NHL Admits Refs Cost Panthers

Not surprisingly, the NHL has admitted that the referees blew a goaltender interference call Tuesday night, which ultimately cost the Panthers the game.

Colin Campbell, NHL’s vice president of operations, made the statement after Toronto’s Colton Orr barreled into Panther’s goaltender Scott Clemmensen. The resulting goal gave the Maple Leafs the lead, and ultimately led them to the victory.

Well, how nice. The NHL almost apologizes in this instance, telling the Panthers, “Hey, we screwed up.”

Big whoop.

Read the rest at the Frozen Lair.

Refs Steal Another Game From Panthers

After a questionable call made the Panthers losers on opening night, an unquestionably bad call did them in again tonight. Goaltender Scott Clemmensen was tackled, leading to the Maple Leafs game winning goal.

If there was ever a time to place a game under protest, it is tonight’s game.

The Panthers are off to their usual lucky ways, having as many as four points stolen from them in the first seven games of the season.

Read the rest at the Frozen Lair.

Panthers Beat Islanders; Powerless Play Continues

On a night where they honored former builder Bill Torrey, the Florida Panthers scored late and hung onto a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders. Radek Dvorak scored the game winning goal in the third period, and the Panthers moved back to .500.

However, things were not all good. The Cats were unable to do anything on the power play again, dropping their convergence rate to 4.4 percent.

Read the rest at the Frozen Lair.

Panthers Crash, Burn on Home Ice

Five days after their most convincing win of the season, the Florida Panthers looked like last year’s bunch that finished in the bottom three of the NHL. The Cats came out flat, and lost to the Dallas Stars 4-1.

The only good news is that the top line finally got a goal, as Stephen Weiss scored one from Michael Frolik and David Booth.

Read the rest at the Frozen Lair.

Panthers Blitz Lightning, Win Second Straight

Some catching up to do – Thursday the Florida Panthers got their first victory of the season over the Calgary Flames. It’s always a great feeling to beat Jay Bouwmeester and Olli Jokinen. The Sun Sentinel breaks down that game.

Last night, in the home opener, the Cats scored four first period goals en route to a 6-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Read the rest at the Frozen Lair.

Panthers Blow Game Late, Remain Winless

Despite another strong work ethic game, the Florida Panthers lost for the second time in as many nights. Daniel Sedin scored both Vancouver goals, and Roberto Luongo made 41 saves.

Rusty Olesz scored the Panthers lone goal, on a lucky deflection off a Vancouver defenseman’s skate.

So far, Florida has not led for one second out of 120 minutes of play.

Read the rest here.

Panthers Lose Opener On Questionable Goal

Despite dominating nearly the entire contest, the Florida Panthers lost their opening game against the Edmonton Oilers 3-2. New Panther Marty Reasoner scored a pair of goals, but Shawn Horcoff scored the winning goal off his skate.

The goal was reviewed, where it looked like there was a slight kicking motion, but the call was not overturned.

Read the rest here.

Florida Panthers: Three Reasons For Optimism

In approximately eight hours, the Florida Panthers will open the season in Edmonton, against the 1-0 Oilers. George Richards provides a few details in his write up, including a surprise healthy scratching of Steve Reinprecht.

Before I take things in a positive direction, I will remind everybody that I did pick Florida to finish 14th in the East, I do not expect this team to make the playoffs, and I will root for the tank if this team ends up out of contention early on. However, I do believe the team has a few things going for it that it hasn’t in the past, and here they are.

- Rest for the weary: In previous seasons, the Panthers have entered the season already out of gas (something admitted by players). This has been due to awful preseason scheduling. Luckily, this year that was remedied, and Florida is even the last team to play a game in the NHL. This extra rest should equal a fresh Panthers team out of the gate.

Read the rest at the Frozen Lair.

Panthers Swap Tough Guys

The Florida Panthers have traded enforcer Andrew Peters to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for tough guy Darcy Hordichuk.

This is looked at by most as an upgrade, which is strange, considering it’s a Florida-Vancouver trade.

The USA Today reports here.

Read the rest at the Frozen Lair.

Panthers Fail to Sign Gudbranson, Heads Back to OHL

The deadline to sign draft picks came and went today, and the Florida Panthers did not get third overall pick Erik Gudbranson signed. Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel reports on this here.

Money issues were cited as a reason, and Gudbranson will go back to his Kingston team in the Ontario Hockey League.

It has certainly been a frustrating day for Panthers’ fans (I feel like I’ve typed this before) – losing Michael Grabner earlier on waivers, and now knowing Gudbranson will not get a chance to play in the pros this year.

Read the rest here.

Grabner Claimed By Islanders

A little over ten minutes ago, the news Florida Panthers‘ fans were hoping not to hear rolled in from Bob McKenzie’s twitter page.

“@TSNBobMcKenzie: Michael Grabner claimed by NYI on waivers.”

That means the Panthers lose him for nothing, and the Keith Ballard trade now stands at Ballard and Victor Oreskovich for Steve Bernier and a late first rounder (Quinton Howden).

Read the rest here.

2010-11 NHL Predictions

This is a brief blog, noting what I predict to happen in the NHL this season.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division
Y – Pittsburgh Penguins (2nd seed)
X – Philadelphia Flyers (4th seed)
X – New Jersey Devils (5th seed)
New York Rangers (9th seed)
New York Islanders (15th seed)

Northeast Division
Y – Boston Bruins (3rd seed)
X – Buffalo Sabres (6th seed)
X – Ottawa Senators (7th seed)
Montreal Canadiens (11th seed)
Toronto Maple Leafs (13th seed)

Southeast Division
Y – Washington Capitals (1st seed)
X – Tampa Bay Lightning (8th seed)
Atlanta Thrashers (10th seed)
Carolina Hurricanes (12th seed)
Florida Panthers (14th seed)

Find the rest of the picks here.

Panthers Swept; Waive Grabner

Friday night, in their first (and only) home preseason game, the Florida Panthers lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1 in overtime. Jason Garrison tied things in the third, before the Cats lost in the extra session. Check out Yahoo’s game recap for more.

Last night, the Bolts completed the home and home sweep with a 4-1 victory on home ice. Jacob Markstrom finally got his first full game, but still has to season his game. He should be sent to Rochester and be ready to take over soon, perhaps even by next season. More on this game is found at The Miami Herald’s website.

In more shocking news (and we’re not even talking about the Lightning anymore), Michael Grabner has reportedly been put on waivers. George Richards of On Frozen Pond has posted this on twitter, but there is no other link at the moment. If he gets claimed, that means the Panthers traded Keith Ballard for Steve Bernier and a late first round pick (Quinton Howden).

Read the rest here.

Former Panther Bouwmeester Dissed

This week, new TSN panelist and former NHL forward, Michael Peca shared some thoughts about ex-Florida Panthers defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.

According to The Globe and Mail, a Canadian based news source, Peca described Bouwmeester in this story, in following way:

“[Peca] suggested Bouwmeester was a casual player, relatively easy to play against, who turned pucks over and lacked a sense of urgency in his game.”

During his time as a Cat, many people credited Bouwmeester with being a strong, smooth skating defenseman that lacked intensity. After he left, fans’ opinions of him continued to get worse.

Read the rest here.

First Panthers Home Game Canceled

The impending strike from Tropical Depression Sixteen (soon to be Tropical Storm Nicole) has forced the Florida Panthers to cancel their preseason game tomorrow against the Carolina Hurricanes. This was reported by George Richards of On Frozen Pond.

Yes, the game with the Hurricanes was canceled because of a tropical storm. The possible puns are endless.

Nonetheless, the game will not be rescheduled, but fans can use these tickets for select regular season games. Not a bad deal at all.

Read the rest here!

Panthers Lose, Cut Seven

The Florida Panthers finally dropped their first game of the preseason in ugly fashion, losing to the Montreal Canadiens 6-2. David Booth and Stephen Weiss both netted power-play goals, but Jacob Markstrom was hung out to dry multiple times in the third period, and Florida’s record in the preseason fell to 3-1.

Better that they get some bad breaks and plays out in the preseason while all of that stuff doesn’t really matter.

Read the rest here!

Panthers Sweep Bruins, Remain Undefeated

It may only be the preseason, but the Florida Panthers are enjoying success. With back to back victories over the Boston Bruins, the Cats have upped their record to 3-0 this preseason.

On Thursday, a squad consisting of mainly regulars helped the Panthers beat the Bruins younger players, by a score of 3-2. David Booth had two goals in his first action since his second concussion last season, and former Bruin Dennis Wideman scored the game winner on the power-play.

Read the rest here!

Panthers Open Preseason With Victory

The Florida Panthers kicked things off right this preseason, with a 4-1 victory in Carolina. Third overall pick Erik Gudbranson tallied a goal and an assist.

Mike Santorelli, Scott Timmins, and Nathan Paetsch also scored goals for the Panthers. Scott Clemmensen made 16 saves on 17 shots, and Jacob Markstrom stopped all 17 shots that he faced.

Read the rest here!

Fight Club: Weiss Vs. Olesz

Ladies and gentlemen: Welcome to the main event! Take your seats and watch out for flying mouth pieces.

Two Florida Panthers players went at it, at practice yesterday, and you may be hard pressed to find two more unlikely combatants.

Super Heavyweight Stephen Weiss took on the Crusher himself, Rusty Olesz. Weiss, a leader on the team, may have been fed up by a lack of effort from the consistently underachieving Olesz.

“It was a good thing that happened and we’re still buddies,” Weiss told George Richards of the Miami Herald. “I think he scored four goals in the drill after that so it just goes to show how he plays when he’s fired up.”

Read the rest here!

Panthers Like Lighter Preseason Schedule

Today, The Miami Herald highlighted a very underrated point heading into the upcoming hockey season, in this article.

The Panthers are well known for traveling the globe during the preseason, and this sometimes comes back as an excuse when the team starts off slow. Who can forget last season when the Cats “World Tour” concluded with preseason and regular season games in Helsinki, Finland (and gave birth to some epic shirts, courtesy of David Booth, documented here).

It is clear from the players’ comments, that the team is happy to have the lighter load this preseason.

“No excuses this year,” Panthers captain Bryan McCabe told the Miami Herald. “We’re not traveling anywhere. It’s going to be fun.’

Read the rest here!

Panthers Shooting For Playoffs

Despite being written off by every NHL personality, and seemingly half of its own fan base, the Florida Panthers goal at the beginning of the year is the same as it’s been for a while.

Make the playoffs.

The Panthers are already the not so proud owners of the most amount of consecutive years without making the playoffs (10). They are tied for the most amount of seasons (nine), but they are the only team that has hit this total without being moved in the process (North Stars and Devils franchises).

“I notice a genuine sense of excitement around here,” Coach Pete DeBoer told the Miami Herald.

Read the rest here!

Ballard Finds DeBoer "A Scream"; Panthers Rooks Fall

Nearly three months after being dealt on draft day, Keith Ballard recently came out with some interesting quotes in the Vancouver Province.

The Litter Box, reporting in this article, brought some important quotes to the surface.

“It’s hard to know for sure why (the trade) came about but certainly one of the contributing factors may have been the screaming match, or matches, (Ballard) had with Florida coach Peter DeBoer ”

“The Panther players are quick to let everyone know, of course, because DeBoer is extremely unpopular with most of the Florida players because he largely treats them like juniors.”

Both quotes are largely disturbing. The former shows DeBoer’s fiery attitude, one that was on display when Nick Boynton was sent home a couple of season’s ago (in this ugly incident), which ultimately may have cost the Panthers a playoff spot.

Read the rest here!

Gudbranson Working to Adjust

First off, a big shout out to Yahoo’s Puck Daddy for linking and quoting the Frozen Lair in his Florida Panthers season preview. Go ahead and check out the entertaining take on the Cats.

Third overall pick, Erik Gudbranson, has been the focus of much attention at Panthers training camp. He has a lot of expectations to try to change the culture of a team that has been losing for too long.

In an Ottawa Sun post, Gudbranson discusses his unfamiliar role as a smaller guy. Gudbranson told the Sun Sentinel “The level of competition just went way up…I don’t feel like I’m in the OHL anymore. I was bigger and stronger than most of the guys there. Now I’m one of the little guys again.”

Read the rest over at the Frozen Lair!

Panthers Camp Opens

First a bit of housekeeping: Panthers public address announcer Bill Murphy is out, and Mitch Phillips is in, per George Richards. Yes, that is Mitch Phillips of the DUI commercials that sound like they’re voiced by Darth Vader.

As upset as I am about not getting the replacement call, I’ll recover.

In house arena host Randi Ross is out as well.

In actual hockey news, the Panthers hit the ice today, and it was open to the public. I was unable to get down to Sunrise, but people’s personal analysis’ have been coming out in droves.

Read the rest here!

Panthers Unveil Training Camp Roster

This time next week, the Florida Panthers rookies and prospects will be on the ice, taking on the youngsters of the Nashville Predators. This should be a very exciting couple of games, as Nashville is known for their deep prospect pool. The Panthers aren’t too far behind in that regard anymore.

The two squads will play next Wednesday and Thursday night in Sunrise, Florida.

An interesting note about the Panthers roster is that they have invited Tyler Arnason to the squad. Once upon a time, Arnason was a highly touted forward, but has fallen off mightily. He will have a shot to make either the Panthers or the minor league Rochester Americans. Arnason’s career stats can be found here.

Head over to the Frozen Lair for the rest!

TSN Ranks Panthers 27th

To kill some time before the regular season gets underway, TSN.ca has begun ranking all 30 NHL teams in reverse order. Thanks to starting with the worst, the Panthers were quick to come up on the countdown, locking in at 27th, which nearly 29% of the voting population considers too generous.

Why it’s all gobbledygook…

- TSN.ca, although a very reputable website, does originate in Canada. They know their hockey very well, but tend to negatively bias against Southern hockey markets.

- The article states that Dale Tallon is entering his 2nd season as GM. Actually, he was just hired this summer. Mistakes aside…

Continuing reading here!

Introduction/Panthers News

Hello everybody. My name is Andrew Imber and I am a long time hockey fan. I went to my first hockey game when I was only five years old and have loved it ever since. I now have season tickets to the Florida Panthers and go frequently.

This is my blog for my Multimedia Journalism class, but it is a little different than most of the blogs. I already am a writer for a Florida Panthers blog, and that is what I will be using on this site. Each entry, you will find a couple of paragraphs from my blog entry, with a link to continue reading on my actual site, www.frozenlair.com.

Today's entry deals with the Florida Panthers' youth movement, as well as news about their TV schedule. I hope that you all enjoy reading my blog, and please, don't be a stranger!

It is no secret that the Florida Panthers are rebuilding, again. This youth movement needs to pay off, much more so than the last one. Attitude will be important – and a few young Panthers are off to a great start in that regard.

“When I went to the draft I was extremely excited to have the opportunity to potentially go to the Florida Panthers,” Erik Gudbranson told nhl.com. “That’s where I wanted to go. I had an interview with them the day before the draft and told them you’re my team.”

Read the rest here!