Who's calling the Panthers ‘The ‘NHL's Pre-Eminent Dirtbags?'

Perhaps you expect Panthers hate from sports opinion columnists, especially those from Canada. But, you don't expect The Wall Street Journal to act like the Panthers' second consecutive Stanley Cup tanked the stock market.
'The NHL's Pre-Eminent Dirtbags Are Now Stanley Cup Champions' snarled the headline on a Wednesday story that seems to ignore the Panthers lifted Stanley last year, too.
'The Panthers specialize in playing dirtbag hockey,' reads the prose from WSJ's Laine Higgins.
The story points out the Panthers' ability to play on the edge and over it (most penalties taken in the playoffs) without paying for it (best penalty kill in the playoffs) gets opponents off their games. And, it does compliment the Panthers' team defense.
The story didn't give as much credit to the physical toll playing a big, fast, enthusiastically bodychecking team like the Panthers does to you over a seven-game series. Nor did it give as much credit for the Panthers ability to finish scoring chances (4.09 goals per game, best in the playoffs this year).
It did call Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett 'unscrupulous' and point out his collisions with Toronto goalie Anthony Solarz (concussion) and Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner (a Game 1 goal that led to an ensuing power-play goal when Edmonton's appeal for goalie interference got denied).
We would get comment from the Panthers, but they're a bit busy parading the Stanley Cup around to bars, the neighbors' houses and whatnot.
Nothing new for South Florida
From Miami to Fort Lauderdale to the Palm Beach-Martin county line, this area's used to the its championship teams being hated.
Remember all the harrumphing and whining during the Heat's Big 3 era? While some NBA fans appreciated the gorgeous basketball displayed nightly by Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and the supporting cast, others pouted 'no fair!' and fumed 'built not bought' as if the Heat opened a vault to vacuum up the stars.
And, no team in college-affiliated football history — and few in any sport — ever will be reviled as widely as the University of Miami Hurricanes of the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s. To the dismay of opposing fans, national media and opponents, those teams backed up their incessant trash talking, celebratory dances and struts by gleefully mollywhopping opponents.
Really, these Panthers resemble the original Panthers of the franchise's first four years, albeit far more skilled.
Panthers general manager Bob Clarke, president Bill Torrey and coach Roger Neilson knew there wouldn't be a surfeit of offensive talent in the expansion draft. So, they chose players they hated playing against. They remembered checks finished almost too late, hard stops sending ice shavings into the masks of kneeling goalies, trash talk, entire benches screaming threats at guys who played hard and nasty for 60 minutes.
Two moments that epitomized those Panthers came in Game 3 of the 1996 Eastern Conference final against Pittsburgh. In the first period, Bill Lindsay poked and goaded Penguins superstar right wing Jaromir Jagr. Lindsay eventually got a punch to the head. Jagr got two minutes for roughing. Later, with the Panthers up 5-2, infuriated Pittsburgh semi-deity Mario Lemieux expressed his frustration with a roughing penalty of his own.
Now, 28 years later, Lindsay smiles from the radio booth in the press box at a team that's the best form of the Panthers.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

New York Times

42 minutes ago

• New York Times

Oilers' Stan Bowman and Kris Knoblauch on Connor McDavid extension, goaltending and more

EDMONTON — Words matter and there were a lot of them uttered in Friday's press conference featuring Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman and coach Kris Knoblauch. So, let's cut through the noise and get to the most impactful ones. These were the five most important things said by two of the Oilers' chief decision-makers as they try to forge ahead to next season after a frustrating loss in the Stanley Cup Final. Now, it's time to decipher what they really mean. 'It's my job to connect with Connor in that way and demonstrate that that's what we're all trying to do. We all have the same objective.' Bowman called an extension for Connor McDavid the 'No. 1 priority' this offseason — while being respectful to operate on his captain's timeline after a long season — so it's best to start with him. McDavid was a major talking point on Friday, and for good reason. He's about to enter the last year of his contract and is eligible to re-sign on July 1, although he's expected to wait until later in the summer to make his decision. Advertisement McDavid laid out the most important factor a day earlier that he's monitoring. 'If I feel that there's a good window to win here over and over again, then signing is no problem,' he said Thursday. This is clearly a pivotal next 10-11 days for Bowman. He must transition the 2024-25 Oilers into the 2025-26 version — and make them better — all while trying to keep an eye on the future, so things don't go pear-shaped. It's about more than appeasing McDavid. It's about ensuring the Oilers are set up for sustained success once he's committed to staying for the long haul. 'The guys that drove the ship for us, they're all going to be part of this going forward. Adding to it is something we want to do.' That was the most declarative statement Bowman made to indicate he has no worries about McDavid re-signing with the team. That also applies to pending restricted free agent Evan Bouchard, who's due to receive a big pay increase on his $3.9 million cap hit. McDavid is right with Leon Draisaitl as the Oilers' best player. Bouchard might be third behind them. Any contract McDavid signs won't factor onto the team's salary cap until 2026-27, but Bouchard's next deal projects to take a huge bite out of their (not quite) $12 million in space, per PuckPedia. Assuming McDavid and Bouchard get locked up, there are two areas Bowman is focusing on more than others when it comes to the adding part. 'More likely, the forwards and the goalies are the ones we're going to evaluate the most deeply.' Of the defencemen that played in Tuesday's Game 6, four have contracts for next season: Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Jake Walman and Brett Kulak. Bouchard remains under team control as he awaits a new deal. Extras Troy Stecher and Ty Emberson are signed, too. Heck, even Josh Brown is. It's no wonder Bowman thinks his blue line is as set as can be. John Klingberg, the only unrestricted free agent, could be caught in a numbers game. Advertisement Among the forward ranks, Trent Frederic, Connor Brown, Corey Perry, Kasperi Kapanen, Jeff Skinner and Derek Ryan are free agents. All but Ryan were in the lineup Tuesday. However, Frederic is the only one who's all but assured of returning right now as he and the Oilers appear to be closing in on a long-term deal. A couple of others might join Frederic, but certainly not all of them. 'Up front, we need some different players,' Bowman said. The Oilers have just under $12 million in cap space without contracts for Bouchard or Frederic. They're going to have to clear money off the books. Evander Kane and Viktor Arvidsson are the prime candidates. Both have another year on their contracts at $5.125 million and $4 million, respectively. The former has a partial no-trade clause, and the latter has a full no-movement clause but was displeased to be scratched during the playoffs. Bowman indicated there could be an injection of 'youthful enthusiasm' — see Matt Savoie — to make up for some of the expected losses. And then there's goaltending. 'The reality of the world is, it's not like you go down to the corner and pick up an elite goalie. They're not just waiting for you to join your team, right? How many are there anyways in that group?' Bowman was pressed several times about the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. Is he and his staff seriously contemplating starting next season with the same two guys? Well, it's entirely possible. The cap constraints are real. The goaltending free agent market, consisting of basically Jake Allen, is an issue. So is having few enticing assets (prospects and draft picks) to dangle to any team willing to sell off a goaltender considered an upgrade on what the Oilers already have. Yup, they're in a pickle. Bowman made a point emphasizing that some of the supposed top goaltenders in the league had underwhelming playoffs. He noted how fickle the position can be. It was almost like he's bracing people for the possibility that Skinner and Pickard will be sharing the net come the fall. Advertisement There's some benefit to that. Both are inexpensive at $2.6 million and $1 million, respectively, for just one more year each. That's helpful when you're up against the cap. Then again, neither goaltender finished the regular season or playoffs with a save percentage over .900. It's not easy to win it all like that. 'It's really hard to predict where that's going to go,' Bowman said. 'Through the year, we felt that it wasn't running as well because we had some players that weren't as good at it as the year before. That's one area that we're looking at adjusting.' This came from Knoblauch while discussing the penalty kill, a facet of the Oilers' game that went from unbelievable during last year's playoffs to borderline disastrous on this run. The Oilers killed off 94.3 percent of opponents' power plays during the 2024 postseason, allowing just four goals against over 25 games. They even scored three times while short-handed. It was imperative to their success. This time, they managed to win 14 times this spring despite their PK work. They surrendered 23 goals in 22 games, thwarting opposing teams just 67.1 percent of the time. They failed to net a short-handed goal, either. There was considerable turnover from last year's PK to start this past season. Gone were regulars Vincent Desharnais, Cody Ceci, Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod. The same went for Philip Broberg, who got short-handed time late in the playoffs. Derek Ryan quickly lost his grip on a PK spot. Returnees up front were Brown, Mattias Janmark, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Henrique — who got spot duty after being acquired via trade in March 2024. With Bowman planning to keep the defence corps intact, Knoblauch's comments put these forwards on notice. We all know Nugent-Hopkins isn't going anywhere. Henrique has another year on his contract at $3 million with a no-movement clause, though the Oilers need to clear salary. Brown can hit the open market on July 1, whereas Mattias Janmark has two more years on his $1.45 million deal with partial no-trade protection. It's hard to justify a spot on the roster for Brown or Janmark if they're not killing penalties. Knoblauch perhaps provided a hint into one or both of their futures with the team. (Top photo of Stan Bowman and Kris Knoblauch: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

CBS News

an hour ago

• CBS News

Panthers parade set for Sunday in Fort Lauderdale. Here's what you need to know

As Fort Lauderdale prepares for the Florida Panthers' second straight Stanley Cup championship parade, city officials and fans are offering key advice for navigating the celebration. With large crowds expected, transportation and parking will be major considerations for anyone heading to the beachside event. Parade route and rally details The parade begins at noon Sunday on A1A at Riomar Street and continues south to Southeast 5th Street, where a rally will be held on a stage. Crews have already started setting up barricades and building the stage along the beach. "The Elbo Room all the way down the beach. It's gonna be amazing," said Rich Rodriguez, who attended last year's celebration. Rodriguez and his friend Alex Guzman described the 2023 event as a once-in-a-lifetime experience—and one that gave them important insight into planning for this year's festivities. "If you're driving here, you're just gonna get stuck somewhere," Rodriguez said. Parking, transportation and arrival tips The City of Fort Lauderdale says 26 nearby parking garages will be open for the event, but walking distances to the venue could range from five minutes to over an hour. "Parking is gonna be difficult. So make sure you use ride share or carpool. Water taxi will be available," said Mayor Dean Trantalis. Rodriguez and Guzman opted for the water taxi last year and say it's the way to go. "It's well worth it. You don't have to drive. If you're drinking you don't have to worry about anything like that. The traffic. You can see there are two lanes on the road and it's gonna be really really crowded," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez added that he arrived at the water taxi about three and a half hours before the start of the parade last year. "Last time we got here at about 8:30 and there were already hundreds of thousands of people here. And it was stormy," he said. Police presence and safety measures Fort Lauderdale police say there are no known threats to the event. Officials added that it will be "all hands on deck," meaning nearly every officer not on vacation will be working during Sunday's parade.

Miami Herald

2 hours ago

• Miami Herald

What to know about Panthers parade traffic, parking, weather, watching on TV

The Florida Panthers are repeat Stanley Cup winners — and that's not the only repeat fans may face. There's a Sunday parade along the same route the team celebrated victory last year: along A1A from Riomar Street to just north of Fort Lauderdale Beach Park at Southeast Fifth Street followed by a rally. Last year, everything got soaked. Fans, because there was a deluge. And the Stanley Cup because jubilant Panthers players thought it would be a good idea to give the trophy a dunk in the ocean. The trophy dunk won't happen again this year. The weather? Well, we'll get to that soon. Here's what you should know about attending the Panthers' parade. And if you're not going, you may want to avoid the area for most of the morning and afternoon given the expected traffic jams and people along A1A. MORE: Back-to-back! Florida Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup champions When is the parade? The Stanley Cup celebration parade starts at noon Sunday, June 22. A rally ceremony follows at 1:30 p.m. Where is the parade route? The parade route along A1A starts at Riomar Street and ends just north of Fort Lauderdale Beach Park across from Hotel Maren at Southeast Fifth Street. The formal on-stage rally takes place at the parade's end point. Traffic information A1A along the parade route will be closed to traffic. The majority of downtown streets don't have any planned lane closings, but the city advises to plan ahead for heavy traffic, both in vehicles and on foot. East Las Olas Boulevard between Southeast 15th Avenue and Seabreeze Boulevard will be reduced to one eastbound lane for traffic. The second eastbound lane will mainly be for pedestrian and cyclists. If you're parking downtown, wear proper shoes and prepare to walk a good distance. The city suggests taking the water taxi or ride-share services to get closer to the event. Ride-share services may be limited based on traffic conditions. Federal Highway and Southeast 17th Street west of Eisenhower don't have any planned lane closures. But expect lots of traffic. Southeast 17th Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction, starting at Eisenhower and heading north to Sunrise Boulevard. Where to park Here is where you can parkm with the city's estimation of walking time: Galleria Fort Lauderdale, 2414 E. Sunrise Blvd. A 25-minute walk to the Taylor Birch State Park, 3109 E. Sunrise Blvd. A 14-minute House, 900 N. Birch Rd. A 13-minute parking along State Road A1A north of Sunrise Boulevard. A 20- to 35 minute English Park, 1101 Bayview Dr. A 30-minute Beach Lot, 725 N. Fort Lauderdale Blvd.. A 13-minute Olas Garage at 200 E. Las Olas Blvd. A 5-minute Center Garage, 115 S. Andrews Ave. A 60-minute Center Garage, 150 SE Second St. A 60-minute walk. 401 East Las Olas, private garage at 401 E. Las Olas Blvd. A 60-minute walk.200 East Las Olas, private parking at 200 E. Las Olas Blvd. A 60-minute Lot, 1300 SE Second Ct. A 35-minute walk Pelican Lot, 1500 SE Second Ct. A 35-minute Lot, 800 SE Second Ct. A 45-minute Olas Company lots at 915 SE Fourth St., 325 SE Ninth Ave. and 614 SE Second Ct. A 45-minute Parking along Las Olas Boulevard between Southeast 3rd and 16th avenues. A 60-minute Lot, 1001 SE Fourth St. A 45-minute Nation Tower private parking lot, 200 SW First Ave. A 60-minute Main Las Olas private parking lot, 201 SW First Ave. A 60-minute Plaza at Las Olas private parking lot at 301 E. Las Olas Blvd. A 60-minute walk.350 Las Olas private parking lot at 350 Las Olas Blvd. A 60-minute walk.450 Las Olas private parking lot at 450 Las Olas Blvd. A 60-minute Hotel Garage private parking at 620 E. Las Olas Blvd. A 50-minute Taxi Stop at 335 SE Sixth Center Parking Garage and Heron Garage at 2050 Eisenhower Blvd. Requires a bus ride, then a 10-minute walk to the event site.E. Clay Shaw Lot West at 1881 SE 17th St. A 10-minute walk to BCT Shuttle, then a 45-minute Taxi at 1881 SE 17th St. Shuttle information Broward County Transit buses will be running in a continuous loop to the event from 8 a.m. to noon and back to the parking garages from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The service will operate from the Broward Convention Center, which can be accessed from Eisenhower Boulevard. If riders on BCT take routes 11, 36, or 40, that will take them to the parade for $2. Weather forecast Here's where fans may experience another repeat from last year: rain and thunderstorms. The forecast calls for a 60% chance between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale, according to the National Weather Service in Miami. it'll be steamy, too, with a high of 88. The feels-like temperature should be around 97. Watch on TV South Florida's local network affiliates, including channels 4, 6, 7 and 10 are expected to broadcast live coverage from Sunday's parade. The Florida Panthers' YouTube page will also stream the celebration.