Welcome back for another season of #DearDoug. Let's lay out the ground rules:
There aren't any rules! This is for us. Send along your questions, concerns, inquiries, statements, declarations, and what have you. Want to talk Panthers? Sounds great! Hockey? Great! Other stuff? Rad! I still want all of you to chime in from Radio Land during the #WorldFamousTwitterSegment (Second intermission of each Panthers radio broadcast), but second intermissions are only so long, and oftentimes you, the audience, bring up great points and ideas that need more time. This is a venue for the thoughts that need more time!
Doug Plagens' Panthers Mailbag: Back for 2021-22 Season
Expect new editions of #DearDoug every Friday morning throughout the season. If you don't see your question answered here, it may find its way into a future edition! Thanks in advance to everyone who will participate. Now, to some of this week's participants!
@Trainboy100: #DearDoug Will the Panthers ever lose a game this year? Asking for a friend... That friend being me... Also, Hi Doug!
First of all, Hello Noah! Thanks for the cordial greeting. You're up first this season in #DearDoug, and a huge thanks goes out to you and everyone else for chiming in this week, and for your continued support of the radio broadcasts and the #WorldFamousTwitterSegment. As for whether or not the team will lose a game this season: well, over the course of an 82-game grind, even the best teams have an off night here and there (Plus, the Panthers did fall for the first time in six preseason games last night). Noah's question illustrates something bigger, though. To me, anyway.
This team has big expectations, internally and externally. On media day I had a chance to chit-chat one-on-one with a dozen or so players, from guys who've been here for years like Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Mackenzie Weegar, to established players who arrived last season like Sam Bennett and Anthony Duclair. Apparent from each interaction was the fact that this group of Florida Panthers has a sense of belief and a healthy confidence; they're aware of the high-level talent in the dressing room, and what they can accomplish this season. Furthermore, the excitement level is at an all-time high.
Externally, fans and "experts" across North America have the '21-22 Panthers as a contender for not only an Atlantic Division crown, but for the Stanley Cup. I consider this team a contender as well: they're among a small group of clubs that also includes Tampa Bay, Vegas, Colorado, and the Islanders- to me, that is- as the teams with the best shot to win it all.
What I'm getting at here, Noah… Sure, this Panthers team will lose a few games this season because everyone does, but they won't lose many. I'm predicting an Atlantic Division title this season if for no other reason than the fact that the Panthers have the deepest roster in the division.
@Dragons_Quest: Biggest surprise from camp so far?
Thanks for chiming in Jamie! Great to have you back in the #DearDoug fold this season. Everything I've seen in camp- as far as players that figure to play with the big club at some point are concerned- has really looked as expected. The entire group came in with an excitement and visible motivation, and a hunger this season. Therefore, the name I'm going to mention isn't necessarily a "surprise" as much as a guy who has captured my attention.
One of the players I was most interested to watch this preseason was Owen Tippett, who finished last season with six points over the last six regular season games and four points in the six-game playoff series against Tampa Bay.
Tippett has possessed NHL size and an NHL shot since the day he was drafted. It feels like he's been around for a long time- he first tasted the NHL during a seven-game trial as an 18-year-old in '17-18- but he's still just 22, and has gained a real confidence at the NHL level. He has great chemistry on a line with two veteran players in Huberdeau and Bennett, and had one of the best individual performances of the preseason with his two-goal night Tuesday in Orlando. He also added another multi-point preseason outing last night in Tampa. I said it on Territory Talk this week: I don't think a 25-goal season is out of the question for Tippett. Look for a breakout year from him.
@Jonacy: #DearDoug Favorite Panthers jersey ('93 to present)?
I love the Panthers current white sweater. From the shield logo and everything it represents, to the crisp white, and the classic stripe pattern around the middle, it's one of the best "new age" jerseys in the NHL. The reverse retro jerseys are great as well; I'd call this a #1 and #1A scenario. What's more? They're all available at Pantherland and online at
FlaTeamShop.com
! Get yours today!
@fakejedega: #deardoug besides the Panthers who has the best goal song in the NHL?
There are some perfect goal songs across the league, but for a non-Panthers goal song, this one is not even close. It's the Anaheim Ducks, who trigger "Bro Hymn" from Pennywise with each goal. For many reasons, it just works.
The Ducks have used "Bro Hymn" for well over a decade, so it has become synonymous and recognizable. The song is interactive and has a perfect singalong; anyone who has seen Pennywise perform it live would most certainly agree with this. Pennywise is local to SoCal; they're from lovely Hermosa Beach, California, which is about 45 minutes from Honda Center, home of the Ducks.
Lastly, the song has major energy and an edge to it, and probably makes most people want to run through a wall. Plain and simple, it totally rips. Personally, it might be my favorite song of all-time. If we're getting into lyrical interpretations, it's about remembering old friends and cherishing the memories we had with them. I listen to Pennywise pretty much "Every Single Day", which is another one of my favorite Pennywise tunes. By the way, "Bro Hymn" was the last song played at the last stop of the last cross-country Vans Warped Tour. I was there, and I saw the 30-something Warped Tours I attended prior flash before me. Music is the best.
'Til next time, folks! Thanks for the questions.
