This was a team that spent a decade outside the playoffs looking in. They went 16 years between series wins as well.
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29 Comments
Zito has done absolutely great woek. Paul Maurice already a legend but now with SC after all those years which is epic to be told. Could not be happier for the FLA and by any means Edmonton was no soft kill in seven. Extremely well run organization top to bottom which it was not during the "dry" years which included, sure, individual aces like young Barkov but no cohisiveness. Cohesion indeed came with Paul and took long into last season.
Florida has been my guilty pleasure for decades. I was so happy to see them reach the top. A lot of great stories there (plus the usual shenanigans). I'm happy for Edmonton to win the next three straight.
When you were talking about years of struggle, I couldn’t help by thinking of saying, “Coyote Ugly” to describe NHL failure.
Crazy we were regularly talking about canes and cats moving about ten years ago. Amazing what good ownership does.
What I think is an underappreciated thing about the Panthers is how they've kept players in the organization after they've retired. There's a knowledge base they've kept in house that is essential.
We definitely had some struggle years that’s for sure but this Stanley erased all of that struggle from my heart personally.
I also think Adam Boqvist and Nate Schmidt are going to be more than serviceable in absence of Montour. I somewhat expect Montours production to dip now that he’s off the team as well.
Outstanding Panther post cup evaluation. Thank you. Really enjoy your channel and honesty on all hockey matters,.🐆👍🏻
Frankly, Florida turning it around organizationally is good for the NHL since now it’s one less team that has an unstable foundation and has created a tangible culture for the club. I have similar feelings to Vegas winning last year in the sense that teams succeeding in diverse markets helps both in terms of fan interest and in general visibility for the sport. It’s really interesting how almost a decade ago, so many teams were basically in a tailspin with some rumored to move, and now most of them have turned it around. Coyotes and Thrashers are the exception but the latter fizzled out really quickly and the former was the sport equivalent of Murphys Law. Plus, I still feel both areas could work with stable ownership which at the end of the day is the driving issue with unstable hockey teams in different markets. I really think the relocation rumors are done for now and the NHL is honestly better for it.
And the mediocre future is just ahead!
I'm pretty new to this channel. This dude is awesome. Great content!
Suffered for 30 years with this team. Last 3 years (beginning with President trophy season) has been just incredible
As happy as I am that the cats won, I don’t think we’re gonna win for QUITE a while
I'm worried about Knight's contract. I don't think that's one that would be able to be moved, and it's a lot to pay for a backup that we can only hope has worked through his personal issues.
Knight over Drieger as the backup?
Panthers were 2 shots away from becoming the definitive loser meme of the century. Oilers made their entire game look silly. Congrats on the Cup win but they looked far more human in the end than what 'analysts' were claiming them to be.
Shannon, as a long time Sharks fan, that Patrick Marleau comment (comparing him to Maurice in never getting the Cup) pierced like the sharpest dagger😮 to the heart. You certainly know your hockey! Mercifully, I chose the Cats as my new team.
You talked about Montour not being replaced but I think that Zito is hoping Adam Boqvist can fill that role. It's definitely chancy, but if it works it'll be a genius move. Time will tell.
Keep in mind that ownership changed about ten years ago. It was the new owner that hired Zito and said "do what you need to do to have a first class operation", evidenced today by a very player-positive culture and environment, including investment like the new practice arena in downtown Fort Lauderdale that's a golf cart ride for many on the team down Las Olas. Players want to be a part of the organization and the fun-loving southern Florida extravagance doesn't hurt when recruiting.
Hate hearing all the talk from Canadian hockey fans saying the Oilers deserved the cup more. In 3 years Florida won the presidents trophy, went to the finals, and then won the cup. All while the Oilers were doing nothing in a much easier conference and division.
I never understood the "not a hockey market" argument. Look at pretty much any hockey market, when the team's bad, the attendance is bad. Even in Edmonton, Vancouver, Boston, etc. It's just worse for expansion teams because they need to build a generations-long fanbase to survive those down times
As a Tampa fan we’ve seen a lot of Barkov over the years. He’s always been a problem for us. If you were creating a hockey player in a lab he’d probably end up looking a lot like Barkov. Katchuk seems very similar.
Sold out stadiums??? Who wants to spend the money on a losing team. Fact. 50% of teams lose every game they play and their fans end the night disappointed.
Maybe like 2 years ago, it was said on the news, because it was so unexpected and surprising, that there were available tickets, at lower price, for Canadiens games at the Bell Centre because the team was so bad. When the team wins people will go. It's like that for every market in every sport. The ONLY exception that comes to my mind would be the Tampa Bay Rays. And the Lightning has sellouts. So I totally disagree when people say Florida is not a hockey market.
Boqvist bros. unite!!!!
Great piece Shannon. As a Panther fan since inception, the last couple of weeks have been incredible. Thinking about all the years you mentioned really made this even sweeter. Honestly, last season I'm sure VGK fans were happy, but what had they really been through to experience the true, pure joy us Panthers fans felt on 6/24/2024? They hadn't. Keep up the great videos. Looking forward to another season watching Mr. Hockey.
The roster turnover in that free agency period after the 19-20 season alone is INSANE. If you just compare the rosters from that season to 20-21 you’ll see a complete Zito masterclass in the span of three months
We should not forget the day in 2013 that the Panthers got new ownership. All hail Mr. Vincent Viola. Without him the Stanley Cup was not a possibility
Gm dave Talon change Florida Franchise
The FL Panthes had some horrific owners. Not interested in winning only how to turn a profit. Jay Bo didn't leave, the cats refused to make him a real contract. We had a bunch of quality players come and go because they wouldn't spend money. After years of this, dealing with the fire sales here and with the Marlins. You start getting Jaded. Heizinga started both teams. He treated them exactly the same. Then the carousel started. Bad trades. Terrible draft picks. No real players in their prime only washed vets. That 10 years of playoffs in 30 years is super misleading. This turned around when Vinny Viola took over he made it his goal to win. He made a bunch of changes. Started spending money. Turns out, if you put trash on the rink less people show, less parking, less concession, less merchandise, less advertising. But if you put a quality product out there, all those numbers go up and you aren't just relying on venue sharing. The team took to winning when Jagr got here. Barkov and Huberderp was just floundering. As soon as he got here, Barkov become the Barkov we know now. Oh I can use my big body to be physical? Who would have thought. You didn't go to Panthers games to watch the Panthers, you went to see the away teams. S FL is a star F*ck*r area. If you don't have celebrities on the team, then they drama queens going to games just to be scene don't show up. Someone brought the stardom when he came. Tkachuk brought that look at me attention. Barkov can't do that. Lundell can't do that. Huberderp couldn't do that. Tkachuk's off ice personality is just as important to this franchise as his on ice performance. Now the rest of the team is being seen as celebrities so people show up and buy stuff.