Talking heads sometimes bring up folding the Panthers of the NHL. I used to watch hockey as a kid (back when I played it all the time), but was ultimately unable to connect with the sport in the long term. Sometimes, I try to watch a game if I'm flipping through channels, but it just doesn't hold my interest.
The Panthers, especially...I talked to Brian Fein about this the other day. It's just dump and chase...fighting for the puck up against the boards behind the goal. No finesse. ...very boring.
Anyway, despite my complete indifference towards hockey in general, I could see myself watching the playoffs if the Panthers were good, sorta like I do every couple of years with US Soccer in the World Cup. As is now, however, there's nothing about it that draws me in. That's not to say that the Panthers bother me, though. As far as sports go, if you're not into the Panthers, they aren't an annoying team to have around. They don't take up any talk radio time, they get the most minimum of highlights locally. While the Marlins, for example, I used to get peeved when I wanted to listen to talk radio on my ride to school and there was a mid-season night game on.
I do know a couple of people who are really into the Panthers, though.
I don't want them to fold, because I think it's good for the city and the economy to have sports franchises. But it wouldn't affect me personally. If they folded, I probably wouldn't even know it.
They always talk about folding up the Panthers every year that have not made the playoffs. Personally, I think they are cursed.
For those of you who may not know, the last season they made the playoffs was the same season as the "ritual" season which was the worst marketing promotion that I have ever seen. The team before the marketing screw up was 4th in the East and had everything they needed to be a successful franchise. For what ever reason, the marketing people brought in a ritualistic type of atmosphere and had "friar puck" and a bell to ding after goals (which didn't ring much after they started the promotion). This was when we had Mike Vernon (previously from Detroit and San Jose) to play for the team when they were in a points free-fall until the trade deadline then lost to the Devils in 4 straight. After that Vernon was released from the team and forced him into retirement by cutting him.
Since then, the internal management has traded people about as much as the players on the ice. The biggest problem with the Panthers is that there is no consistency. Even losing is not consistent (so please no stupid jokes about losing IS consistent for them). Any player that stays for a long period of time is really rare for the team. Mostly everyone is just chasing immediate money rather than creating something consistent (like Detroit in recent years) and building a strong competitive team which would result in the team getting lots of money for making more playoffs, more TV coverage and more exposure to more of their players which can not be a bad thing.
I also blame media coverage down here. I am betting Tampa gets so much better team coverage in the Tampa area and they also have a radio personality (Bubba the Love Sponge) who is able to reach a national audience of people who follow him who would hear and follow the Lightening way more than if they didn't have this coverage. Radio personalities here chose to either not cover it or chose to kick the team and the sport down every time something bad happens. How many people on here know any charity work that any of the 30 NHL teams and the league does??? I hear every year about football players donating Thanksgiving turkeys but NHL players do it too and I hear NOTHING about it. Also, its worse when radio personalities like the Paul and Ron show tell their listeners "well they are not going to the playoffs. It's a tradition..." and they decide that Paul and Ron are right and just give up on the team. No one down here would ever say that about the Dolphins, even during the 1 win season and having stretches of not making the playoffs in the first place. No one down here gives up on the Dolphins, yet they did give up on everyone else. I also hear from people that I have general conversations with about sports that hockey is nothing but people who fight on ice and whack each other with their sticks until everyone is bleeding. I never hear anything this negative about any of the other sports down here from people and it is the people that ultimately will chose whether they want the team to stay or not.
I will be sad to see them go if they get moved, however there are many North fans that think that Tampa and Atlanta should be moved as well, even with their 1 cup win history (Tampa), to be in a better market where people will "appreciate the sport more" so tread lightly Tampa fans if you start talking about the possibility of the Panthers being moved because you are on the radar as well.
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