I said it on Territory Talk this week, and I'll say it here: don't lose sight of the fact that the Florida Panthers are off to a 10-2-2 start. 10-2-2!!! That's 22 of 28 possible points. That's five points ahead of second place Toronto in the Atlantic. That's seven points ahead of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning heading into Saturday's rivalry matchup. That's really good; that's what it is.
The current road trip hasn't yielded a Panthers win, but they also haven't lost any ground in the division. They've also had two games that could have gone either way: Monday and last night, and one game that "got away". Over an 82 game season, even the best teams will have a small handful of games that "just get away". Remember the 12-game win streak in '15-16? It ended with a 3-2 overtime loss in Vancouver; one night before a "game that got away". It was the famous Sam Bennett four-goal game- when Bennett was a Calgary Flame- and the Panthers fell 6-0 at the Saddledome. Nobody panicked!
The point is this: every long win streak and point streak runs out of gas at some point, goes through a brief reset, and then a new streak can begin. Don't worry about a thing, folks. This Panthers team is in the top tier of the league, on a short list of the most legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
Doug Plagens' Panthers Mailbag: Card Collecting, Idaho Memories
Congratulations are in order to Aleksander Barkov, who took over sole possession of first place on the all-time Panthers goal scoring list on Tuesday night with his 189th career goal, and added his 190th last night for good measure. The captain is, and always has been, a pleasure to watch. He's the best athlete in the South Florida market, and there's no argument to be made otherwise. Now, your questions!
@HardleyKurt: My wife would like to know about the interview process for your gig. How did you even know there was an opening? A young unknown from the Midwest landing a great radio gig in South Florida. Was replacing a legend like @HeyRedDeer hard. You must have been thrilled.
Thrilled is an understatement! Thank you for the question, and I hope you and your wife are doing well! I'll break this answer down into a few different parts:
First of all, I was on the sidelines at the Cleveland Gladiators (Arena Football League) practice facility; I called AFL in the Spring and Summer when I worked in the American Hockey League. I was scrolling through Twitter, and saw that Randy Moller was moving from radio to television. The first thought in my mind was, 'I wonder if they'll post the radio opening later." Sure enough, the Panthers posted the radio opening later that day. I'd kept my demo reel fresh, so when I upon arriving at home, I applied for the job and sent over a link to my demo reel.
In fact, if you want to take a walk down memory lane and see that demo reel, click HERE.
You might recognize some names in those highlights! Lots of current Edmonton Oilers defenseman Tyson Barrie for example; he was with me during parts of all four seasons I spent in Cleveland. After I sent my application materials, I had multiple conversations with Randy, who ultimately hired me! The process moved very quickly, since the opening was posted in the middle of August; pretty late in the offseason. Getting the opportunity to come to the Panthers and broadcast NHL games was a dream come true, and I'm still thankful for it every day!
I knew what a broadcast pioneer Randy was before I arrived; he had a great style and a big following, and as the Panthers VP of Broadcasting, he's been an amazing boss from day one. I knew he was a tough act to follow, but I was excited for the challenge and confident in my abilities! As I always say, I just hope everyone enjoys listening as much as I enjoy calling the games. Thanks to you and all the great Panthers and hockey fans who have tuned in since 2015!
@ZEarnest419: If you could go back and witness and be there in person at any moment in sports non Panthers related. But could be MLB, NFL, etc. Anything in history. Be there to witness it. What moment/game/year would it be and why?
This is a tough one, and I've been mulling it over for days since you tweeted it! I've seen the Stanley Cup won in-person twice (Detroit in 1997 and 2002); I've been to two NBA Finals games, including a title-clincher (Cavs-Warriors, 2016; Games One and Six); I've attended a World Series game (2020, Game Three). I've also been to a couple WWE Pay-Per-Views, but never a WrestleMania. I've been to a Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Game (2005 in Detroit).
In the future, I need to get to a WrestleMania, a Super Bowl, and a Nascar Race. If I could go back and attend any past sporting event… this is difficult!
It would either be the iconic WrestleMania III at the Pontiac Silverdome, or something Michael Jordan was involved with; a dunk contest, the flu game in the 1998 Finals, or something like that. I'll probably come up with another idea soon, but that's what my mind keeps going back to at this time! Another candidate: the famous Dream Team scrimmage in 1992. Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Chris Mullin, and Christian Laettner against Jordan, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, and Patrick Ewing. Very few people saw that, but they played to win, and by all accounts, it was unbelievable. Game Seven of the 1968 World Series… Don Larsen's 1956 World Series perfect game… Any Sandy Koufax start… There are so many!
Also, I can honestly say I attended the best regular season game in the history of the National Hockey League at age 11. Some may disagree with me, but the March 26, 1997 Red Wings-Avalanche game at Joe Louis Arena- complete with a brawl, goalie fight, Hall of Famers up and down both lineups, and a Darren McCarty overtime winner- is untouchable as far as regular season games are concerned. I still watch highlight videos from it, and can't believe that all that happened on the same night.
@MattSBrodsky: #DearDoug what is the most surprising/interesting thing about living in Idaho that the average joe wouldn't know?
For those wondering, I did live in Idaho once upon a time! From 2008-11, I was the play-by-play broadcaster for the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads, the longtime 'AA' affiliate of the Dallas Stars. It was my first job!
First of all, Idaho is beautiful. "The Gem State" moniker is perfect because it really is a gem of a state. As you can imagine, they do take their potatoes, specifically fries, seriously, but the whole world doesn't revolve around potatoes in Idaho! They have everything we have everywhere else! I feel very fortunate to have made a few lifelong friends there, and I need to plan a trip back soon.
Another thing (And I wasn't sure because I moved there sight-unseen)… It doesn't look like Napoleon Dynamite all around you. Boise is actually filled with awesome restaurants, and a really fun Downtown, which apparently has undergone a lot of changes in the last decade since I lived there! Also, Boise's elevation is around 2,730 feet, so I was able to experience living in altitude for a while! Something else that's surprising to people: high temperatures routinely get into the triple digits in the Summer. It's a dry heat, but it's hot! I also expected the Winters to be rougher; they may get a dusting of snow, but it'll usually melt within a day or two in the city areas.
Either way, I'd recommend a trip to Idaho to anyone. There's something for everyone. It's a real gem.
@fakejedegaz; @DougPlagens #askdoug do you own any trading cards of players on this Panthers team? Do you think or know if any of the players own a trading card of themselves?
First of all, as for whether or not players collect their own cards: I'll have to ask around. I've heard of guys getting them, but from my experience, there seem to be more die-hard collectors playing baseball than the other sports. Maybe it's because baseball and collecting are so intertwined historically? I'm not sure! But whether it's cards or memorabilia, current and former baseball players like Matt Strahm, Brad Ziegler, Pat Neshek, and my longtime friend Anthony Bass all have great appreciation for the memorabilia world.
I do have a few Panthers cards! I'll admit: a majority of the hockey cards I shop for are vintage and from the 1980's and older- mostly Gretzky, Lemieux, Yzerman, and earlier- but my favorite Panthers card is my '16-17 SPX Barkov autograph numbered to 99. I'll also put my Bill Lindsay and Randy Moller collections up against anyone's! I've always been a huge hockey history nerd, so the older stuff is my favorite! I actually have a few Jonathan Huberdeau cards in my eBay shopping cart as I type this… I need to get them while I can!
Thanks everyone for the questions! 'Til next time, folks
