Last season, the Montreal Canadians edged out the Panthers for the final playoff spot which was a big blow to season ticket holders. But when the GM Jacques Martin resigned to become the head coach of the team that edged them out, the Canadians, fans were angry. Assistant GM Randy Sexton replaced Martin and the franchise decided to hold on to Head Coach Peter DeBoer. The team made two early trades, one sending Stefan Meyer to the Phoenix Coyotes for the exclusive negotiating rights to Steve Reinprecht and two sending their 2009 draft pick (67th overall pick) to the Calgary Flames for Jay Bouwmeester. In early February the Panthers sent Dominic Moore to the Canadians for a 2011 2nd round draft pick. In Free Agency, the Panthers inked a number of players, most notably Scott Clemmensen, Ville Koistinen and Dennis Seidenberg. The team is currently sitting in 12th place in the NHL Eastern Conference.
Florida Panthers tickets got just what they needed in the off-season. The Panthers took a big step toward the NHL Playoff picture by bringing in some much needed veteran experience in the form of center Joe Nieuwendyk and left wing Gary Roberts, two players who can contribute not only on the ice, but can tutor the Panthers young talent on the ins and outs of NHL hockey. Things look to get much better in the Office Depot Center, and sooner rather than later, making Florida Panthers tickets the up and coming NHL ticket of the year.
The NHL, in a determined move to spread the league around the country, increased its penetration into the Deep South with the Florida panthers. The Panthers were an immediate hit with hockey fans and played before good crowds in the Miami Arena, finishing with a notable 33-34-17 record, the best first NHL season in the history of the league. Coming back in 1994-95 after the NHL lockout, the Panthers played competitive hockey but narrowly missed the playoffs. The performance wasn't good enough for the Panthers front office though, and head coach Roger Neilson got his walking papers, and Doug MacLean was brought in to take over.
MacLean exerted a strong influence on the team and the Panthers were the best team in the NHL Eastern Conference by the time the All-Star Break rolled around. Coming back after the break, the Panthers got a dose of reality and finished the season at 41-31-10, their best record ever, and good enough to make franchise history with their first NHL Playoff berth. Most teams entering the postseason for the first time are just glad to be there and bow out quickly but the Panthers stunned the Boston Bruins with a five game series win. The Panther just kept going. The second round brought the Philadelphia Flyer to town. The Flyers went up 2-1 in the series early, but Florida rallied on a pair of overtime wins to take the series in six games and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in Panthers history. The Pittsburgh Penguins were a tough team and the Panthers stayed even, forcing a 7th game in Pittsburgh. With goalie John Vanbriesbrouk putting in a solid performance, the Panthers held on to claim a 3-1 victory and move on to the Stanley Cup Finals.
That first Stanley Cup Finals appearance was a thrill for Miami hockey fans, but the Panthers never seemed to get on track. After dropping the first three games, it looked like Florida could pull of a win in Game 4, unfortunately for Panthers ticket holders, the Colorado Avalanche pushed the game into a third overtime and won the Stanley Cup on a shot by Uwe Krupp.
Can Florida Panthers tickets deliver an NHL Playoff berth in the new year? Panthers fans are banking on Roberts and Nieuwendyk, along with the play of rising young goalie Roberto Luongo to make it happen. If the Panthers can jell quickly, Florida Panthers ticket holders will be lining up for an NHL Playoff game at the Office Depot Center. |
