When you aren’t from a traditional hockey market even from the beginning, the cards are stacked against you. Not only from your own city but from outsiders as well. If you are a hockey club in the sunbelt of the United States, people openly wonder why you have a team and why in God’s name in your winters you would want to spend your evenings in an ice box.
It makes each and every battle that these teams have in the court of public opinion that much tougher. Legitimacy is the name of the game and until your team competes consistently they will continue to be fodder for some of the more ravenous parts of the media.
Recently, the Panthers may have given some of the media something to chew on.
Appears #FlaPanthers $86-plus million financial package w/ Broward County – which all but guarantees team stays here – will be voted on Tues
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) December 3, 2015
Broward County commission wants to vote on #FlaPanthers arena deal before break; appears it will pass although not overwhelmingly.
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) December 3, 2015
Part of the #FlaPanthers deal with Broward County is an All-Star Weekend from NHL; league will also invest millions in area youth hockey.
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) December 3, 2015
Part of the #FlaPanthers deal with Broward County is an All-Star Weekend from NHL; league will also invest millions in area youth hockey.
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) December 3, 2015
Broward County keeps pro sports team, also gets development rights on acres #FlaPanthers control around Sunrise arena.
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) December 3, 2015
And the closely negotiated #FlaPanthers deal should pass and team stays; no real opposition to team getting bigger piece of tourism tax pie
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) December 3, 2015
There is a whole lot of info there to consume and all of it looks like good news for the Panthers.
The team has been constantly surrounded by turmoil in one way or another. A new owner has come into town and has seemed to calm any nerves that Florida residents may have about the team moving. Regardless of what your thoughts of public funds going to arenas are, this is good news for fans of the Panthers and fans of hockey as they try to expand the game in the US. The first step in this plan would apparently be the approval of the All Star game in Florida.
I am sure the cranky media wouldn’t complain about spending their January in southern Florida, no?
