head coach: Doug MacLean

roster: C - Kirk Muller, Rob Niedermayer, Dave Gagner, Steve Washburn, Chris Wells. LW - Johan Garpenlov, Dave Lowry, Bill Lindsay, Radek Dvorak, David Nemirovsky. RW - Scott Mellanby, Ray Sheppard, Jody Hull, Tom Fitzgerald. D - Robert Svehla, Gord Murphy, Ed Jovanovski, Paul Laus, Terry Carkner, Rhett Warrener, Dallas Eakins. G - John Vanbiesbrouck, Mark Fitzpatrick.

injuries: Rob Neidermayer, c (concussion, 1 to 2 weeks); Dallas Eakins, d (MCL, 4 to 6 weeks); Terry Carkner, d (sprained ankle, day-to-day).

transactions: None.

standings:

GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   HOME      ROAD
 2   1   1   0     2    6    6  0-0-0     1-1-0

game results:

10/01 Philadelphia   L 3-1 
10/04 Penguins       W 5-3 

team news:

by Eric Seiden, Florida Correspondent

The hockey announcer was silent at Miami Arena because the Panthers opened their season away and were not due back until the 13th. With much fanfare, the regular season began in Philadelphia.

The Panthers began their season much like they ended their last one. The Panthers came out like champs in the first period, and doing a typical Miami Team Play, did not come back for the rest of the game. They ended up going down for the count with a final tally of 3-1. Goaltending was superb with John Vanbiesbrouck stopping a penalty shot by Trent Klatt. A penalty shot was certainly an ominous way to begin the season. This was the inaugural game with Scott Mellanby as team captain, and only the second in team history. Rob Niedermayer joins Gord Murphy in wearing the "A" on his jersey.

This away game set a bad tone with fans at home. Many fans attributed the loss to the fact Johan Garpenlov's name was spelled wrong on his jersey. The Panthers opening the season away and not coming home until 13 days later was grinding down the fans' nerves. However, the fans' despair would be reversed the following night.

Not being the ones to start the season off without a big crunch, the Panthers announced that Dallas Eakins had torn his MCL in the final exhibition game putting him out for four to eight weeks. The Panthers will be off for a whole week after their Saturday game against Pittsburgh before they play again, in one of the many oddities of this year's schedule.

The game against Pittsburgh was a great game for the Panthers. While once again the fans saw the misspelled jersey, that was about the only thing that went wrong for the Panthers. Dave Gagner, a new Panther, scored a hat trick. It was the first time that a new Panther has gotten his first point and his first hat trick for the team in the same night. The Bud Ice Penguins fell to a newly rejuvinated Panthers team. Bill Lindsay scored his 100th point as a Panther, and he did so while scoring the game winner to top it all off. In the last four shots on goal, the Panthers scored three times, one of which was an empty-netter. Another recent Panther addition, Kirk Muller, also got on the board in the first period, silencing some critics last season who said he didn't play well.

It was a short first week with the Panthers only playing two games in seven days. However, the off-season was busy for the Panthers. There were many moves, some of which both surprised and shocked fans and players alike.

On July 1st, Mike Hough became a New York Islander, after first telling the Panthers he would retire, and then saying he would only re-sign under a multi-year contract. Hough was an unrestricted free agent. The 34-year-old Hough has played 11 seasons in the NHL, including the last four with the Florida Panthers as a member of their inaugural team. Last year as a Panther in 69 games, he recorded eight goals and six assists with 48 penalty minutes.

On July 4th, Florida Panther players Martin Straka and Geoff Smith were given their Independence Day and had their contracts bought out. Straka had a disappointing year for the Panthers after being acquired from the New York Islanders for the princely sum of one US dollar. Geoff Smith, one of this reporter's favorite defensemen, had spent most of last season in the minors. Once he was called up, he lasted one game before being placed on "injured reserve" with a supposedly dislocated shoulder so he would be eligible to play in the Cup should we need him. Again, Smith was another inaugural Panther and his departure makes the total much smaller. Due to his age, he is not expected to be picked up by an NHL team. Straka returned to the Penguins.

On July 5th, the Panthers signed unrestricted free agent center Dave Gagner from the Calgary Flames to a three-year contract. Terms were undisclosed but expected to be around $2 million per year. Gagner is expected to be a 30-goal scorer. On this same date, free-agent Terry Carkner was re-signed to a three-year contract. It was also announced Kirk Muller, a late season acquisition last year, would move to left wing to make up for a glut of centers.

On July 6th, the second most popular Panther and team captain since day-one, Brian Skrudland became a New York Ranger with a three-year, $5 million deal. The Panthers final offer to Skrudland was $2.7 for two years. Skrudland was voted as team captain by players on the inaugural team, and was the strongest moral support in the team's locker room. His strong and determined leadership were unchallenged. His departure was the second blow to the team's and fans' psyches by GM Bryan Murray who last season was lambasted universally for the departure of fan favorite and prodigal son Stu Barnes (in a misguided trade for Chris Wells.)

The loss will be critical. From the April 15th edition of the Miami Herald, sportswriter Clark Spencer said, "Skrudland is the soul of the Panthers. He's not the oldest. He's not the fastest. He's not the biggest. He has scored just 32 goals in an entire four-year career with the Panthers, never more than fifteen in any of his twelve NHL seasons. But he is their leader -- in the locker room and on the ice."

Moving back to July 6th, the team had many comments in the local media after his loss, "He's a leader for us, no doubt about that" Coach Doug MacLean said. "It's a loss not to have him."

Said Gord Murphy, "Skrewy has always been a very valuable part of our whole system, both on and off the ice. In the dressing room, he always seems to have a knack for knowing what needs to be said, whether it's a kick in the behind or a calming word. We see how hard he works out there and we all try to emulate him a little more."

"We miss everything he does," Vanbiesbrouck said. "He has that much of an impact on us. Our biggest loss tonight is Brian Skrudland. There's not much more I can say about that."

"Take a look at Brian," Panthers left wing Dave Lowry said. "You're not going to replace a guy like that."

In a prescient advanced warning, in the April 27th edition of the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, staff writer Karen Crouse said, "The Panthers, one of the final two teams playing last year, were the first team eliminated from Stanley Cup contention this season because they were a couple of bodies and body parts short. By the end they were missing pieces of their heart (Bill Lindsay, sprained left ankle), their soul (Brian Skrudland, torn right knee ligaments) and their brain (Garpenlov, broken rib.)"

On July 7th, the Panthers signed restricted free agent Dallas Eakins, a defenseman from the New York Rangers. Eakins is a local boy and also a former Panther. He was born in Dade City, Florida and remains the only native-born Floridian to ever play for the Panthers. Eakins was drafted 10th round, 208th overall in 1985. Eakins played 17 games for Florida in the 1994-1995 season, and one game in the 1993-1994 season. He is noted for his ability to step on to the ice and pass the puck on the way to the penalty box for roughing.

On July 21st, the Panthers lost one of their best assistant coaches when Lindy Ruff returned to the Buffalo Sabres where he played for over ten years. He will be a fine head coach, but his absence will be sorely felt both in the locker room and on the ice.

On July 29th, Joe Cirella was signed as the Panthers' Assistant Coach. This caused heated discussion among many people. He was never a great player and many even called his leadership abilities into question. While it was nice to have a Panther back, his qualifications were questioned by many a fan. The fan favorite choice was former, retired ex-Panther and ex-Blackhawk, Keith Brown.

On September 5th, the Panthers signed free-agent LW Esa Tikkanen to a one-year contract with renewable options that could extend the deal to three years. "Esa is an experienced player who has had great success as proven by his five Stanley Cup rings," said Murray. "He brings a winning and competitive attitude to the team. Esa is a Panthers' type of competitor and is the kind of player we have always pursued since day one of the franchise." Tik will have to prove he can play in the regular season to silence his many critics.

On this same date, the Panthers re-signed Goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick.

RANDOM NOTES:

All Panthers games EXCEPT ONE will televised this year. The lone exception is the February 7th, 1998 game at Toronto. So unless you get CBC you're out of luck. Fox is not planning to exercise its option on this game and SportsChannel Florida isn't allowed to have it. Start writing letters RIGHT NOW if you want to see this one locally in Florida. The Cats are on ESPN twice and FOX seven times, with 72 games on SCFL.

[ issues | web extra | stats | nhl archive | home | chat | mailing list | about us | search | comments ]

1997 © Copyright LCS Hockey All Rights Reserved