Latest news with #FloridaPanthers'
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Smart drafting and strategic player development shaped core of the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers celebrate the win after game 7 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs (Credit: Getty Image) The Florida Panthers' rise to the top of the Eastern Conference did not happen overnight It started with foundational draft picks. Notably Aleksander Barkov in 2013 and Aaron Ekblad in 2014. As both players became cornerstones, evolving into leaders on and off the ice. Also, Anton Lundell and Mackie Samoskevich, selected in 2020 and 2021 respectively, added fresh talent and depth to the lineup. These homegrown players reflect the team's strong development pipeline. Impact trades and experienced signings, transformed the roster The Florida Panthers are the 2023-2024 Eastern Conference Champions! While the draft laid the foundation, Florida's front office made critical trades. The signings to complete the picture. Matthew Tkachuk, acquired in a blockbuster deal with Calgary in 2022. This added elite offensive firepower. Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart were also key acquisitions who now play central roles in the team's offensive structure. Deadline additions like Brad Marchand and Nico Sturm brought in proven playoff experience. In total, seven playoff contributors were added via trade and eleven more through free agency. Notably, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. He signed in 2019, remains a key figure in net. Veteran coaching and front office, leadership delivered results The Florida Panthers celebrate the win after game 7 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs (Credit: Getty Image) Behind the bench, Paul Maurice provided consistency and structure. Since his hiring in 2022, his calm demeanor and decades of coaching experience. This helped guide the Panthers through tight playoff battles, also assistant coaches like Tuomo Ruutu and Jamie Kompon added layers of expertise. Especially in special teams and player development. General manager Bill Zito has been the architect of this new era. Since taking over in 2020, Zito's smart roster moves, contract management, and long-term planning have turned Florida into a perennial contender. His ability to identify undervalued players, manage cap space, and build a culture of winning has been central to the Panthers' sustained success. Read more: Pyotr Kochetkov's life and personal achievements The Florida Panthers' Eastern Conference title is no accident, it's the result of methodical roster building, smart scouting. And a leadership group committed to long-term success, as they prepare for another Stanley Cup Final. Most of their journey offers a clear example of how an NHL team can be built the right way.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Florida Panthers go for sweep against Carolina
The Florida Panthers' road to repeat as Stanley Cup champions could take a major step forward Monday night.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Marchand comes clean about his Panthers intermission snack — and it wasn't Dairy Queen
Brad Marchand has come clean. No, the veteran forward was not eating a Dairy Queen Blizzard in the Florida Panthers' dressing room during the second intermission of the team's eventual 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final. So what was on the spoon that cameras caught him with during the intermission? 'Honey,' Marchand said after Florida's morning skate Monday. The Dairy Queen in question during his postgame interview on SportsNet — specifically his chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard — was from a trip with a few teammates while they were in Raleigh, North Carolina, for the first two games of the series. 'I was kind of making a joke,' Marchand said. 'I think people took it seriously. The amount of messages I got about people going to Dairy Queen yesterday — I appreciate the support. I love a good Blizzard more than anybody, but it's not something I've had in the middle of a game ... yet.' As for the honey? There's a story behind that, too. 'I've always loved honey,' Marchand said. 'Actually, when I was growing up, I loved Winnie the Pooh. So I used to have a Winnie the Pooh bear and I would feed him honey. It was covered — covered — and rock hard. I've always enjoyed it.' So the tale of Marchand with the Panthers continues. He's been stellar on the ice for Florida, entering Game 4 against the Hurricanes with 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 15 games. He quickly integrated into the team culture as well, so much so that the team shoots rubber rats at him on the ice after wins. He knows how to draw a crowd. That's been known throughout his 16-year NHL career. And nothing is changing now.
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Brad Marchand's midgame fuel during Panthers playoffs? Ice cream, apparently
Brad Marchand had a little pick-me-up during the second intermission of the Florida Panthers' 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final on Saturday. The snack of choice, according to the veteran forward who is wrapping up his 16th NHL season: A chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard from Dairy Queen. 'You can't beat it,' Marchand said in a postgame interview with Sportsnet. 'It's the best dessert in the world.' Marchand then looks straight into the camera. 'I better get a lifetime free supply of Dairy Queen now,' he said. 'Thank you fellas.' But some of Marchand's teammates — and his coach — are questioning the facts surrounding this story. 'I know he said it, but I'm just not sure that makes it a fact,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said with a smile. 'Have video on this? It's a conspiracy theory.' The only video from the room that has surfaced so far shows Marchand licking an upside down spoon with no concrete evidence about what was actually being consumed. But the speculation that it was a Blizzard is stirring up debate. 'He was eating ice cream in the room?' forward Carter Verhaeghe asked Sunday when the topic was brought up. 'Yeah, I didn't see any ice cream, but I've gotta get some of that. ... I didn't get the memo.' Forward Evan Rodrigues, meanwhile, said in a postgame interview with TNT that there has been Greater's ice cream in the meal room that 'the boys haven't been shy about, that's for sure.' Regardless, the snack appeared to work for Marchand, who scored the Panthers' fifth and final goal of the third period to turn a 1-1 tie into a 6-1 lead a little more than midway through the frame. 'He's one of a kind,' Verhaeghe said. 'You can tell he's been around for so long and is such a great leader. Having him on the team is such a huge advantage. It brings so much energy and leadership. For him to be able to play a game like that after, I guess, eating ice cream is pretty crazy.'
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
‘They trust each other': How a Panthers team filled with stars plays without ego
Walk into the Florida Panthers' dressing room and you'll see the star power. Aleksander Barkov is the captain and one of the league's top two-way forwards. Wingers Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand are the brash, vocal media darlings, who make their presence known through their interview quips just as much as they do with their pesky play on the ice. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is well on his way to the Hockey Hall of Fame once his career ends. Carter Verhaeghe is the clutch playoff performer. Sam Reinhart has morphed into one of the league's top goal scorers. Gustav Forsling is becoming one of the NHL's top defensemen. The list goes on and on. Now, close your eyes while your in that room and try to establish who the top players were based on how the group interacts with each other. That becomes a much tougher task. 'Truly,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said, 'if you didn't know the face, if you walked into that locker room, or walked on the airplane, or watched him, you couldn't tell who the star was.' It's part of what has driven the Panthers' success over the past three years, success that has seen them make it to the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row and, entering Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, are two wins away from getting there again. There's no ego on this team. Every player understands his role, and every player respects the role he has. Talent is the first step for success, Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito acknowledges, but talent only gets you so far. How the talent on the roster meshes together to form a cohesive unit is key, and he's seeing the fruits of the labor of the roster he has created pan out before his eyes. 'By my way of thinking, it's the character and culture of that talent,' Zito said. 'For the players, it's that they play as a team. It's easy to say 'I'm team first.' It's easy to think that you mean it, but these guys live it. It's not just something they say. It's what they are, and the way they treat the staff, coaches, myself. It's cliche to say that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, but in this instance, it's a great example of exactly that. 'They respect each other. They like each other. They trust each other.' Added forward Evan Rodrigues: 'It's obviously a welcoming group, and a very mature group. I think the biggest thing is you don't really have a choice. You either conform or you don't. You've got to fit the group right? You've got to play the way they play. And if you don't, it doesn't work. Everyone's very welcoming. Everyone's very friendly, and it's a fun group to be around. And I think when guys come in, they find that very easily.' How did the Panthers get to that point where the room is as cohesive as it is? Maurice needs to point to just one player. 'I think that's all Barkov,' Maurice said. 'Matthew's like that too, and Brad, and some of the older guys, some of the guys who make the media — and I understand why they do — but I think it's all Barkov.' Florida's captain since the start of the 2018-19 season, Barkov has instilled a sense of decorum in the dressing room. He's not the most vocal player, but he commands respect when he does speak. And he makes sure everyone's voice is heard, whether you're one of the stars or wearing a suit on game day as a healthy scratch. 'We're a team right?' said defenseman Aaron Ekblad, Florida's second-longest tenured player behind Barkov. We're all in it together, and we treat everyone the same. It's worked for us.' Florida's depth — they have 15 forwards and seven defensemen who could all easily play on any given night — could create a contentious environment among those vying for the final lineup spots each game. But there's been no wavering, no qualms, no issues from the players who ultimately don't draw in. 'I love all the guys in this group, and you have to check your ego aside,' said fourth-line forward Jonah Gadjovich, who didn't play at all in the postseason last year when Florida won the Stanley Cup and had to wait until Game 3 of the second-round this year to make his postseason debut. 'Obviously I want to play the whole time, every game, but if I were to get called on and I wasn't ready, that's on me. We're treated just like any other guy in the lineup, even though we weren't in the lineup. It's such a tight group, top to bottom. We have a lot of fun doing what we do.' The camaraderie, the open communication nd the understanding of the ultimate goal eliminates any tension that could be created. 'The leadership group, the way that everyone kind of does their day-to-day stuff and the vibe around the locker room, like, no one's better than anyone,' said forward A.J. Greer, who plays on Florida's fourth line. 'It's just the way that guys do certain things. You kind of mesh into the locker room as a new guy, you kind of come into the footsteps of guys like Barky, Reino, Forsy, Ekblad, guys that are Panthers legends. So being able to do the same that they do shows the commitment, shows the energy and willingness to win.'
