In the News: Week of September 14th

[OldDave]

Miami Herald
A Fresh Begining

The Panthers kicked off the 2008-09 season Saturday in Kitchner, Ontario, with the Florida rookies dropping a 4-2 decision to Ottawa at the Kitchner Auditorium.

Adam Comrie and Shawn Matthias (pictured) both scored for the Cats; Tyler Plante made 21 saves. Florida continues its rookie tournament Sunday at 2 against the Baby Penguins.

The following two links courtesy of On Frozen Pond...

THN.com
THN.com Blog: Seven who ought to be sensations

... Stephen Weiss, Florida, 25 (drafted fourth overall, 2001).
With Olli Jokinen in Phoenix, Weiss will be featured as the No. 1 center and have the opportunity to better his career highs of 20 goals and 48 points. If he doesn’t do it this year, it’s time for the Panthers to go shopping.

Yahoo! Sports
Puck Daddy: Season Preview: Florida Panthers, Class of '08-'09

... Homecoming King (Top Player): Nathan Horton is signed through 2013. He had 27 goals and 62 points last season, matching his point-total from the previous season. Obviously, the Florida Panthers are going to need more out of the winger to help supplement the 34 goals and 71 points Jacques Martin sent to the desert without any offensive player in return.

... Toughest Class (Biggest Issue Facing the Team): We've touched on the team's offensive question marks and the mystery that is its new head coach. But the biggest issue for the Panthers is that help will never be on the way as long as Jacques Martin is the general manager of this hockey club.

Inept would be putting it kindly. Whenever Panthers fans want to cry about their franchise being lumped into contraction or relocation talk, don't wipe those tears on the media -- throw the wet tissues on the Florida general manager's desk, because it's his years of befuddled coaching and his thus far disastrous tenure in management that put the Panthers on the endangered species list.

[studyaid]

You missed:
THN.ca:TSN.CA'S 30 TEAMS IN 30 DAYS: FLORIDA PANTHERS

. . . While big changes were also made in Florida, it certainly looked more like a rebuilding job compared to their divisional rivals.

With Jacques Martin working as general manager on a full-time basis, the club trimmed away a good number of veteran players up front and strengthened the lineup from goalie out. The roster is a slight contrast to those of more offensive teams like the Capitals and Lightning, but the team has a lot of faith that its young players can carry the load and help take this team to its first playoff berth since 2000.

. . .What they did: The summer was a season of sweeping change for the Panthers, starting upstairs with Martin stepping down from as head coach to concentrate on his general manager duties. His second order of business was breaking off ties with Olli Jokinen, trading the disgruntled captain to the Phoenix Coyotes for defencemen Nick Boynton and Keith Ballard.. . .

. . .What to watch for: Florida has a promising young core of forwards in Stephen Weiss, Nathan Horton, Rostislav Olesz and David Booth, and they should get better with DeBoer helping them get to the next level. With Jokinen and his 71 points gone, Weiss - who scored a career best 20 goals and 48 points two seasons ago - must step up his production as the new No. 1 centre.. . .

. . . The team's biggest strength will be on the blueline. After a forgettable season with the Leafs, McCabe has a clean slate to work with in Florida. He won't have the constant fan and media pressure he had in Toronto and will settle in nicely with a steady core that includes Ballard, Boynton, Jay Bouwmeester, Karlis Skrastins and Bryan Allen.

This group should fare well in front of Tomas Vokoun, who was a game-stealer for a Florida team that missed the playoffs by nine points last season.. . .

. . . Parting Shot: Pop quiz - who led the NHL in average ice time last season? It wasn't Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom or another seasoned vet like Zdeno Chara or Chris Pronger. It was Bouwmeester, and the amount of time he played last season is a huge statement on what he means to this club. Rather than go through their scheduled arbitration in August, the Panthers and Bouwmeester agreed on a one-year, $4.9 million contract which makes the 25-year-old an unrestricted free agent next summer. If the two sides can't come to a long-term contract and the team falls out of playoff contention, it's a sure bet that Martin will be listening to offers for him. The returning assets for one of the league's most promising blueliners would be impressive, but it could also mean another step back for a franchise that's still in a rebuilding stage.

[OldDave]

You missed:

Thanks. In my defense it was on my Outlook Calendar at work -- I would have managed to post it tomorrow.

[OldDave]

George Richards on today's informal(?) practice at Incredible Ice...

Miami Herald
On Frozen Pond: The Gang's All Here -- Almost

Good morning for hockey at Incredible Ice, pretty much the entire 2008-09 Panthers on hand. Well, except for the young kids who just finished rookie camp in Kitchner and Bryan Allen.

So, yes, that means a lot of the guys who haven't been around of late are here now. Jay Bouwmeester, Keith Ballard, David Booth, Rostislav Olesz, et al.

The guys did a lot of hard skating today, lot of full-speed passing work and the like. Training camp will be here in just a few days, kicking off Saturday morning at 10.

...

[OldDave]

Blogapalooza!!!

Palm Beach Post
Biggane: Workouts ramp up as camp nears

The 35 or so Panther veterans who will comprise the bulk of both the Florida and Rochester rosters spent nearly two hours on the Incredible Ice surface Wednesday morning in one of the final workouts prior to Friday’s physicals and Saturday’s first training camp workout, also at the Coral Springs facility.

After defenseman Noah Welch took the lead a few days earlier, Cory Stillman spent some time at the chalkboard drawing up drills before the sides split up for a 45-minute scrimmage that ended the session. Radek Dvorak, Stephen Weiss, Rostislav Olesz and David Booth were among the goal-scorers in the scrimmage, which ended 3-3.

Defenseman Bryan Allen was the only notable absentee.

...

Miami Herald
On Frozen Pond: Dishing it Out

A couple of Florida Panthers were scooping out ice cream in Weston on Tuesday night, Noah Welch and David Booth getting into the fun at Coldstone by creating their own concoctions while hamming it up for the fans who kept wandering in.

Stanley C. Panther was there as well, creating havoc as usual.

As you can guess, slow news day.

...

[Hockey101]

I actually never thought of Stillman-Weiss-Horton as a line. Should work, but it also kinda puts all your eggs in one basket.

Who here thinks that if Weiss doesn't break 50 points as a first line guy he then gets traded?

[darsys]

I actually never thought of Stillman-Weiss-Horton as a line. Should work, but it also kinda puts all your eggs in one basket.

I must agree with 101 that this line would be a bad idea. We need to build three solid lines (two solid and a backup) so we have to share the "talent" such as it is among multiple lines.

[OldDave]

Palm Beach Post
New Florida Panthers coach implements a more aggressive style

Say goodbye to the neutral-zone trap and hello to fast-paced hockey as new coach Peter DeBoer starts to put his stamp on the Panthers.

DeBoer, who will begin his first camp as an NHL head coach on Saturday, will put in place an aggressive, puck-possession game patterned after that of the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.

"We won't be sitting back. We're going to be in your face," said Stephen Weiss, who enters camp as the team's No. 1 center. He played the same role for DeBoer seven years ago at Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League.

"Our bread and butter is going to be forechecking," Weiss said. "It's going to be up-tempo all the time."

Added DeBoer, "We want to pressure the other team. We're definitely not going to sit back waiting for the other team to come at us." ...

Miami Herald
On Frozen Pond: Almost Party Time

... PANTHERS OFFSEASON HIGHLIGHTS

-- Less than a week after the season ends with a loss at Washington (one in which the Caps clinch the Southeast thanks to the Panthers knocking out Carolina the night before), owner Alan Cohen tells me JM will not return as coach but is welcome to come back as general manager.

-- On the first day of free agency, the Panthers sing (sic) forward Cory Stillman, he of two Stanley Cup championships. ...

On Frozen Pond: Cullimore Is Back

Just got word from the Panthers than Jassen Cullimore has accepted an invitation by the team to attend training camp on a professional try out.

... This is a no-lose deal for the Panthers who have more than enough d-men as it is, although if injuries creep up -- or Jasen looks really, really good -- he could stick.

[OldDave]

Miami Herald
Questions linger as Panthers head into camp

It was a summer of change for the Florida Panthers, with the team changing coaches and retooling the roster after it missed the playoffs for the seventh season in a row.

The new-look Panthers get back on the ice Saturday for the first time as training camp opens in Coral Springs.

... Who replaces the 30-plus goals Jokinen was good for each season? Which rookie is going to make the team out of training camp? Do the Panthers have what it takes to make the postseason jump?

Those questions will begin to be answered Saturday.

[studyaid]

Sun-Sentinel
Florida Panthers: Five questions concerning the team

1. Will the Panthers be able to fill the huge scoring void left by Olli Jokinen's departure?
GM Jacques Martin is gambling yes, which is why he traded the team's leading scorer the past five seasons. Nathan Horton has the talent to be a 40-goal, 80-point forward but has yet to fulfill his potential in his first four NHL seasons.. . .

2. How will defenseman Jay Bouwmeester's contract situation affect him and his teammates?
Bouwmeester's uncertain future has the potential to be a major distraction for this team. All indications are the All-Star won't re-sign — he has turned down offers from them — though the Panthers' brass hopes to change his mind before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in July.. . .

3. Who will be the new captain and leader?
Coach Peter DeBoer could decide not to have a captain or rotate the "C" among players. Jokinen's leadership abilities were questioned, and being this struggling team's leader will be no easy task. Tomas Vokoun, who called out teammates collectively several times last season, would be a natural choice for captain if he wasn't a goalie.. . .

4. How will DeBoer fare in his first season in the NHL?
Weiss and winger Gregory Campbell, who also played for DeBoer in juniors, rave about him as a coach. Panthers fans can expect a more attacking style of play than they saw with Martin as coach.. . .

5. What results can be expected from offseason moves?
A mediocre blue-line has been fortified with Bryan McCabe, who comes from Toronto in exchange for Mike Van Ryn, and Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton, who were picked up from Phoenix for Jokinen. The defense is now one of the most formidable in the Eastern Conference.. . .

[OldDave]

Miami Herald
Center of Attention -- With Tons of Quotes ... a long entry with (wait for it) Tons of Quotes

As we speculated this summer, it appears Nathan Horton will be moving to center at least on a tryout basis on Saturday.

That means those Sunrise Express (should have been Sawgrass Express IMHO) T-shirts you all bought last season will be collector's items.

... Said Horton: "I haven't played [center] since junior, but it's a lot more fun when you can move around and go anywhere on the ice. You can help out more, have more responsibility. I think it'll be fun, but who knows what will happen. We'll see tomorrow, I guess.''

... (Peter DeBoer on) his vision: "My concern is making us the hardest working team in the league. We want to play the right way, be a tough team to play against. If we play that way, success is going to come.''

On Frozen Pond: Training Camp Primer

The Panthers kick off their 2008-09 season Saturday morning at Incredible Ice in Coral Springs.

The opening practice kicks off at 10 a.m., with a scrimmage an hour later. Players will then go across the street for an off-ice workout, so if you're planning on waiting for autographs, bring something cold to drink. It's going to be a while.

Parking is also going to be at a premium ...

Sun-Sentinel
MEDIA DAY BREAKDOWN

All 54 Panthers players reported for training camp today and took their physicals. I'll update this blog throughout today. The biggest news of the day: right winger Nathan Horton -- who today was sporting a freshly shaved bald head and goatee -- is moving to center. GM Jacques Martin said that's the way Horton can best help the team.

What does that mean? Well, the Panthers now have a No. 1 and No. 2 center in Horton and Stephen Weiss, but their top line from last season -- David Booth, Weiss and Horton -- will be broken up. The "Sunrise Express" as they came to be named by ya'll, had to be separated with the loss of Olli Jokinen, Martin said. ...

Palm Beach Post
Williams injury huge in Southeast

There’s a consensus around the NHL this year that Washington will be the class of the Southeast Division. No argument there. After their tremendous run under first-year coach Bruce Boudreau and solid playoff showing, the Caps are clearly the team to beat.

But after that? Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay would seem to be very closely grouped. And that makes this week’s Achilles injury to Hurricanes forward Justin Williams all the more important. ...

[studyaid]

Uggghhhh I'm starting to move my schedule earlier and earlier to try to go to the practice tomorrow. I was originally thinking about trying to get there at 9:00 but now since they are having the broadcast there at 9:00 I may have to try for 8:30. I was also thinking about going skating tomorrow with my son, so it looks like it may be a long day at the ice rink.

[darsys]

That means those Sunrise Express (should have been Sawgrass Express IMHO) T-shirts you all bought last season will be collector's items.

Thank god. It was a horrible name.

[Whale4ever]

Anyone going to the practice tomorrow?

I'll be there in Whalers road blue, #1, Sean Burke. Duh.

[The Endeavour]

"The biggest news of the day: right winger Nathan Horton -- who today was sporting a freshly shaved bald head and goatee -- is moving to center. GM Jacques Martin said that's the way Horton can best help the team."

Am I missing something or shouldn't Martin let DeBoer take care of what's happening ON the ice?

[Hockey101]

"The biggest news of the day: right winger Nathan Horton -- who today was sporting a freshly shaved bald head and goatee -- is moving to center. GM Jacques Martin said that's the way Horton can best help the team."

Am I missing something or shouldn't Martin let DeBoer take care of what's happening ON the ice?

Maybe he spoke for DeBoer, who knows? I prefer to have JM more available to the media than DeBoer.

I thought this was a must move to have Horton back as center. He knows how to play it. He was top line center in juniors. I still think that no matter what, we need a top six forward and we may get one before the start of the season. The Rangers will definitely be selling a forward before starting the season, so that could be interesting for us and i'd be eyeing Sjostrom. He is speedy and gritty.

[OldDave]

Sun-Sentinel
Horton wants to become leader of revamped roster

... Friday, for the first time since 2000, Olli Jokinen was not here, a reality center Stephen Weiss described as "weird." A newly hired coach promised "a clean slate" for every player and stressed he didn't want anyone "dragging any baggage from the past" into this camp.

He guaranteed any young player — Shawn Matthias, Michael Frolik or someone else — a spot on the opening night roster if it was earned. A general manager now relieved of the burden of also being coach boasted of a retooled defense — achieved in part by trading Jokinen — that's more physical, grittier and more capable of scoring. And perhaps more important, Jacques Martin said of the 2008-09 roster, "I really believe we've improved the character of our club so we can deal with times of frustration and adversity better than we have in the past."

Gorten: Your blog, your voice

Just as the Panthers are starting the season with a fresh clean slate and a promise to perform greater, I'm doing the same with this blog -- your blog. Here's what you can expect for this season ...

Gorten: Going Camping

The Panthers are flying out to Canada on Monday afternoon and they'll play six preseason games in six nights before returning. Soooooo, if you want to see your team before then, you'll have three chances. Here's the team's practice schedule leading up to their departure. All practices are open to the public.

Saturday and Sunday -- Practice at 10 a.m. followed by a scrimmage at 11 am, both at Incredible Ice in Coral Springs.

Monday -- Practice at 8 a.m. at Incredible Ice

Miami Herald
David J.Neal: For Panthers, time for action, not words

Friday's Panthers' pre-training camp Media Day featured the annual speaking of all the right words.

They're the same words Panthers followers know and loathe from the last umpteen training camps after another missed playoff: We want to be a hard-working team. Our scoring improvement should come from our young guys maturing. We have good leadership supplemented by the veterans we've acquired this summer.

Even if it makes a difference that one of the voices saying some of those words comes from a new mouth, first-time NHL coach Peter DeBoer, you can't help but think, Shut up and do it. ...

On Frozen Pond: LIVE! From Coral Springs

... it's Hockey Day in South Florida, the start of Florida Panthers' training camp just a few minutes away. Coming to you from the Breakaway Grill on the second floor of Incredible Ice, folks milling around below me checking out the Panthers gear for sale.

Palm Beach Post
Panthers moving Nathan Horton from wing to center

One of the biggest questions of Panthers training camp was answered even before a single player took the ice when first-year coach Peter DeBoer announced Friday that Nathan Horton will move from right wing to center.

DeBoer harkened back to Horton's days as a star center in junior hockey in naming him the likely replacement for the departed Olli Jokinen.

"He was a dominant center in junior," recalled DeBoer, who faced him while he was coaching at Kitchener and Horton was playing at Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League. "He went head-to-head against (Eric) Staal night in and night out and usually came out on top." ...

Noteworthy: With only eight defensemen under contract, the Panthers announced that Jassen Cullimore, 35, will join camp on a tryout basis. He played 65 games for Florida last season.

"We like Jassen," General Manager Jacques Martin said. "We'll give him a chance to play and hopefully by the end of camp we'll have a contract for him."

[The Endeavour]

"The biggest news of the day: right winger Nathan Horton -- who today was sporting a freshly shaved bald head and goatee -- is moving to center. GM Jacques Martin said that's the way Horton can best help the team."

Am I missing something or shouldn't Martin let DeBoer take care of what's happening ON the ice?

Maybe he spoke for DeBoer, who knows?

I hope that's it.

[OldDave]

Miami Herald
On Frozen Pond: LIVE! Scrimmage

First scrimmage of the season here at Incredible Ice in Coral Springs. It's Saturday, and it's time for hockey.

Blue vs. White; Nathan Horton centering the first White line, Rostislav Olesz and Cory Stillman on the wings; Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton behind.

For the blue, it's Stephen Weiss-David Booth-Richard Zednik with Jassen Cullimore and Jay Bouwmeester. Tomas Vokoun in net for the White, Craig Anderson the Blue.

-- Tanner Glass gives the White a 1-0 lead...

The Sun-Sentinel's Steve Gorten has a blog entry as well.

Wow! There's obviously tons of excitement from ya'll about the Panthers' 2008-09 season. It took me 15 minutes to find a parking spot around Incredible Ice this morning to catch the team's first practice of training camp. There were cars everywhere I looked -- even the lots of the middle school across the street were full. There are hundreds of fans here -- more than at some Marlins home games.

...I'm thinking Bryan Allen might be hurt. He wasn't at the voluntary practices earlier this week either. Allen's definitely out. Don't know why yet. A few other players are also scratches, including Wade Belak.

And the Palm Beach Post's Brian Biggane checks in...
Day 1: Live from Incredible Ice

More than 1,000 people already on hand as the Panthers head out for their first workout of the 2008-09 training camp at Incredible Ice Saturday morning. We’ll be updating on developments as they happen, including line combinations and defense pairings. Right off the bat, the team got a loud ovation as they gathered at center ice to begin the workout.

A couple of leftovers from the Nathan Horton story in today’s paper:

— The first NHL coach to play Horton at center called moving him back there “an excellent move by the coaching staff.” Rick Dudley, who coached the Panthers for a time in 2003-04 and now serves as assistant GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, recalled that Horton was “brilliant” as a rookie and thinks he’ll be much more involved than he was at wing.

Dudley was near tears that night in Vancouver after Brent Sopel took Horton into the boards, seriously injuring his shoulder. ...

[studyaid]

Anyone going to the practice tomorrow?

I'll be there in Whalers road blue, #1, Sean Burke. Duh.

I saw you, but I'm just checking the board now, so I didn't know it was you. Sorry.

[studyaid]

Sun-Sentinel Blog
Bouwmeester says refusal to commit not about money

. . . Basically, as many of us have thought, Bouwmeester said his refusal to accept any of the Panthers' several offers -- they've been between $6 and $7 million a season for anywhere between one year and six years - has nothing to do with money.

"If you're just in it to sign a contract and get money out of it, you're doing it for the wrong reasons," he said. "It's got to be a good situation."

Bouwmeester said he's frustrated with not making the playoffs in his five NHL seasons with the Panthers and wasn't going to decide this summer whether to re-sign or leave as an unrestricted free agent after all the latest edition of offseason changes. . . .

. . . "I've been here five years and haven't played in a playoff game. It's not fun for anybody," Bouwmeester. "I'm partly to blame for that, too, I know that.. . .

[OldDave]

Miami Herald
On Frozen Pond: Bo's Still Here

... On Keith Ballard: “He's a good player. For sure, this defense is the best we've had since I've been here. There's some pretty solid players. And we have great goalies. Looking at things, we should be solved defensively. Hopefully we have some guys who have some breakout years and continue the offense and all that. We should be good defensively if everyone plays the way they can.''

... Going to a traditional hockey market: “Obviously there are differences no matter where you go. This isn't a hockey market by any means. But at the same time, we do have good fans and when we do well, people show up and this is a fun place to play. Most of that is our fault because we haven't been good for a little while. That's no excuse. It's all speculation.''

... No distraction: “It's not going to be. It's done. I have a year, and you can't do anything until January anyway. It's no distraction. When the time comes, we'll deal with it.''

Sun-Sentinel
Panthers center on new coach DeBoer: "He's going to push us, but he's fair"

... "I think I have a good feel for all of the guys," DeBoer said Friday at BankAtlantic Center, where 54 players arrived for physicals. "I haven't had an opportunity to sit down and meet with everybody, but we're going on the road for quite a while here, so I can sit with everybody through that span.

So, Study and Whale. How was it at I.Ice this morning? One of you should start a thread to discuss it...

[Hockey101]

I saw Murph! I got sooooooooooo excited that i didn't even think about asking for an autograph! Good to talk to ya Murph! My dad liked ya.

I was on the other side of the complex where some drills were had and later a small group, including Belak and Allen, were there doing some hard working drills. Not sure he is hurt. He was skating hard. Maybe they want him to stay out of physical play for a bit.

Tseu looked shaky at first in drills, but he's got some good abilities.

Weiss looked like the same.

I really enjoyed watching Frolik play. He's a special talent.

Stewart and McArdle were excellent. Stewart's got to chill it down though. That hit on Olesz was a bit too much i thought and they both gave each other a bad stare.

McCabe looked in shape.

Something is different about this team now. I don't know what, but i have a lot of faith in it. And holy crap....the defense is packed now with Cullimore.

Bo
McCabe
Allen
Ballard
Boynton
Skrastins
Murphy
Welch (damn he is big)
Cullimore

A trade is right around the corner. This is one solid defensive group though.

I am really excited to see Horts back at center. Not sure how good on face offs he is, but i always saw him better fit as a center than a RW. If he was lefty, then LW would be ideal. But, let the guy play center!

Either way, we need a winger and it will either be Parrish, or we the defense to get a winger. I'd be open to trade Welch for a solid young winger too.

I think the best part about today were the coaches. Man o Man. Very demanding and pushy. I like that.

Hery Eric, were you the guy with the white Vokoun jersey, standing up, holding a photo frame?

[studyaid]

Hery Eric, were you the guy with the white Vokoun jersey, standing up, holding a photo frame?

Eric may be old and fat, but not that fat That was not Eric. If you saw somebody in a blue Vokoun jersey with a 5-year old boy in a red shirt, that was me and my son. I was two people in front of Murph for the equipment sale, and unhappy that I did not get a bag.

[Hockey101]

Hery Eric, were you the guy with the white Vokoun jersey, standing up, holding a photo frame?

Eric may be old and fat, but not that fat That was not Eric. If you saw somebody in a blue Vokoun jersey with a 5-year old boy in a red shirt, that was me and my son. I was two people in front of Murph for the equipment sale, and unhappy that I did not get a bag.

I don't remember Eric the one time i saw him months ago for a couple of minutes or so. All i remember was him having a white Vokoun jersey. This guy did not have glasses, though, so i dunno....i was just wondering!

I didn't catch ya.