Panthers a playoff pretender again -- Florida Panthers, Karlis ...

such an unbelievable chance to grab the south florida sports market and it was all squandered. another empty season. but dont worry panther fans, they will sign three bargain guys in the summer that will each be good for 10 goals a season.

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Way to go, Ethan. Way to put all your might into a cutting, venomous article this team deserves. This soft diatribe is such a feeble attempt at letting us think you care. Give me a break. Go write about something you do know. Come to think of it, we all win because you then wouldn't have anything to write about at all. Panther fans are upset, and they should be. But please don't speak to us as if you're going to shed some light on the situation that we don't already know. The South Florida "media" should have been ripping this team from day one, but predictably you don't care. We're not buying it. Go away forever.

And, as I said in November: we have a "captain" who is soft, and excels at making cliche'-filled excuses for the team. Is it any surprise that the rest of the team adopts the same personality and misses the playoffs every year?

I was at tonight's game and was not surprised seeing fans heading for the exit after Atlanta made it 2-1. Too much passing of the puck while on the power play and not enough shooting it. During parts of the game it looked like Jassen Cullimore and Cory Murphy when they should be keeping the puck in the offensive zone instead of letting the puck going right pass them. The last 2 losses have came with 0 goals on the pp and Jozef Stumpel back in the lineup. I hate to say this, that the 1993-94 Expansion team might of beaten this year's team according to tonight's performance.

I was at the game tonight too...JM as always was his stunned pie-faced self and it was reflected in the players. There was so little effort put forth by most of the players except Booth and Monty. Campbell was very energetic too but his play/skill level stinks...We got pushed and beat around that rink all night and never fought back once...You hate to call your team gutless but what else can you say when their so afraid of contact and fighting back. Olli was beyond terrible, he coughed up the puck like a new-born being burped and he couldn't hold the point at all. Horton needs a punch in the mouth...he plays like such a punk. Him and Olli were puck-hogs and tried to be end to end show-boats...til they were so easily knocked of the puck. Horton tried to instigate a fight and was a TOTAL pussy when his offer was taken up...it was beyond embarrassing. Apparently JM got Belak for his scoring abilities...cause he sure doesn't use him as an enforcer. Booths energy was totally wasted with no support and you can just see the guy getting beat-up and risking injury to carry his linemates and the rest of the team. Maybe I'm projecting but the look you see on JayBo's face looks to me like he can't wait to get out of here. He fights in the corners to get the defensive puck and then time after time the breakout pass or skate out is fumbled and turned over by any one of the forwards. I don't know what they do at practice but whatever set plays and breakouts they have...NEVER EVER translate to on ice play. These guys are lost from the first puck drop till the last buzzer. They ALL skate around like lost crying children at the mall. There is a "manlyness" that these guys just don't have...there's no way they could have gotten to the NHL without at least a little of it...but all year long they've played like limp-wristed sally's.

Hey, bring back that "playoff bound" ad again; I could use a good laugh.

South Florida may want to embrace the Panthers. But geeks like Ethan, or Lebra tard, know NOTHING about hockey..and just BASH the team, or pull a Joe Rose when they win like ask "Hey __fill in the blank__ How ya doin' with the ladies"?

Uninformed.

Then the doofis treats fans like garbage by telling you to "go back to your cage".

Something has to be done about Olli? Yeah? Really?..Where do you find those 30 goals next year? For the money he's paid? Plus the fact he plays EVERY night!

Martin MUST GO. Word was yesterday on Newsday that Wang may cut Ted Nolan loose one year before his contract expires....GRAB HIM!

Replace the coach, add one high scoring free agent winger, bring up Matthias, sign Bouw, and get the "d' healthy. Box up Stumpel and Peltonen for anything. Sign Cullimore for 1.5 for one more year..not a penny more. If he splits..GOODBYE.

Puck This wrote:

I was at the game tonight too...JM as always was his stunned pie-faced self and it was reflected in the players. There was so little effort put forth by most of the players except Booth and Monty. Campbell was very energetic too but his play/skill level stinks...We got pushed and beat around that rink all night and never fought back once...You hate to call your team gutless but what else can you say when their so afraid of contact and fighting back. Olli was beyond terrible, he coughed up the puck like a new-born being burped and he couldn't hold the point at all. Horton needs a punch in the mouth...he plays like such a punk. Him and Olli were puck-hogs and tried to be end to end show-boats...til they were so easily knocked of the puck. Horton tried to instigate a fight and was a TOTAL pussy when his offer was taken up...it was beyond embarrassing. Apparently JM got Belak for his scoring abilities...cause he sure doesn't use him as an enforcer. Booths energy was totally wasted with no support and you can just see the guy getting beat-up and risking injury to carry his linemates and the rest of the team. Maybe I'm projecting but the look you see on JayBo's face looks to me like he can't wait to get out of here. He fights in the corners to get the defensive puck and then time after time the breakout pass or skate out is fumbled and turned over by any one of the forwards. I don't know what they do at practice but whatever set plays and breakouts they have...NEVER EVER translate to on ice play. These guys are lost from the first puck drop till the last buzzer. They ALL skate around like lost crying children at the mall. There is a "manlyness" that these guys just don't have...there's no way they could have gotten to the NHL without at least a little of it...but all year long they've played like limp-wristed sally's.

You know something buddy...If you said this on the Florida Panthers board..you'd be too negative. Glad you had to bring it here.

Still another very lame article. Our columnists have no teeth. And the style Ethan takes is the same voice from day to day. Ethan, don't ever expect to go to a real paper. It's so ridiculous how little pressure this team has to face.

Excellent article. Excellent comments by fans. Finally, the Panthers get some attention, albeit negative because they are basically a team that cannot play under any type of pressure. Take mediocre players and mix them with a less than mediocre coach/GM, and there you have it- the Panthers.

Stop blaming our position on Olli - he is one of the few reasons we even had a chance to fight for a playoff spot. Do you remember the first half of the season? We could compete if our team had even an adequate coaching staff.. lose JM and his band of merry men. PLEASE!!!!!SOON!! before the spirit of the players is completely broken...

HMMMMM Maybe it's was just me but I thought the panthers played great in the first period. They dominated the puck in the Atlanta zone and out shot them 16 to 5. The problem is nobody can stick the puck in the net. After that they gave up that late goal in the first...came back and tied it up on a great play from Horton and then NOTHING. I was screaming at Olli to please get off the ice. He turned it over twice on 1 powerplay and Volkoun had to make a great save on the shorthanded break away. I say keep him but strip him of the "C". He isnt a leader and his play sucks. He has given up and the most of the team has followed. That game should have been won in the first period plain and simple...4 power plays and a captain who ranks 2nd in powerplay goals cant score??? Horton again with a golden chance to score into a wide open net in the 3rd and misses....how the heck do you do that? Nevermind that question I know the answer...it's the Panthers we are talking about...RED I bet you are glad you dragged yourself to the game last night. I bet everyone would have been better off just staying home and watching dancing with the stars or some other crap show. What crap!!! As far as the other post about Ted Nolan...I would think with all the guys on IR this year for the Islanders and their #1 goalie playing hurt it would give him a pass on this year and save his job. That being said if he became available the Panthers need to jump on him right away. I have said for years he would be great down here but he was black balled for so long alot of people forgot about him. There are alot of IFs with this team and if something isnt done this summer it will be another long winter next season.

Fire the cancer GM (like I said for 2 years) and you still have 4 games to evaluate the players-most hated JM so they didn't care to play at the real level.

First, Skolnick is a Pretender Columnist. His columns are written with so many crayons that even a Caveman could do it. I think his Mommy proofs his so-called columns.

Second, Olli admitted he is not playing up to par. His honesty is admirable even if his current play is not. No doubt he needs to be replaced next year. But he has had a good run here in Florida and I have enjoyed watching him play when he has been on his game.

Third, Coach Martin has done a good job. He should be kept on as Coach to move this team forward. I like Martin's style and his coaching ability. Keep Martin, he is not the problem.

Fourth, we need a separate GM. A good one. Focus on that.

Fifth, we've got some real good players, such as Booth, Weiss, Vokoun and others.

Sixth, I still love the Panthers. I'll be out there on Saturday.

Go Cats.

I was at the game two weeks ago when they won 3-1 and they looked like a possible playoff team. Last night it looked like someone put Valium in the water cooler at the start of the third period... like they were all tired and couldn't find a spark. Overall, the passing was lousy- passing directly to the other team, not being able to receive a pass, I saw one pass to a Panther that was skating back to the bench. Really lousy execution, and many of the SOGs were no finesse straight ahead shots that were easy to block. It's like they never could figure out Atlanta's defense, so just played 'desparation hockey' and then the frustration mounted and they ended up drained in the third period. Lots of blame to go around for the last two game, I'm not going to pick on any one player or coach.

Louie

It's nice that you love the Panthers so much but here is your boy Martin's coaching record including OTL losses over the 3 years:
108 wins 132 losses
Panthers had 75 points the year before Martin took over and have had 85, 86 and now 81 points with four games to go. So they would have to win 3 of the final four games to eclipse those total which isn't going to happen. I know you called me a whiner the other day but sorry these are just the facts. So tell me how is this improvement and moving the team forward???? Martin is boring and his coaching style is conservative so what exactly is it you like about him so much?

oops, actually it's 108 and 134 forgot to add in these last 2 home losses to the bottom feeder of the East.

I was looking for LOST on ABC, I didn't know I would find it on the Florida Sports NEtwork.
This team SUCKS.
Maybe the need Sawyer and Jack Shepard.

I think at this point we can all agree that Martin needs to go right? I mean, you'd have to be seriously ignorant or related to the man to think otherwise.

Time to get rid of JOKEinen and Jacque A S S