Panthers Win Most Painful Shootout Ever In NHL History

((HT: NHL/willpower698's Instagram))

In front of, probably, tens of people in south Florida Nick Bjugstad scored the 6-5 game winner in a 2-1 verdict against the Washington Capitals.

The shootout went 20 frames...

No, that's not a misprint...

20 frames- per team, not total...

Here's the ending

The longest shootout in NHL history reached 20 shots #FlaPanthers WIN w/@ashal001

A video posted by Will (@willpower698) on Dec 12, 2014 at 7:34pm PST

And the shootout highlights in their entirety


The previous long was 15 full rounds back in 2005 and this was the first shootout that had a 6-goal winner (6-5)

BREAKING: Jim Rutherford Hired, Dan Bylsma Fired

((HT: Louis Jean's Twitter via TVA))

That didn't take long...

The same day that Jim Rutherford was hired as the new General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dan Bylsma was fired as head coach. It was an odd set from the end of the season when the Pens ownership group decided to fire GM Ray Shero and not Bylsma when the team was bounced from the playoffs prematurely by the Montreal Canadiens.

Three weeks ago...
Here's the talk at the time with TSN's Bob McKenzie
((HT: NHL.com))


So, Bylsma got to twist in the wind and not have the opportunity to look for other work...

Nice work, y'all...

More when we know more, but it now looks like Bylsma becomes the front runner for the Florida Panthers job.

Mulroney Wants NHL Back In Quebec

((HT: Sportsnet/CP))

And all of this comes from the projected owner of a Quebec City team heading there...

Former Canada MP Brian Mulroney is now at the front of the line with the bid. Peladeau's Quebecor, Incorporated purchased the naming and management rights to a new arena where a team would be based and the C$400M cost is supposed to be split between the province and the city- a deal that was supported by the Parti Quebecois before the 2012 provincial election.

And now Peladeau has announced he's running as a PQ candidate- working on the province's independence...

Here's analysis of that move...
((HT: CTV News))
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And here's the Peladeau announcement... in French...
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Mulroney, by the way, is vice-chairman of the Quebecor board.

"Commissioner Bettman and (ex-)prime minister Mulroney have spoken directly for quite some time, without intermediaries," Quebec City mayor Regis Labeaume said when he was asked about the Peladeau move into politics.

Here's an in-depth interview with Peladeau, and yes Tish, it's in French...
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So, now, without any kind of divestiture needed by Quebecor and having Mulroney as the public face on the hockey front... keep an eye on the Florida Panthers from this moment forward...

One Of The Worst Line Changes Ever...

((HT: Sportsnet))

Okay... and the HQ means...

EVER!!!

The HQ dares you to count all the Florida Panthers on the ice at one time...

Answer: More than 5...

Trade Deadline Day Starts A Day Early With Luongo And Penner

A lot of guys went on waivers and cleared...

Ottawa's Joe Corvo and Cory Conacher, the Florida Panthers' Scott Gomez and Scot Clemmensen, Maple Leafs left winger Trevor Smith, Wild center Jake Dowell, Oilers winger Corey Potter and Flames defenseman Derek Smith were placed on waivers.

Leafs enforcer Frazer McLaren, Predators goalie Devan Dubnyk, Penguins forward Chuck Kobasew and Oilers defenceman Philip Larsen all went unclaimed after being waived Monday.

Then the fun started today...

Dustin Penner was sent from Anaheim to Washington for a pick and the Ducks picked up Stephane Robidas from Dallas. They also sent goalie Victor Fasth to Edmonton for two picks...

CSN Washington's Jill Sorenson caught up with Penner's high school teammate, Eric Fehr...


The Caps were right up against the cap ceiling- so, as a move to alleviate some of that, they sent Martin Erat and John Mitchell to Phoenix for Rusty Klesla, Chris Brown and a pick...

Ilya Bryzgalov went from Edmonton to Minnesota to be one of the Wild's goaltenders- especially good timing with the announcement that Nick Backstrom is out for the year with an injury...

The Islanders sent Andrew McDonald to Philadelphia for two picks and a player...

But the big move of the day sends Roberto Luongo back to Florida along with Steven Anthony for two players...

Bobby Lu is looking forward to heading back to a place where crowds are non-existent...
Sportsnet adds instant analysis...
((HT: Sportsnet))

New Candidate For Save Of The Year...???

((HT: Sportsnet))

Okay...

You tell us...

What do you think...???

Tim Thomas and Mike Green... and Green didn't win out on the breakaway...

Tim Thomas Crowns Soderberg In His Return To Boston

((HT: FS Florida))

Florida Panthers goalie Tim Thomas returned to Boston tonight and is known for always protecting his crease and his teammates...

The game was out of hand, down 6-2 very late, as Thomas had a rough night...
So, he ended it this way with a right cross for Carl Soderberg...


New uni, same old crotchety Tim Thomas...
And we're better for it...

Florida Panthers Ask For More Public Dollars...Is Quebec City Watching...???

((HT: Sun Sentinel/Wallman))

And, now, we finally have it...

The Florida Panthers, the southern-most outpost for the Gary Bettman expansion into the Sun Belt, is finally asking for public funds to keep them in town...

Are you watching Quebec City...???

The team claims they're losing at least US$20-million a year and are asking for a rewrite of their contract with the city of Sunrise.

The building was brought forth in the late '90s for just under US$190-million.
It's still being paid off... for another 14 years...

More from Wallman:

Under the proposed change, for the 14-year balance of the current contract:

•The Panthers would shed the $4.5 million annual payment; it would be picked up by the county.

•The county would contribute $500,000 a year toward maintenance, and would pay any of the property insurance tab that exceeds $1 million.

•The Panthers would swap the land it has rights to build on, 12 acres south of the arena, in favor of 22 acres on the arena's north side, where the Panthers hope a casino-hotel or some other development could be built and brought onto the tax rolls.

•The Panthers would immediately repay $10.6 million in loans the county granted them in recent years.

•The Panthers would continue contributing $500,000 a year to the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

•The Panthers would commit to investing in hockey team payroll "at a level competitive with the rest of the National Hockey League."

Short of Buffalo, Calgary, Colorado, and the New York Islanders, the Panthers are near the bottom in NHL payroll numbers with a cap figure of just over US$60-million.

Even teams like Columbus are spending more these days...

It will be interesting how Vinnie Viola, the Panthers owner, responds if the Sunrise council goes against the idea of less money in hand in the present for more dollars in the future...especially, if the Panthers continue to flounder in the Eastern Conference as they have for the better part of the last decade...

Kinda what they were asked to do when the BB&T Center went on line in the first place...

Here's what the Panthers did last time out- beating the Sabres (doesn't everyone...?)
((HT: MSG))


So, if I was anyone from Sun Media, I would keep a keen eye with everything going on in Florida- because, the rest of the hockey world knows you're ready...

Panthers Replace Broken Plexiglass With Plywood

((HT: NHL))

The HQ doesn't know how to read this one, but there are plenty of jokes here...

The whole concept of having broken plexiglass is to replace it with more plexiglass...

So, what do the Panthers do...???
It's either sad or typical of their whole situation...


Not that they couldn't send the fans who would have to look around the plywood to different seats- which the HQ is fairly certain are quite available...

But...

C'mon...

Plywood... really...???

"Something To Remember Me By..." Says Krys Barch

((HT: NHL))

The HQ has shown a lot of tooth-popping in the NHL these days- John Tavares, Pascal Dupuis, and now the Florida Panthers get in on the action- with a bit of added on...

Krys Barch decided on some self-dentistry, but he didn't want to hang on to it for the Tooth Fairy...
At least, that's what the fan thought...


Of course, Barch wanted the dollar from under the pillow...
C'mon, now...

Gudas Ejected For Stick Swinging After Bottle Squirt

After he got sprayed with water blue Gatorade from the Florida Panthers bench...

Just watch... short of getting mad after "fall down go boom..." that's when Gudas came up swinging...
((HT: FS Florida/Sportsnet))

So, Upshall serves a two-minute bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. Gudas is dealt two minutes for slashing, a 10-minute misconduct, plus a game misconduct...

That'll learn ya...

The NHL Lockout is serious: The Panthers lay off Stanley C. Panther

((ht: george richards))

Poor Stanley

Poor Stanley C. Panther. He along was laid off today in a "Cost Cutting" move by the Florida Panthers hockey team.

In case you didn't know: The NHL is in a lockout. Again.

Yeah, we were surprised to hear that too.

So...if the NHL had a lockout and nobody knew it, did it really happen?

Unfortunately in this case, yes.

We use the Panthers as an example: The team is locked out, not able to use the Panthers facility. Unless they rent the ice.

Seriously. they are renting out a side locker room and ice time at their practice facility to their players so they can work out.

Confused?

We aren't taking sides here, but Gary Bettman and his owners should realize they are going to fade into obscurity this time. They know that...right?

The league, which has struggled to regain it's popularity had its best TV ratings in decades this past year. This was after not having a TV deal for years. They were buying time on NBC, and then NBC finally started paying them.

And they still went on strike.

Stanley Panther will survive. And so will the players. They'll go to Europe or the minor leagues and play. The owners will sit and wait for an agreement to happen. And maybe it will.

But if they don't play in 2012-13, they will lose their audience. All of it. Yeah, sure, the transplanted Canadians might watch, but most all of the U.S audience won't miss them. We won't miss them. Well, Brother Jon and Brother Wilkie might, but I won't. I didn't follow hockey last year because Atlanta lost the Thrashers. There are no other teams I'm interested in.

We think most U.S viewers will just slide over to the NFL or the NBA and that will be that. But we could be wrong.

Ain't Nuthin' Better Than A Game 7

Unless it's two Game 7's- spaced about 90 minutes apart for the sake of television...

The last two Eastern Conference spots were locked up with the following wins...
The New York Rangers held on in a 2-1 win over Ottawa...
The last 10 minutes of regulation were must-see TV, and with Doc Emrick calling it the game was what it was...
Electric...
Marc Staal and Dan Girardi scored for the Broadway Blues... and the HQ doubts anyone had them in the pool...
((HT: NHL on NBC))


The other game would have given the Florida Panthers their first series win since their Stanley Cup run in 1996... didn't happen, but the game went into the fifth period before a winner was decided. It was a busy night for Adam Henrique...
((HT: CNBC/NHL Network/NHL))


This sets up the semi-finals with the 5,6, and 7 seeds advancing out of the East with the 8th seeded LA Kings making it from the West first round...

By the way, lower level tickets for the Round 2 opener at MSG are going from $108-$420 per seat... just so ya know...

We asked...

Madden Curse On Himself For Game 7

((HT: NHL/CNBC/NHL Network/Fred Murtz))

Tonight was a great night for Game 7's in the FIRST round of the NHL playoffs. New York survived their series with Ottawa with a 2-1 win at MSG while Florida and New Jersey were going at in on the outskirts of Miami.

There was one reason that the Panthers picked up John Madden as a free agent- simplay, for nights like this...

But early on, Madden lost a collision with his own teammate Tomas Kopecky...


Kopecky returned... Madden had not by the key moments of the third...
Ol' JR would have talked about him bleeding like a stuck pig... in his 7:05 of ice time before his unintentional egress...

More on Madden when we know more... the HQ, however, is confident that he'll be diagnosed with an upper-body injury...

Report: Panthers Barch Ejected After Slur

((HT: NHL/FSFlorida))

Here we go again...

This is the only sport that seems to have this continually disappointing angle to its machismo...

The Florida Panthers enforcer Krys Barch was apparently ejected from the Montreal Canadiens game last night after an alleged racial slur to the Habs' PK Subban.

The dust-up is at the :55 second mark...


According to FOSG Pierre LeBrun, linesman Darren Gibbs overhead the slur in question to Subban- whose parents are Jamaican.

Subban didn't hear whatever Gibbs thinks he heard and, in turn, reported to the league office. The next game for the Panthers is Thursday, so don't expect any decision until before the game.

More when we know more...