentioned then.
Here’s one other story: Jaromir Jagr, who was ushered out of the Eastern Conference finals in 1996 by pesky Panthers like Tom Fitzgerald and Bill Lindsay, joined the Panthers 20 years later. I as soon as requested him about that collection. He requested me one thing again.
“Is it true they haven’t won anything since then?” he mentioned
We might go on with these tales. And on. Mike Keenan, as basic supervisor, fired his coach, Duane Sutter, simply 26 video games into the 2001 season, put himself behind the bench and, later, agreed to phrases on a brand new contract with the one participant this franchise wanted: Roberto Luongo. Keenan then traded Luongo earlier than the contract was signed.
Luongo was traded again to the Panthers seven years later, a part of a constructing roster that made the playoffs in 2016. All the interior wiring was then dismantled in a way that solely the Panthers might do.
The veteran coach, Gerard Gallant, was fired after a street recreation in Carolina and left on his personal so he needed to anticipate a taxi to depart the world. A coach who had no NHL expertise, Tom Rowe, was put in control of operating the entrance workplace and training the workforce.
The anticipated occurred. The Panthers occurred. Disaster occurred once more. And, once more, they allowed folks to stop paying consideration.
Confession: Just penning this boils my blood somewhat, remembering tales I filed away way back. The Panthers had nice hockey males like Bill Torrey offering steering and sustenance — in the event that they wished that — till he died in 2018.
“I’m not sure anyone’s listening to what I say,” he mentioned to me as soon as, after a type of misplaced years. They all mix collectively by now.
All this explains why you needed to be joyful watching Friday’s celebration. And who deserves to be happiest? The lifers inside that franchise. I see ushers who’ve been there endlessly, help employees of the workforce who give a smile in acknowledgement in passing within the halls.
Randy Moller has labored there for many years, a superb and fun-spirited announcer who laughs that his last 12 months enjoying was 1994-95 — the 12 months earlier than they went to the Stanley Cup Finals. His broadcast associate, Steve Goldstein shouted his trademark, “Let’s go home, baby!” after Verhaeghe’s profitable purpose Friday.
He jogged my memory the opposite day that after he mentioned it one night time I discussed it might be a superb signature line for him. He then adopted it as such. Now he closed a collection’ winner with it.
Ed Jovanovski, a rookie within the magic of 1996, is now a workforce broadcaster, giving a historical past lesson Friday as they confirmed highlights from that long-ago season. It’s exhausting to clarify to folks what it was like in 1996 when hockey took over South Florida — or the fervour in 1997 when, say, basic supervisor Bryan Murray traded middle Stu Barnes.
South Florida was irate. He traded Barnes? Why was he breaking apart that workforce? People cared then. Maybe Friday night time was lastly a step again towards that.
“There’s been a lot of talk of not winning, getting knocked out in the first round,” Barkov mentioned. “It’s been there … It’s not there anymore.”
For the primary time in 26 empty years, there was one thing tangible to carry. Jonathan Huberdeau, a Panthers standout for 10 years, was in a position to casually say what no Panther participant has mentioned this time of 12 months, what has been a quarter-century within the ready.
“Now we’ve got to think of the second round,” he mentioned.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com