The Florida Panthers are not an elite NHL franchise.
They do not garner anywhere close to the same amount of attention received by Eastern Conference teams such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals or New Jersey Devils.
However, the Panthers have spent the past few weeks undergoing a complete overhaul of what was once an abysmal franchise.
Florida has not made a playoff appearance since 2000 and has only three to their credit since entering the NHL in 1993. In the years since that last playoff appearance, the Panthers have finished no higher than fourth in the Southeast Division all but twice.
While some question the validity of professional hockey in Florida, the Panthers have done very little to seal their place as a recognized NHL franchise.
That is, until now.
Panthers GM Dale Tallon has been incredibly busy this offseason making trades, extending contracts and signing free agents to bolster what was once a meager and almost forgotten team.
One of those moves was to sign a new head coach in Kevin Dineen.
Dineen had spent six years coaching the Pan ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Peter Panacy
NHL: How the Florida Panthers Are Fixing Their Franchise for 2011-2012
July 9th, 2011 by Peter Panacy Leave a reply »
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