103 replies to this topic

[ahtikullervo]

35 Alex AULD 1.475.000
20 Ed BELFOUR 750.000
31 Craig ANDERSON 650.000

24 Ruslan SALEI 2.775.000
4 Jay BOUWMEESTER 2.100.000
26 Mike VAN RYN 1.700.000
5 Bryan ALLEN 1.550.000
55 Ric JACKMAN 800.000
2 Branislav MEZEI 800.000
21 Alexei SEMENOV 798.000
8 Joel KWIATKOWSKI 500.000
7 Steve MONTADOR 500.000
3 Ari VALLIN

44 Todd BERTUZZI 5.269.080
12 Olli JOKINEN 5.000.000
25 Joe NIEUWENDYK 2.250.000
10 Gary ROBERTS 2.250.000
15 Jozef STÜMPEL 1.750.000
77 Chris GRATTON 1.500.000
16 Nathan HORTON 1.100.000
85 Rostislav OLESZ 984.200
23 Martin GELINAS 975.000
13 Juraj KOLNIK 950.000
9 Stephen WEISS 900.000
18 Ville PELTONEN 795.000
57 Andrew STUART 684.000
11 Gregory CAMPBELL 475.000

[ahtikullervo]

After signing Belfour this team has yet to take care of its defense - Bouwmeester and Van Ryn yet unsigned... But after all - this team looks good on paper!

Bertuzzi, Peltonen, Jokinen!!! Weiss, Horton, Kolnik, Olesz...

I like this a lot. My favourite East Conference team without a doubt!

[drew15]

Olesz is going to be a great 2nd liner.

[ahtikullervo]

Van Ryn & Jackman signed... Team looks ready despite minor signing (Payer) left... Go !!!

Forgot 1 more reason to support 'em: Rusty!!!

[DropThePuck]

Auld adjusts to life in Florida

Alex Auld got his first glimpse of his new life in Florida this week as the threat of hurricane Ernesto had residents bracing for the worst.
...
Auld, his wife and their three dogs drove from Thunder Bay to Florida over a week ago, settling in to their new house. They bought a home north of Fort Lauderdale near Bertuzzi and Allen, the three former Canucks settling together in the same area.

"It's a nice area, close to a golf club," Auld. "I guess I need to pick up golf now."

<link>


Hmm, Auld's planning an early exit from the season to the golf course??

[DucksFan2035]

i hope they get used to the hurricanes and constant summer thunderstorms. i hope the panthers have a successful season. the only question mark is their goaltending. they havent made the playoffs in awhile. This team needs to have a successfull season to keep the fan base not making the playoffs in consecutive seasons

[ahtikullervo]

''I can't say that I had looked at being a general manager,'' Martin said. ''Maybe a long-term goal could have been that, but not short term.''

Keenan gone, Martin new GM: tsn.ca

And numbers of players for this season corrected.

[Dark Knight]

Bertuzzi describes problems in Vancouver

Todd Bertuzzi's troubles in his final season with the Vancouver Canucks stemmed from more than just the fallout from the Steve Moore incident.

In an interview from Sunday's Vancouver Sun, the new Florida Panther revealed a myriad of problems with his former team, including former Canucks coach Marc Crawford.

Read More >>

[jojo983]

Getty Images has posted some of the Panthers portraits taken today. Heres a pic of Rusty in his new uniform

[PortBeach13]

Man I miss Rusty...

[Dark Knight]

Man I miss Rusty...

He probably misses you too

[Dark Knight]

Belfour and Peltonen arrested

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Florida Panthers goalie Ed Belfour was arrested at a popular South Beach bar early Monday after a scuffle with a police officer.

Belfour and teammate Ville Peltonen were at the bar when security guards from the club asked police to make Belfour leave, police said.

The 41-year-old goaltender from Carman, Man., refused and walked towards the officer "in a fighting stance" and pushed him, a Miami Beach police report said.

Read More >>

[MrsBevo]

Eddie still hasn't figured out what rehab is for. Can't the guy just retire already?

[wildwing94]

Eddie still hasn't figured out what rehab is for. Can't the guy just retire already?

Well, he does play in Florida, retirement capital.

[Loz]

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Florida Panthers goalie Ed Belfour was arrested at a popular South Beach bar early Monday after a scuffle with a police officer.

Belfour and teammate Ville Peltonen were at the bar when security guards from the club asked police to make Belfour leave, police said.

Read more

Belfour's in trouble again

[LightItUp4126]

Eddy Eddy Eddy. What are we going to do with you?

[jojo983]

I love the reason why Peltonen was arrested. I bet that looks good on your criminal record.

[DropThePuck]

Oh what a lovely pair these jail birds make ...



Florida Panthers hockey goalie Ed Belfour, left, and left wing Ville Peltonen of Finland, right, leave the Miami-Dade County Jail Monday, April 9, 2007, in Miami.
(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)


Florida Panthers goalie Ed Belfour, center, and left wing Ville Peltonen of Finland, left, leave the Miami-Dade County Jail Monday, April 9, 2007, in Miami. Belfour and Peltonen were arrested at a popular South Beach bar early Monday after Belfour had a scuffle with a police officer and Peltonen, 33, was charged with criminal mischief after he broke a metal pole off a fire rescue truck parked in the area, a police report said.
(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)


Florida Panthers left wing Ville Peltonen of Finland, left, leaves the Miami-Dade County Jail Monday, April 9, 2007 in Miami.
(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)


Florida Panthers goalie Ed Belfour leaves the Miami-Dade County Jail Monday, April 9, 2007, in Miami.
(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

[Loz]

God he's hairy even though the Panthers aren't even in the playoffs!

[DropThePuck]

Game reunites 'Rat' pack

The Panthers reach back into their past to celebrate their finest hour this weekend when they host a "Year of the Rat" alumni game at 2 p.m. Saturday at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.

At least 19 members of the 1995-96 team that reached the Stanley Cup finals plus coach Doug MacLean have committed to participate.

The opposition will be made up of another alumni/celebrity squad that will include ex-Panthers Valeri Bure, Bret Hedican and Mark Parrish.
...
Notable absentees will be Rob Niedermayer, who is getting married this weekend and will be on his honeymoon, as well as Robert Svehla, Radek Dvorak and Rhett Warrener, who had previous commitments.
...
The Panthers will unveil their 2007-08 uniforms designed by Reebok during one of the intermissions. Doors will open at 1:30, and players will sign autographs before and after the game.

<link>

[DropThePuck]

The Florida Panthers hope a new brand identity will translate into a growing fan base that buys season and individual game tickets, packs BankAtlantic Center and snaps up jerseys and caps, even if the hockey team isn't winning.

The brand positioning statement, "The Florida Panthers: The Puck Unites," which the team plans to use for years, will appear with a new sales tagline for this upcoming season, "See it. Get it. Love it." in radio, TV and print ads and in the Sunrise arena.

<link>

[DucksFan2035]

its one thing to have them on radio ads and tv ads but how often will we see those commercials or hear them. only time id see a panthers commercial would be on the team local channel

[GLOVESAVE35]

Mike Keenan's recent comments insulting Stephen Weiss, Jay Bouwmeester, and the rest of the Panthers organization is just another example of a runaway train of imbecility. It's not bad enough that he traded away the team's franchise goaltender for peanuts, but then spews this stupidity in the pages of The Hockey News.

He actually said Stephen Weiss shouldn't be playing the NHL, and that Bouwmeester still had pimples (which, not that it matters, doesn't have a one) Apparently, face acne is a major deterrent to playing good hockey in Mike's world. Is this all he's got? ... Calgary fans are going to detest the look of him as well very soon.

The Summer of Mike Keenan, Iron Idiot

[Loz]

Bouwmeester pleads guilty to DUI charges

Florida Panthers defenceman Jay Bouwmeester pleaded guilty to drunk driving charges in an Edmonton Provincial Court on Tuesday.

He was given a one-year driving probation and a $1,000 fine.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=217578&hubname=nhl

Oh dear oh dear, what is it with the drunks?

[DropThePuck]

Chad Kilger still hasn't reported to work with the Panthers, a week after being granted a leave of absence.
...
Kilger took a personal leave from Toronto, missing six games from Jan. 31 to Feb. 13. He returned Feb. 14 and played in six games (one goal, two assists) before the trade. The Panthers assumed Kilger had worked things out, although that appears not to be the case. Kilger has missed Florida's past four games.

<link>

[DropThePuck]

The Florida Panthers are locking up general manager Jacques Martin to a long-term deal.

The NHL team announced Friday the two sides have reached an agreement for Martin to remain as GM through the 2011-12 season.

<link>

[ladiesandgentlemen]

<link>

Curious move by a curious owner to retain a nice guy.

[TroyLoney]

l&g,
Why do you feel that giving Jacques Martin is a curious move? I think it's a good move by the Panthers to give the team some much-needed stability and to let players and coaches know that he is going to be the man in charge of the Panthers for this and at least three more seasons to come. Hopefully he can build a winning team in Florida and get the Panthers back into the playoffs.

[ladiesandgentlemen]

Alan Cohen, the owner of the Florida Panthers, started the off-season by giving Martin's coaching abilities a vote of no-confidence by announcing through the media (didn't even tell him first; Martin reportedly heard it first from reporters) that he would be stripped oh his duties of coaching the team. It is curious that Cohen wouldn't at least let Martin know first and at be prepared for the news, or better yet let Martin decide if he was on board for the decision and have him announce himself that he would no longer be coaching the team, but continue as GM.

It is also curious that Cohen has created an awkward situation in the selection of the next coach. As this article puts it,

Yet it is reasonable to wonder whether Martin, who didn't work out as the last coach, is the ideal guy to pick the next one.
Will he recognize that a still-young team could benefit from a young, energetic voice? A communicator? Someone with a style and philosophy quite unlike his own? And if he does hire such a person, who works so differently, how will they work together? Will they co-exist? Clash? Will Cohen regret the creation of another unconventional and potentially uncomfortable structure?...

I like Jacques Martin, but I think the owner has created a strange situation for him.

[TroyLoney]

That article was written before Martin's contract extension, though. Now that he's under contract for four more years as the teams GM he is the perfect man to hire the next head coach. Martin mentioned many names as possible coaches (link) including Joel Quenville, Paul Maurice, Ron Wilson, Pat Burns, Pat Quinn, Perry Pearn, Mike Johnston, Randy Cunneyworth and Scott Gordon. If he gets one of those he will either be getting a proven coach that knows how to win in the NHL or an up-and-coming coach much like Randy Carlyle and Mike Babcock were when the Ducks hired them. Either way I think that Martin will make a choice based on which man will coach the style of hockey he's comfortable with and which one he believes will best suit the talent he plans on bringing to Florida.

Martin has done a good job with what's he been given in Florida. The cupboard was pretty bare with regards to top-end talent when he took over from Mike Keenan and he's done a good job to bring in Tomas Vokoun, Cory Murphy and Shawn Matthias. Again, I think it's a good move by Cohen to give the team some much needed stability and to give Martin time to develop the roster the way he wants it rather than changing GM's and direction every couple of years.

I expect the Panthers to make the playoffs next season and I think they will build from there. They have some good players and I think Martin will do a good job for them throughout this contract.