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Completely forgot to do this. Sunshine State Hockey has moved to a new site. Please follow us over there.

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The Stanley Cup Final

Hello everyone, I hope you all are as excited as I am for the Cup final to begin tonight. In just a little over an hour two teams will go head to head for the chance to hoist the cup. Neither team has one Lord Stanley's hardware in at least thirty five years.

I just wanted to stop in and give my pick for the series. I will admit I didn't do too well in these playoffs, but I hope to make up for it.

After all is said and done, the Chicago Blackhawks will be the 2010 Stanley Cup champions. Not only will they win, but I say that the Hawks will end this series in five. Bold prediction? Maybe, but only time will tell.

I hope everyone enjoys game 1 and the entire series. Check back later this week for another installment of What Really Grinds My Gears followed by a new poll.

If you have any comments or questions please post them on SSH's facebook page or send them to SunStateHockey@hotmail.com

Time For The AHL To Come To FLA?

The Florida Panthers rocky relationship with their farm club, the Rochester Americans, will most likely be coming to an end after the 2010-2011 season. The main reason for the split, among others, is because the Panthers never forked over some money to help pay for the veteran players on the Amerks after they promised they would.

With the partnership ending that will leave the Panthers prospects without a place to officially play. I am sure the Panthers will fine another farm team out there, but before they go sending the boys off to play in Alaska or some other far off place why not consider staying close to home? Why not give AHL hockey a chance in the sunshine state?

Minor league hockey is nothing new to Florida. The Florida Everblades of the ECHL has a very strong following on the west coast in Fort. Myers. Orlando also had the Solar Bears, an IHL team that won the Turner Cup in 2001, the last year of the league before it folded. The issue with the Solar Bears though was attendance. Even though they had a good product on the ice, the people in Orlando didn't seem that interested.

There are plenty of other places in Florida that an AHL team might work. Let us forget Sunrise and Tampa since both areas already have NHL teams. Some other spots that come to mind would be Jacksonville, Miami, West Palm Beach, or maybe even give Orlando another chance. Of course the Panthers will have to help out and show interest in their farm club, which one has to think that the Panthers will do so and learn from their mistakes they made with the Amerks.

Time to bring back the Bears?

Not only will an AHL team in Florida be a good gauge for the growth of hockey in the sunshine state, but it will also help out with the traveling of prospects called up and sent down. Many times you hear from Panthers staff and players that traveling from Rochester to Florida and Florida to Rochester is taxing on guys, especially when they arrive on the day of the game. If you want a good example, look no further then Shawn Matthias.

So what do you all think? Would you like to see an AHL team in Florida? Do you think that one of the areas listed would be a good choice, or would you pick somewhere else? Or would you just like to see the Cats create a partnership with an already established AHL team?

Leave your feedback on SSH's facebook page or send it to SunStateHockey@hotmail.com.

Dale Tallon The New GM of Panthers

Reports from George Richards of the Miami Heralds "On Frozen Pond" claim that Dale Tallon, former General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, will take over the GM role for the Florida Panthers.

This is a bit surprising to say the least. I for one felt that Sexton was doing a good job, especially with all of the prospect signings this off season.

If such reports are true the press conference to make the announcement will be held tomorrow at 11 A.M.

You can read GR's story here.

Conference Finals, Who Would Have Guessed?

Good afternoon everyone, I hope you all are enjoying this years playoffs, I know I am. Thanks to Montreal and San Jose we are guaranteed a new match up for the cup this year. The playoffs have been wild though to say the least, especially the second round. Who would have guessed, aside from fans of the respected teams, that the Habs would knock off the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the same fashion as the Presidents Trophy winning Washington Capitals? Who would have guessed that the Boston Bruins would lose their series against the Philadelphia Flyers after being up 3-0 in the series, and 3-0 in game seven?

You couldn't write this script even if you tried.

On the western side of the fence things shaped up as they should have based on regular season standings. The #1 and #2 seed will battle for the right to go to the cup final. The Hawks goaltending has held up and Antti Niemi is doing an admirable job, but this is the series that will make or break Chicago's young netminder.

I am not going to recap last round, because well, my predictions were off. Can you blame me though? At least I called the Boston vs Philly series, that counts for something. SSH went 1-

For what it's worth, here are SSH's predictions for the Conference Finals.

Eastern Conference Final

#8 Montreal Canadiens vs #7 Philadelphia Flyers.

Old time hockey makes an appearance in the Eastern finals this year. This series is going to be a good one, but in the end the Habs will walk away the winners. The Canadiens have turned into a shutdown team with a no named defense, and if these no names can shut down Ovechkin and Crosby they should be able to shut down Richards and Co.

Montreal wins the series 4-2.

Western Conference Final

#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs #1 San Jose Sharks

The two power houses in the West battle for their shut at the cup. The San Jose Sharks are loaded on offense skill in both their forwards and defense while the Hawks are a more balanced team with the better defense. This series will go the distance, but in the end Antti Niemi will prove he is strong enough to carry his team to the promise land.

Chicago wins the series 4-3.

I hope everyone enjoys the games. If anyone has any comments or questions you can post them on SSH's facebook page or E-mail me at SunStateHockey@hotmail.com

Round 1 Done, Round 2 Starts Tonight

The day after one of the most shocking upsets ever seen in the playoffs, people are still asking the same question. What in the world happened?

The Washington Capitals were the favorites of many to win the cup this season, unless your name is RJ Umberger. Something happened though that shocked everyone, including Alexander Ovechkin. The Caps ran into a wall named Jaroslav Halak. Let us not forget that the Washington Capitals had a 3-1 series lead before Montreal won three in a row to take the series. So, the Caps will have questions to answer in the off-season, and the Habs will live to fight another day.

On to my predictions for round 1. I have to admit it was a bit bold for me to say that Nashville would win their series against Chicago, but sure enough I paid for my boldness by getting that series wrong.

Eastern Conference

#1 Washington Capitals vs #8 Montreal Canadiens

SSH: "Capitals take series 4-0."

Reality: Montreal Wins Series 4-3.

Cut me some slack on this one. I am willing to bet that all of you said something similar, unless your a Habs fan.

#2 New Jersey Devils vs #7 Philadelphia Flyers

SSH: "Devils take series 4-0."

Reality: Philadelphia Wins Series 4-1.

This was another shocker in the first round. Hats off to Brian Boucher for coming out of no where and playing better then the quickly aging Martin Brodeur.

#3 Buffalo Sabres vs # 6 Boston Bruins

SSH: "Sabres take series 4-3."

Reality: Boston Wins Series 4-2.

Ryan Miller was not a happy camper after this one. I have a feeling he was banking on a long playoff run to erase the haunting memory of the Olympic finale. Sorry Ryan, now you have two bad experiences to dwell on in the summer.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Ottawa Senators

SSH: "Penguins take series 4-2."

Reality: Pittsburgh Wins Series 4-2.

I got one right! The Senators tried their best, and Pascal Leclaire came off the bench and played well, but the Pens were just too strong for the surprise team in the East.

Western Conference

#1 San Jose Sharks vs #8 Colorado Avalanche

SSH: "Sharks take series 4-2."

Reality: San Jose Wins Series 4-2.

Another correct answer for SSH, but it will be the last complete correct answer (team and # games) of the first round. This series was a crazy one that included a goal scored on San Jose by the Sharks own Dan Boyle. The Sharks prevailed but the Avalanche proved that they will be a dangerous team in the West for years to come.

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs #6 Los Angeles Kings

SSH: "Canucks take series 4-1."

Reality "Vancouver Wins Series 4-2."

The Sedin's, and former Panther Mikael Sammualson, handled the young and promising LA Kings with ease. Luongo played well, but never had to be spectacular in this series. The Kings go home with good feelings for the future.

#4 Phoenix Coyotes vs #5 Detroit Red Wings

SSH: "Red Wings take series 4-2."

Reality: Detroit Wins Series 4-3.

Phoenix tried with all their might, but come on, its the Red Wings. The end of game seven proved that hockey is just fine in Arizona as long as the Yotes keep winning. Hats off to the classy fans that stayed and saluted their team with a "Lets go Yotes!" chant.

So counting just the correct teams SSH went 4-4, .500 is not too shabby and I will take it.

Now let us wrap this up with predictions for round 2, which starts tonight at 9:00 PM eastern when the San Jose Sharks host the Detroit Red Wings in game 1.

Round 2 Predictions:

Western Conference

#5 Detroit Red Wings vs #1 San Jose Sharks

The Sharks make it out of round 1, only to run into the Red Wings. The Sharks will try their best, just as the Coyotes did before them, but come on, its the Red Wings.

Red Wings take series 4-2.

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs #2 Chicago Blackhawks

So maybe I shouldn't have went against the Blackhawks in round 1, but I am going to do it again in round 2. Roberto Luongo will have to be spectacular in this series, and I have a feeling he will be up to the challenge. The Hawks goaltending will fall apart in this series, leading to the end of the line for Chicago.

Canucks take series 4-1.

Eastern Conference

#8 Montreal Canadiens vs # 4 Pittsburgh Penguins

Halak will have to stand on his head again to give Montreal a chance in this series. You have to think though that Pittsburgh is ready for the Habs, and that Montreal may be just a little tired after the Washington series. Mix that together with the fact that Crosby is on fire and you will have the Penguins moving on to the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight year.

Penguins take series 4-3.

#7 Philadelphia Flyers vs #6 Boston Bruins

Out of all the match ups in round two this one is going to prove the hardest to predict. In the end though the more offensive team will win this series, making way for a pretty good Eastern finals match up between the Penguins and the Flyers.

Flyers take series 4-3.

If you have any comments or questions please post them on SSH's facebook page or send them to SunStateHockey@hotmail.com

The Panthers Pick 3rd

The Panthers are no better, or worse, one day after the NHL 2010 draft lottery. The Cats held their spot at 3rd, as did all other fourteen teams in the lottery. The top five shapes up like so:

5. New York Islanders
4. Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Florida Panthers
2. Boston Bruins
1. Edmonton Oilers

Brian Burke may not want to admit it, but you know he is kicking himself for that trade with the Bruins.

One other side note before we get started with the Western predictions. The Atlanta Thrashers have overhauled their front office and coaching staff. The reason I bring this up is because the Thrashers decided to hire former Cats GM Rick Dudley to fill the General Manager role. This is the biggest mistake the Thrashers could make. As all of us Panthers fans know, this guy is a poison to any organization he joins. I guess ATL will find out just how bad Dudley is soon enough.

Alright, now on to more important matters. Here are SSH's predictions for the 2010 Western Conference playoffs.

#1 San Jose Sharks vs #8 Colorado Avalanche

Former Panthers goalie Craig Anderson will get his first taste of the post season, and will have to be spectacular to get Colorado past a very powerful San Jose team. The Sharks will look for Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau to carry over their exceptional play into to post season. Colorado will try their best, but the overall team inexperience will catch up to them.

Sharks take series 4-2.

#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs #7 Nashville Predators

The Blackhawks are going to win the Stanley Cup, at least that's what EA Sports said after their NHL 10 simulation. We here at SSH's are going out on a limb and saying that goaltending will be the downfall of the Hawks, and that their downfall will come quickly.

Predators take series 4-3.

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs #6 Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have finally made it back to the post season, but sadly in the first round they run into a brick wall named Roberto Luongo. I expect Lu will be in full form as the Canucks handle the Kings with some ease, only dropping one game.

Canucks take series 4-1.

#4 Phoenix Coyotes vs #5 Detroit Red Wings

How can you not love the Phoenix Coyotes? A team that was almost moved before the start of this season not only stays in the desert after many months of court battles, but also becomes one of the dominant western conference teams. Sadly for the Coyotes, they get to go up against those pesky Red Wings that just seem to never go away. Phoenix will surprise the Wings and win both games in Phoenix, but the veterans will calm down and pick apart the Coyotes the next four.

Red Wings take series 4-2.

If you have any comments or questions, or want to share your predictions, please feel free to post them on SSH's facebook page or send them to SunStateHockey@hotmail.com.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs - 2010

It is that time of year again, the Stanley Cup playoffs are here. What will this years playoffs bring compared to last years exciting showcase? Will we see a team come out of no where and go deep like the Carolina Hurricanes of last year? Will we see a rematch of Crosby vs Ovechkin, playoff style? Heck, will we see a third rematch for the Stanley Cup?

These questions, and more, will start to get some answers Wednesday when the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, face off against one of the surprise teams in the East, the Ottawa Senators. Puck drop is 7:00 PM East on CBC for Canadian viewers and Versus for us Americans.

Since the Florida Panthers are off playing golf we here at SSH will be following the playoffs in detail, so check back everyday for updates.

Starting off our playoff coverage will be my personal predictions for the first round. Feel free to voice your predictions as well on SSH's facebook page.

Eastern Conference

#1 Washington Capitals vs #8 Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens have to be a little angry since the Flyers knocked them out of 7th place, forcing them to play the high powered Washington offense. The strong goaltending tandem of Price and Halak will try their best, but they will be no match for Ovechkin and the Caps.

Capitals take series 4-0.

#2 New Jersey Devils vs #7 Philadelphia Flyers

Philly won an exciting game against the New York Rangers to make it to the post season, but with the lack of goaltending and Marty Brodeur on the other side, the Flyers will not last long in the post season.

Devils take series 4-0.

#3 Buffalo Sabres vs # 6 Boston Bruins

Ryan Miller was spectacular in the Olympics, so it is a no brainer to expect him to be spectacular in the playoffs. The Bruins will put up a solid fight, but it will be the Sabres who come out on top, because of the play of Ryan Miller and the inexperience of Tukka Rask.

Sabres take series 4-3.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Ottawa Senators

Crosby added a new aspect to his game this season, becoming a 50 goal scorer and winning the Richard with co-winner Steven Stamkos. The Senators are the surprise team in the East this year, so look for them to put up a fight. But, with the loss of Alex Kovalev and the inexperience of Brian Elliott the Senators playoff hopes will fade out in the first round.

Penguins take series 4-2.

Look for SSH's Western Conference playoff Predictions tomorrow. If you have any comments or questions please post them on SSH's facebook page or E-mail me at SunStateHockey@hotmail.com

1st Annual SSH Awards

I will be the first to admit that the 2009-2010 season was one full of hope at the start, a little frustration in the middle, and a lot of disappointment at the end. There were so many dark spots this year that it is very hard to pick out the bright spots, but that is where I come in. For the sake of fun and entertainment I came up with a little award show for Sunshine State Hockey that honors just the Florida Panthers.

Lets begin.

The Scott Mellanby award (Team MVP) - Tomas Vokoun

What is there to say about Vokoun that hasn't been said already? The guy gave the Panthers a chance to win every night he played. T-Vo had some tough games this season, none tougher than the Phoenix game just a couple weeks ago, but most of the losses in his L column can hardly be blamed on him.

Sadly I have a feeling that the 2009-2010 season will be the last we see Tomas in a Panthers jersey. I think with all of the goaltending prospects being signed, and the strong play of Clemmensen at the end of the season, Vokoun will be shipped out for some much needed offensive help. Either way, I couldn't think of a player more deserving of the MVP award than Tomas.

The Branislav Mezei Award (Team LVP) - Kamil Kreps

What does LVP stand for you might ask? It's pretty simple actually. The Branislav Mezei award is awarded to the Panthers LEAST valuable player. I could not think of a more deserving candidate than Mr. Invisible himself, Kamil Kreps. The "Kreper" was hands down the worse player on the Florida Panthers roster this year. Heck, the guy hasn't been relevant since the 2007-2008 season.

It boggles the mind as to why Kreps is still on the Panthers and not in the KHL with the rest of the NHLs rejects.

The Pavel Bure Award (Best Forward) - Stephen Weiss

Weisser said that he was disappointed in his 14 goal season during the 2008-2009 campaign, and he said he was going to do something about it. Well, he sure did do something about it. Stephen has posted a career high 28 goals and is only two points away from tying his career high in points that he set a year ago. Weiss has been solid for the Panthers this year and provided much needed scoring with the absence of David Booth. With Booth hopefully healthy next year and Weiss putting up these kinds of numbers, the Panthers offense might just be okay.

The Robert Svehla Award (Best Defenseman) - Bryan McCabe

Caber did not put up a lot of goals this season, but he made up for that with solid D and a solid amount of assists. Bryan has also been a solid captain for the Cats this season, both on and off the ice. McCabe is a solid competitor and seems to be getting better with age.

The Kristian Huselius Award (Rookie of the Year) - Dmitry Kulikov

Kulikov came out of the gate weak in his first game against the Hurricanes, but after that the Russian born defenseman never looked back. Dmitry hardly made any mistakes after that game, but when he did they were not rookie mistakes, but rather the same that any veteran D-man would make. Not to mention he was pretty solid at recovering when these mistakes did happen. Kulikov put up fifteen points in a season where he missed a number of games due to injury. It will be interesting to see what he can do next year if he stays healthy.

The VanMurph Award (Fan of the Year) - Carl Kanas

Those around message boards involving the Panthers know him as CatFan927, but those closer to him, and who have the honor to call him a friend, know him as Carl. Mr. Kanas is at every Florida Panthers home game with his flags flying in the parking lot before every puck drop. Carl is as hardcore of a fan as they come, and has been following the Cats since 1993, and has managed to keep his spirits up even in the worst of times.

So Carl, here's to you buddy. As I said before, it is an honor to be your friend. You make going to the games that much more fun. Without you and the rest of the tailgate crew I am not sure if I would have survived this season.

That will be all for tonight. If you have any comments or questions you can send them to SunStateHockey@hotmail.com or post them on our facebook page.

Trade Deadline 2010

Good morning folks. For up to the minute updates on trades you can follow SSH on our facebook page here.

I will also update this blog entry all day with every trade that goes down before 3:00 PM.

Let us also not forget Panthers fans, the boys are back in action tonight at the BAC, taking on those dirty Flyers. Come out and support your Cats, they need it. Puck drop is 7:30 PM.

Now to the trades.

- Boston Bruins trade Derek Morris to the Phoenix Coyotes for a 4th round pick (2011).

- Toronto Maple Leafs trade Martin Skoula to the New Jersey Devils for a 5th round pick (2010).

A couple of lines from TFP.com about the Florida Panthers.

"(10:05 AM): Panthers want Jeff Carter for Vokoun, Philly is not biting."
"(9.25 AM): The Panthers have some offers on the table, not for Vokoun."

Oh how the rumor mill turns.

- First Panthers trade of the day: Florida Panthers trade Dennis Seidenberg, and prospect Matt Bartkowski to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Byron Bitz, Craig Weller, and a 2nd round pick (2010) previously owned by Tampa.

- Carolina trades Aaron Ward to the Ducks in exchange for a 4th round pick (year TBA) and goalie Justin Pogge.

- Capitals trade a 7th round pick (year TBA) to the Hurricanes for Scott Walker.

- Vancouver trades Pierre-Cedric Labrie to St. Louis for Yan Stastny.

- Colorado trades Wojtek Wolski to Phoenix for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter.

- Red Wings trade Kris Newbury to the Rangers for Jordan Owens.

- Phoenix acquires Mathieu Schneider from Vancouver for a conditional 6th round pick (2010) and Sean Zimmerman.

- LA Kings trade Ted Purcell and a 3rd round pick (year TBA) to Tampa Bay for Jeff Halpern.

- The Wild trade Eric Belanger to the Capitals for a 2nd round pick (2010).

- Ducks send Vesa Toskala to the Flames for Curtis McElhinney.

- The Sabres trade Nathan Paetsch and a 2nd round pick (year TBA) to Columbus for Raffi Torres.

- Buffalo trades Clarke MacArthur to Atlanta for a 3rd and a 4th round pick (years of picks TBA).

- Columbus trades Milan Jurcina back to the Capitals for a 6th round pick (year TBA).

- Toronto trades Lee Stempniak to the Coyotes for a 4th and a 7th round pick (years TBA).

- Carolina trades Joe Corvo to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Brian Pothier and Oskar Osala and TSN reports a 2nd round pick (year TBA).

- LA Kings acquire Fredrik Modin from the Columbus Blue Jackets for future considerations.

- Leafs trade Joey MacDonald to the Ducks for a 7th round pick (2011).

- Canucks acquire Andrew Alberts from the Hurricanes for a 3rd round pick (year TBA).

- Panthers second trade of the day: Florida acquires Mathieu Roy from the Blue Jackets for Matt Rust.

- Edmonton trades Lubomir Visnovsky to the Ducks for Ryan Whitney and a 6th round pick (2010).

- Pittsburgh trades Chris Peluso to the Maple Leafs for a 6th round pick (2010).

- Calgary trades Dustin Boyd to Nashville in exchange for a 4th round pick (year TBA).

That seems to be it folks. That brings today's total to 25 trades, involving 42 players and 21 picks. No big names dealt today, but a good amount of quality players. See you all at the game tonight. For those watching on TV the game will be on Versus tonight, shocking I know.

What Really Grinds My Gears II

It is time for a new installment of my favorite segment here at Sunshine State Hockey, What Really Grinds My Gears.


You know what really grinds my gears? The fact that the Philadelphia Flyers continue to get away with cheap shots. For those who did not see it, Jeff Carter of the Philadelphia Flyers nailed Anssi Salmela of the New Jersey Devils after he scored a short handed goal, leaving him out cold on the ice for several minutes before being taken off on a stretcher. I have watched the hit multiple times, and I will say the hit itself is clean to an extent. It was a shoulder to shoulder hit, but it was the timing and the angle that I have a major issue with. Carter hit Salmela AFTER he scored a goal, in his blind side. People can continue to defend these hits, but I see nothing clean about a player targeting another player and hitting him at an angle where he cannot see it coming. There is a major difference between hitting a player when his head is down and hitting a player when he cannot see. Ask Mike Richards, he knows what i'm talking about.

You know what really grinds my gears? The fact that Kamil Kreps still has a roster spot on the Florida Panthers. Kreps has been down right terrible all season long, but continues to get ice time. The coaches say hes a good PK guy who can win faceoffs. I say so what, the Panthers are a team full of guys who are good grinders for the PK.

You know what really grinds my gears? The fact that the "savior", Peter DeBoer, is so against fighting. We have an AHL team loaded with scrappers who can make an impact on the Cats roster, but yet they are very rarely called up. This years Panthers team is soft, and that falls on coach DeBoer.

You know what really grinds my gears? The fact that the Florida Panthers seem to be scared to shoot the puck. The Cats recorded a season low thirteen shots against the Calgary Flames last Friday while allowing forty shots on net. The Panthers are no offensive power house, but you might be surprised with what could happen if they would just shoot.

And to wrap things up...

You know what really grinds my gears? All of the broken sticks for the Panthers this season. Heck, all of the broken sticks over the past month and a half! Where in the world is the organization buying these sticks from? The guys should switch to the plastic Franklin sticks little kids play with, they might just hold up better then the batch of garbage the team is using this year.

That is all for tonight. If anyone has any comments or questions feel free to post them on SSH's facebook page or contact me at SunStateHockey@hotmail.com.

Trade Winds Blowing In Sunrise?

The Florida Panthers need a change, and that change seems to be coming as soon as this week. General Manager Randy Sexton spoke to George Richards of the Miami Herald Saturday evening, with Sexton claiming that he has as many as nine different trade scenarios on the table, and that he would like to get some deals done before the Olympic break.

"We are being active, there's no doubt about that." Sexton said.

Of course, when a GM has such talks you can expect some rumors to come up in conversation around the league. One rumor that I have heard, which does not seem to be from a reliable source, claims that Rusty Olesz may be dealt to the Edmonton Oilers along with prospect Drew Shore for Shawn Horcoff and a 5th round pick.

Just a note about the source, he/she claimed that New Jersey was out of the Kovalchuk running a day before the deal happened.

I will say though that it is a nice change of pace to see the organization trying to make changes in tough times. Former General Manager Mute...er...Jacques Martin didn't seem as active during his time is the sunshine state.

All of this information begs the question, who exactly is on the block for the Panthers? Well I cannot tell you for sure, but I will sure give you all an opinion.

SSH's Panthers Trading Block 2010:

Rusty Olesz - As much as I like Rusty I think his days here may be numbered. He is one of the better pieces of trade bait we have to offer and I think teams in seller and buyer mode will be interested.

Jordan Leopold - Jordan has had a good year, but is a UFA this off season. He has expressed desire to stay, and I wouldn't be surprised if Sexton keeps him the rest of the season and signs him back on in the off season. But you always have to keep your options open as a GM.

Dennis Seidenberg - ^ditto.

Dom Moore - Moore has been a decent addition to the Panthers this season, which also makes him a decent trade piece. I would not be surprised if he is dealt.

Cory Stillman - Stillman could be dealt depending on which mode the Panthers fall into. If they are buyers, then Stillman most likely stays. If the Cats are sellers then Stillman could go for younger talent.

Kamil Kreps - Kreps will not get the Panthers much, but he needs to go.

This week will be interesting for everyone in Pantherland. Stay tuned for what hopefully is an active trade week, and check back often for any info on possible deals.

That is all for today folks, have a good Monday and talk to you all soon.

You can leave your comments our question on SSH's facebook or send them to SunStateHockey@yahoo.com

Quick Thoughts VI

Happy February folks.

It has been a while since I did a quick thoughts article, so I figured there is no better time then the present.

- The biggest news this morning is that Ilya Kovalchuk has been traded to the New Jersey Devils. Everyone knew a trade was coming after Kovalchuk reportedly turned down a twelve year, $101 million dollar contract, but to the Devils? This is a team that invented the trap under Jacques Lemaire and still play defense first hockey. In my opinion I see this as New Jersey making a last ditch effort to win a cup this year. Martin Broduer is not getting any younger and I think the Devils want to take one last run with Marty before it is too late.

- Keith Ballard was snubbed yet again by team USA general manager Brian Burke. Mike Komisarek and Paul Martin were both lost to injuries earlier this week, forcing Burke to find two replacements on D for his Olympic squad. Going in place of the two injured players are Tim Gleason and Ryan Whitney.

- Jay Bouwmeester makes his first return to South Florida as the Calgary Flames come down to take on the Florida Panthers. In an interview Jay did his best to get his little shot in on the fan base, claiming that Calgary cares about hockey. So to show Jay that South Florida cares as well, I hope everyone comes out and boo's Bouwmeester every time he touches the puck, because I plan to.

That is all for now folks. If you have any questions or comments feel free to E-mail me at SunStateHockey@hotmail.com or post them on SSH's facebook.

"Boring Hockey", So What?

Hello folks, sorry for my too long absence. I thought I would have time come the New Year and I just didn't. Anyway, SSH is back now and I hope to make 2010 better then 09.

Lets get right to it shall we? Over the past couple of weeks the Florida Panthers have changed their style to what seems to be tight, defensive hockey. The Cats have scored a total of seven goals in their last four games, leading some fans to call these games "boring". Over those past four games the Panthers are 2-1-1, helping themselves to five out of a possible eight points, keeping themselves in the race for the post season.

Let us also not forget that the Panthers are currently without the services of their two best offensive players, David Booth and Nathan Horton.

So the question is, so what if it's "boring" if it is getting the Panthers wins? I think Keith Ballard said it best during a post game interview; "We usually don't have many pretty wins and we're not the most exciting team to watch. This is perfect for us. We don't mind this at all. You want to watch an up-and-down team? Watch Washington. As long as we win, I could care less how we do it.''

And that is exactly what the fans of this team need to remember. This team is not the Capitals. This team has it's two best players on IR and wont be back for at least four weeks. This team is doing it's best to stay in the race with a roster filled with AHL players. I have a feeling that you will not see "exciting" hockey until Booth and/or Horton make their return to the lineup, and this Panthers fan has no problem with that as long as it results in more W's. Because remember, you don't make the playoffs based on goal totals. If the Panthers want to continue to play tight defensive hockey, then so be it, as long as it works.

I think now is a good time to give a big nod to Tomas Vokoun, easily the best player in a Panthers jersey right now. The guy is on fire and has made everyone forget about back up, Scott Clemmensen. The NHL Network had a fun little fact the other night when showing the highlights of the Leafs vs Cats game. Vokoun is fourth in shutouts since the 2005-2006 season with 25, behind the likes of Marty Brodeur and Roberto Luongo. Not bad company at all for T-Vo. If fans out there like watching great goal tending as much as good offense, then come out and watch Vokoun, you will not be disappointed.

That will do it for now, if you have any questions or comments you can leave them on SSH's facebook page or send them to SunStateHockey@hotmail.com.

Go Panthers!

Happy Holidays

Hello everyone.

I just wanted to jump on and say happy holidays to my loyal readers. I hope all of you have a very safe and great holiday season.

The great people over at Puck Daddy posted a music video from Alyonka and Diana Larionov, daughters of Igor Larionov. The video features players from all over the National Hockey League, including some of the guys from the Panthers.

I managed to spot Reinprecht, Campbell, Weiss, McCabe, Dvorak, and Olesz. Follow the link below to take a look at the video below and see if you can spot some of the Cats and your favorite NHL players.

Again, happy holidays and expect a lot more to come from Sunshine State Hockey in the new year.

That's What Christmas Means To Me

Change of E-mail

Hello everyone.

How did my fellow Panthers fans like that big 7-1 win tonight? What a job by the team, and more specifically, Nathan Horton. The guy is playing some of his best hockey in a long time and it is showing on the stats sheet.

I just wanted to make a quick note that I created an E-mail account strictly for Sunshine State Hockey. FloridaFlyer86@hotmail.com is my personal E-mail, so any E-mails sent to me for SSH might go unnoticed, especially during my transfer to Florida Atlantic University.

The new E-mail address for Sunshine State Hockey is: SunStateHockey@hotmail.com

So if anyone has any comments or questions you will send them to SunStateHockey@hotmail.com, not FloridaFlyer86@hotmail.com. And of course, SSH's Facebook page is still active.

It's a Blog Off!

The good folks over at the NHL Arena are having a blog off for all thirty teams, and yours truly is in the running for the Florida Panthers section.

If you would like to go and vote for your favorite Panthers blog all you have to do is go to the NHL Arena, register, and pick your two favorite blogs. SSH's good friends at Litter Box Cats are also in the running. You can vote for up to two blogs in the contest. I am not saying that any of you have to, but you will be helping grow the NHL Arena and helping out some great bloggers, especially if you take the time to vote on every board.

Follow this link: The NHL Arena, register, then head over to the Panthers board to cast your vote.

I Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

If you have any comments or questions you can send them to FloridaFlyer86@hotmail.com or stop by SSH's Facebook page.

Panthers Third Jersey Good, But Could Be Better

Most of my Panthers friends know my feelings on the Panthers new jersey. I personally like them and the boys look just fine with all the new colored gear. The organization was aiming for a new, different look, and that is exactly what they got.

Panthers Third Jersey

I really only have two main issues with the new jersey that bother me a little bit.

1. The FLA on the shoulder is a decent design, but the A seems so far away from the FL. Not to mention, abbreviating Florida with FLA went out of style a long time ago, even if it is still used on the score board. If the A was not there then the shoulder patch would be that much better.

2. I am really bothered by the overall fact that the people in charge of designing this jersey just didn't try. This jersey is a copy of so many that even though they went for different, it doesn't feel different except for the color scheme that doesn't match the Panthers at all.

I did a little searching on the web and came across the Springfield Falcons home jersey. For those who don't know, the Falcons are an American Hockey League team. Take a look and tell me if this looks like something the Panthers might be wearing.


For shame jersey designer(s), for shame.

Yours truly knows his way around Photoshop pretty well, so I decided to mess with some color combination's and see just what could have been. I came up with three that I personally like and wouldn't have minded seeing in place of the new thirds. But, I am interested to see what you all think.

I will host a poll for one week to see if you guys like one of my designs, or the actual third.

Also, if anyone has their own design of the Panthers third jersey feel free to send them my way, I would love to see what others have and will even post them up if I get enough.

Anyway, here are my concepts:

I just want to stress again that I do like the new thirds. If I didn't like them I wouldn't have one hanging in my closet as I type this. These are just some ideas on how I think they could have done better while still going with a different look.

As always, you can find the poll at the upper right of the page.

If anyone has any questions or comments you can post them on SSH's facebook page or send them to FloridaFlyer86@hotmail.com

I also wanted to let you folks know that since the issues with the comments section of this site have not been resolved I am looking at other hosts that having working pages. I want to give my readers the best page I possibly can and Blogger.com is just not allowing that.

Reason To Hope Or Getting Our Hopes Up

Last night the Florida Panthers managed to do something they haven't done in thirteen years. In front of a half of the Red Wings faithful at the Joe Louis Arena (half because the others seem to be having financial issues and cannot attend games), the Florida Panthers beat Detroit. As I said, this is the first time in thirteen years that the Florida Panthers went into the Joe and came out with a W.

In all honesty the Panthers did not deserve to win that game. The Red Wings dominated them for fifty five minutes, but with the strong effort from Clemmensen the Cats managed to hang on and not only tie the game back up but get the OT winner.

Bill Lindsay said something last night that I took to heart. He said "A win against this type of storied team in this building could be a season changer". So I wonder, will the Panthers look at the rare win against the Red Wings as a season changer? As I see it, the season changed a couple weeks ago.

The Florida Panthers are 7-2-1 in the last ten games and are currently one of the hottest teams in the league. Tomas Vokoun has been nothing short of sensational during these games and Clemmensen finally put in a sixty minute effort last night. The offense is finally starting to click, something the Panthers had an issue with for a while last season. Chemistry is a very important aspect of the game and I think some of the guys are really gaining chemistry with each other.

The one thing the Panthers have to do for us fans is keep this up. The Cats will not win every game, and the fans need to understand that. At the same time the boys need to not fall back into winning two then losing two.

If the Panthers can stay consistent then maybe, just maybe, we will see some post season action in Sunrise.

Now Hiring, Enforcer Position

I am willing to bet that everyone has seen the Wizard of Oz by now. Everyone remembers the bases of the movie, follow the yellow brick road to find the Wizard. Each character in the movie went on the journey seeking something different. The Tin-man wanted a heart, Scarecrow wanted a brain, and Dorothy wanted to go home. That leads us to my personal favorite character in the film, the Lion. In the wild, lions are one of the most aggressive animals that don't back down from anything. The Lion in the Wizard of Oz? He had no courage what so ever, and that is why he went on the journey to see the Wizard.

Now I am sure most of you are asking yourselves, "Why the heck is he talking about the Wizard of Oz?". The answer is pretty simple, the Florida Panthers need to go down the yellow brick road to find some of their own courage.

Everyone by now has seen what happened in the game on Saturday against the Flyers, so I will spare you all the details. I personally feel that the heat was dirty and uncalled for, and the league should have handed out at least a three game suspension, but I digress. I wanted to talk more about our teams effort to defend their star player after the hit, along with some other interesting events in the game.

Situation 1: Dominic Moore takes a huge elbow to the face, leading to a busted and bloody nose. Team reaction? Nothing, not even as much as an exchange of bad words.

My Take: I can let this one slide. It was penalized, but I would have liked to seen the veterans stick up for the new guy.

Situation 2: Radek Dvorak takes a knee on knee hit, he is injured on the play. Team reaction? Nothing again, you folks starting to see a pattern here?

My Take: You go after the cheap player that just injured your best PK guy on an illegal hit. There was no penalty on the play, which surprised me, but the point is that no one stood up for Dvorak after the hit.

Situation 3: David Booth gets blind sided by Mike Richards and is taken out on a stretcher. Team reaction? A little shoving, nothing else.

My Take: If this was any other NHL team there would have been a brawl. When your star player is laying there on the ice, not moving, because some player decided to take it upon themselves to throw a vicious, dirty hit to the head it is up to the team to stand up for their downed player. The Panthers seem to have no concept of the word team this season, and it is very disappointing.

Situation 4: Dmitry Kulikov is plastered into the boards by Dan Carcillo. Team reaction? You guessed it, a big fat nothing.

My Take: Bill Lindsay said it best, Kulikov is an eighteen year old kid and it is not his place to stand up for himself. Someone should have went after Carcillo and defended the young rookie.

So lets take a count shall we? Four times the Flyers got away clean with abusing players without as much as a single punch thrown. I have said it all over the web and I will say it here too, this team has no concept of what it is to be a team. Saturday night was one of the most disappointing displays by the Cats I have ever seen. Sure Peter DeBoer didn't want them to attack in that way, but rather on the scoreboard. Well Pete, I didn't see a close game from that point on, so why not let the boys go at it.

Another reason this troubles me so much is the fact that teams watch tapes, and those teams will know that the Panthers leave their players open for anything and the guys will get destroyed. If this team doesn't stand up for their selves and their teammates soon, they will be beaten and pushed around all season long.

To close out this rant I just want to say I really hope David Booth doesn't have long lasting effects from this hit. We have seen it before in a promising player named Eric Lindros, and we all know what happened to him after the Scott Stevens hit.

I also want to say to all those out there calling the hit clean by comparing it to any hit dished out by Stevens, this is the new NHL, a league that is suppose to protect players health for they can have long careers and a healthy life after. There is no need for shots like that in this sport, and to any fan that thinks there is I feel very sorry for you and ask you to put on skates, take the same hit, and see what your opinion of head shot is after that.

All I know is that this fan does not buy season tickets every year to see players laid out on the ice like that, no matter the jersey.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact me at FloridaFlyer86@hotmail.com or post them on our facebook page.