A Right Decision?

I’ve been long quoted as comparing the Florida Panthers to the loveable George Constanza when it came to decision making. For those of you who don’t have the pleasure of understanding what I’m talking about, George came to the conclusion about mid-way through the brilliant sitcom Seinfeld, that every decision he had ever made had been wrong.

The same could really be said about the Panthers. Let’s take a little look back, as painful as it is.

A couple of years ago, the Panthers had arguably the best goalie in the league. Now, they have a solid defenseman and a guy in the minor leagues instead. Advantage Vancouver.

The Panthers gave up now near 30-goal scorer Niklas Hagman for a bag of pucks. Advantage Dallas.

The Panthers gave up now 70-point scorer Kristian Huselius for a defenseman who ended up playing as a fourth line winger this season. Advantage Calgary.

Sure the Panthers may have done themselves well in acquiring All-Star goalie Tomas Vokoun, but they won’t be drafting until the third round of this season’s draft because of it.

However, this isn’t a blog about Panthers blunders; rather one of them finally doing something right.

It was finally reported that Jacques Martin is out as Panthers coach. The man who was compared to a moisture vaporator as an emotionless, uninventive coach is finally going to be held to one duty at the most.

What a concept. The Panthers will finally have two different people to do two very different jobs. Asking one person to be both the General Manager and coach of a hockey team is like asking someone to stand on one leg, and then the other, without setting the first down. No matter how talented you are, it just isn’t going to work.

This season ended in promise for the Florida Panthers, and for the first time in recent memory, it appears the front office is ready to do what it takes to get the Panthers to playoffs for the first time since the turn of the century. If the Panthers can hire the right coach to motivate the troops, this dream could finally become a reality.

Can someone dial Bob Knight for me?