The Futility of Using the Blackhawks "Blueprint" With the Florida Panthers

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• After reading my good friend CATFAN927's comments, there isn't really much I can add. He has done an excellent job of relaying the frustrations that thousands of Panthers fans feel on a daily basis. We are a passionate fan base, and we are tired of the negativity that surrounds our team. On a day when most of us were filled with hope after the signing of the man responsible for the turnaround in Chicago, we read that his efforts will supposedly go for naught because he doesn't "have a snowball's chance in Sunrise of making hockey a hit in south Florida." It's frustrating, to say the least, that the "media" (if BNT can be considered the media) is already doing its part to poison the well of potential new fans by deeming Tallon's efforts as unworthy of their consideration. It does a disservice to the Panthers, their fans, and to Dale Tallon for the BNT to post such an odious piece before the new GM has even moved into his office at the BankAtlantic Center. This town will rally around a winner. It's been proven. But before it does, it needs to be shown something other than blatant negativity in the press. When the local TV stations don't care enough to correctly pronounce the names of the players (when they even bother to show the Panthers scores), and the local sports-radio talkshow hosts say "don't call in here talking about hockey. I don't want to hear about hockey," they are just further demoralizing the already tender psyche of the thousands of Panthers fans out there... Not to mention smothering the hope of the sport reaching new people within the community...

• Thomas Francis obviously you don't know what you are writing about. For many years the Blackhawks couldn't get 10,000 people into their arena. They couldn't give away tickets. It wasn't until Tallon turned the team into a winner and now they are the hottest team in Chicago. When the Panthers last went to the playoffs 10 years ago the arena was full, it has been bad management that has ruined this team. Ten years of losing turned off the fans, rightfully so. Do a little research before you write something you obviously know nothing about.

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• ""You make some good points. I suppose I should be a little more patient and optimistic with Tallon, who by all accounts is a class act and who most definitely made some great moves during his time with the Hawks."" This we agree on for sure, patience is definitely going to be necessary. And inasmuch as I do not think it will be necessary to take a "step back" (from what, last years misery?). It will take more than just one off season for Tallon to make us "contenders" for the Cup. The playoffs should be expected, and once you are in the playoffs anything can happen (see #7 Philly vs #8 Montreal in this years East Finals), and still I think the nucleus of the Panthers is good enough to achieve the playoffs. They will need help, and Tallon is just the guy to evaluate and sign the right players to make it happen. "My frustration is with the fans, actually. As someone who loves the sport of hockey, I simply don't understand why more people here aren't willing to give it a chance." Well in my opinion, because most everyone who lives here comes from someplace else, they come with their old allegiances, and until the local team "gives them a reason" to give that allegiance up by being a consistent winner your not going to see them "often". They will come out to see their old team, and maybe will show up for an additional game or two during the season, but until being a Panthers is an "in" thing they are going to be a tougher draw. ""I've been in lots of locker rooms. Some teams are made up of a bunch of overgrown boys having a blast playing the game. Other teams -- and this was my sense from being in the Panthers' locker room -- have players who are very conscious of doing a "job." "" Winning is fun, I don't care if you are playing for Beer or for a paycheck, if you are not winning enough, or do not think you have a chance to win, it's tough. When it's also our job, and therefore you are not having fun at work, you are going to reflect it. ""But a World-Series-contending Marlins team couldn't sell out for a playoff game, "" in a 55,000 seat football stadium, when the new Baseball Park is open and seats a more appropriate 37,500 under a retractable roof, eliminating the heat, the mozzies, the occasional rain (LOL), etc. I have little doubt that if the Marlins contend, or at least continue to be the pleasingly exciting team to watch that they are now, they too will draw better. I went to the Mets/Marlins game a few weeks ago and was so uncomfortable having to sit at a 45 degree angle in my "outfield box seat" on the first base side that I got up and moved to a fish tank area, which frankly was to far away to truly enjoy the action anyway. I will be more likely to travel the extra 20 minutes to the new park because I know it's going to be a much more pleasurable experience, I cannot fathom that I am alone in this concept.

• so lame this blog! the only time the team was any good at all south florida LOVED the Panthers. the idea that if they win no one will go or care is uninformed. let's see if they win and what happens. And the Marlins tell everyone how horrible their stadium is all the time. Thats part of the reason people don't go. If youre told something is bad for years and years, why go there? The panthers have actually had ddecent support considering how awful the team has been run and decisions by gm's made!

• @ CATFAN: You make some good points. I suppose I should be a little more patient and optimistic with Tallon, who by all accounts is a class act and who most definitely made some great moves during his time with the Hawks. My frustration is with the fans, actually. As someone who loves the sport of hockey, I simply don't understand why more people here aren't willing to give it a chance. As a reporter, I've been in lots of locker rooms. Some teams are made up of a bunch of overgrown boys having a blast playing the game. Other teams -- and this was my sense from being in the Panthers' locker room -- have players who are very conscious of doing a "job." These are incredibly talented athletes who make huge sacrifices to get to this level, and they deserve better. I know they're well-paid and all, but that isn't the same as the euphoria that's happening for Chicago players now, where an entire city is rallying for a team. When kids in Canada and the northern U.S. grow up dreaming of their pro career, that's what they think about; the paycheck's secondary. If you think the Panthers can captivate South Florida in that way, I hope you're right. But a World-Series-contending Marlins team couldn't sell out for a playoff game, so I have a hard time believing that a dominant Panther squad will make it into the top-ten for league attendance.

• OK, I thank you for your admiration, and now that you have made some things a bit clearer, let's look at some things. First off, let us look at the culture surrounding the team. For me, as a long time fan (been bleeding Panthers since June 6, 1993, you can look it up) I have thrilled with the unlikely successes of the first 4 years and all of the ups and downs since then. Yet as a fan my passion goes unchanged. I don't think there is some "miracle" he has to perform. Just ice a winning competitve team and the fans will come. People will jump on the bandwagon as soon as it appears to gather steam. That's typical of most any team, less than 2.5 years ago a friend of mine went to a Panther-Capitals game in DC and was one of maybe 5000 fans in attendance. Later that season they changed head coaches and the fortune of the team changed. Now you cant even find a seat for most reg season games. Same story in Chicago 4 years ago, same story in Detroit during the mid 70's when there fans called 'em the "Dead Things". No conjured up promotion will put an ass every 18 inches faster than winning. Like I said before, at the end of the 08-09 season the BAC was filling up more and more and for a brief period, things looked like they were going up. Unfortunately it did not happen as we got screwed on a technicality. Now on to today and the future: Rick Dudley told Tallon that he is starting from a far better position here than he did in Chicago. The core of this team is still the same as the 93 point team of 08-09. And as far as being able to sign "top talent" or superstars via the FA market I do not see Ovie/Crosby/nor Datsuk in the finals. What I do see are two 20 man teams willing to put it all on the line in order to win. Hell Duncan Keith gave a third of his teeth and came back to play in the 3rd period. That's heart,guts, and a commitment to the team. Hell that's what made the early years of the Panthers such a success. Now what can be done outside of the actual Organization to improve the "culture"? Well let's start with the media. Why the hell should we already be saying "Tallon Can't Do It Here" before he has even made one move. What good did this do? Other than getting me up in arms on a night I had been rather enjoying. Was it productive in any way shape or form? Will it help shape a readers mind that a PANTHERS hockey game might be worth checking out ? Nope, you sounded just like every other northeast or Canadian writer who says that the team should not exist, should be contracted, or moved to some small bumblefuk town north of the border that lost their team years ago due to poor attendance. I am not saying you have to be RAH RAH positive like I choose to be, but hell give the guy a chance,say it might be more difficult to do here, but do not say its not possible, because when it does change, and the Panthers are perennial playoff contenders, you will look back on this and "Holy shit was I wrong!!" Let's Go Panthers!!!

• Listen, I admire the hell out of you Panthers fans. I just wish there were enough of you to fill an arena. And there's a lot to like about some of the Panthers' young talent -- Booth and Frolik, in particular. My point is that the team still lacks the building blocks for becoming a popular South Florida sports franchise. One of those is shrewd front-office management, and even if they've found it in Tallon, and even he gets some of the lucky breaks he had in Chicago, he's got to do miracle work to generate a modicum of the enthusiasm in South Florida that the Hawks have right now in Chicago. And Tallon doesn't get all the credit. In fact, his blunders in free agency last summer will haunt the Hawks in years to come. The guy has a far smaller margin for error in the Panthers organization. But as a hockey fan (yes, I've been to Panthers games), I'm rooting for him. I think South Floridians are missing out on a great sport.

• Go Blackhawks. Kick Flyer ass.

• Jeez I only got the link to this garbage and didnt even bother to see where it came from. I assumed it was another ass clown from the NE. Now I find out this schmuck is actually local. Screw you pal, don't bother showing up to a Panthers game at any time. Don't jump on board when things change, you are not ever welcome in the BAC!

• Wow!! What a freaking arrogant and ignorant ass you have just made of yourself!! Really! It can't work. Seems to me until old man Wirtz finally keeled over dead the Hawks were becoming completely irrelevant in a so called "great sports town". Have you ever been to a Panthers Game. I highly doubt it since we only got to play the Hawks in Helsinki. (and split the 2 games) There are a large number of hardcore Panthers fans which I can tell you, is not easy. But we are here!! Where were you in 1996? Or in 2000 when the then NCRC was packed as Pavel Bure led us into what would be our last playoff appearance? Oh that's right, the Hawks were in a string of missing the playoffs in 9 of 11 years and not getting out of the first round in the other 2 winning only a combined 3 games. It's funny you mention the "Young Stars" we couldn't keep like Boumeester (who really helped out Calgary this year huh), yet fail to mention Steven Weiss, Nathan Horton, David Booth, and Michael Frolik who are all still very much Panthers and most of which are wrapped up in long term deals. Towards the end of the 2009 season when the Panthers were truly competing for the 8th spot, there were more "classic" (I use that term loosely) Panther jerseys showing up than I had seen in years. If Tallon can do it again for the PANTHERS, unlike the Marlins who currently play in a stadium that is horrible for baseball (we are waiting for the new ballpark in 2012) PANTHERS fans will return, and new fans will rapidly be created!! Now go and enjoy your Cup Finals that Dale Tallon orchestrated for you. GO HAWKS!!! Please beat those stinkin Flyers!

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