Where the Panthers Fans At?

Sometimes I travel for work. Unfortunately, my work rarely brings me to a town where I can catch some NHL (or even AHL) hockey action. But recently, I was in Miami, Florida and decided to catch a Florida Panthers game. Now, granted, I grew up an hour north of Miami and remember The Year of the Rat in 1996 when the Florida Panthers surged to a Stanley Cup Final (losing four straight against the Colorado Avalanche). But I don’t remember much about “the Cats”.

After spending four years of college in Chicago and the last ten years living in Los Angeles as a Kings fan, I forgot about what it was like to be (briefly) a Florida Panthers fan. After years of mediocre showings, the Florida Panthers now are about as popular as a middle school basketball team. In one week, I have not seen one Panthers hat, bumper sticker, flag or unfashionable t-shirt. All traces of the Florida Panthers are now long gone in South Florida culture. I would venture to guess that there are more panthers in Florida than there are Florida Panthers fans.

But, I can’t end the blog there. The editor would be disappointed and Google likes it when blogs are long and keyword-heavy.

Not Pictured: The Todd Bertuzzi display

So, after the cursory glance turned up nothing, I decided it was time to venture to the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida and take in a game all up-close and personal like.

It was a windy Sunday evening as I rolled into the marsh the Bank Atlantic. It’s a nondescript, newish arena with good parking and devoid of any real personality (for comparison, see: Honda Center). No, you could not “smell the hockey in the air”. The Panthers’ arena is, literally, surrounded by swampland. I mean, this thing is in the middle of no where. If you step out on a terrace, you see the Everglades…everywhere. In fact, the day I was there, the surrounding community was in the middle of python hunting season (no, seriously). So, if you’re thinking that ownership built this arena in a place where the rent would be low, you’d probably be right.

Now, granted, it was the Tampa Bay Lightning in town this Sunday afternoon, not the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it was all too easy to score a prime (and free) parking spot close to the entrance. Of the few Florida Panthers fans that were there, they seemed to be enjoying the humid pre-game weather. By my count, there were more Bure and Jokinen jerseys than there were Horton and Booth jerseys. Not a good sign when, Gretzky and Lemieux aside, there are more jerseys of long-gone alumni than there are current players.

Now I live in LA and we get some hot evenings and fans do take advantage of the warm weather but I ask you this: why the hell do fans wear a hockey jersey with shorts and flip-flops? I don’t get it. Sure, Panther fans want to be comfortable. But, there’s just something inherently wrong with this ensemble. Make a choice. If you’re going to wear a jersey, wear some fucking pants.

Inside the arena is actually very nice. Panther Land, where you can score some pre-game schwag, has a nice selection of merchandise you can overpay to obtain. They even sell other NHL team’s jerseys. I thought that was a nice touch. I spent about five minutes debating between a David Booth Team USA jersey or a Panthers nightie for the wife. I chose neither and left.

Once I got to my seat in the three-quarters empty arena and settled in with a Coors Light, I surveyed the situation. There was no excitement in the air. But, hey, we’ve all been there. This team is re-building. It’s going to be a while before the Bank Atlantic Center is full again (was it ever really that full, though?). The team took the ice to some luke-warm applause akin to that of a spirited polo match and a very loud sound of Panther growl filled the air.

“Raaarrrrrr!!”. Game on.

It was evident that this game would be a Panthers win from mid-way through the first period. Perfect! Time to see what happens when things get a-rockin’. Now, maybe I haven’t been to enough arenas but what the fuck is it with the cowbells at the Bank Atlantic Center? It’s true: Florida Panthers fans have an obsession with cowbells. They even sell them in Panther Land. And fans ring these things incessantly. Now, sure, I do hear from time-to-time the phrase “I gotta have more cowbell” at hockey games. But no one actually rings a cowbell. Seriously, what is the deal here? You really have to silence these things if you want to be taken seriously.

If he can see his own shadow, that's 6 more years of bad luck...

“Raaarrrrrr!!”.

By far the most pleasant and visually stimulating thing about the Florida Panthers fan experience is the Ice Dancers. No, these are not ladies in skimpy and revealing clothing scooping up the ice with a shovel. These are hot Miami chicks (in skimpy and revealing clothing) busting a move on a stage above where the Panthers shoot twice. Nice. Call me a chauvinist, but this was the entertainment for the evening. During intermission, they are also available for lap-dances autographs for you and your daughters.

“Raaarrrrrr!!”.

During the second intermission, I made my way around the concourse and talked to a few fans. And, yes, I did meet a few spirited fans who were genuinely disappointed with the on-ice product but are excited for the future. However, on the whole, a lot of those in attendance either A) Got the tickets for free or B) Were there with a friend who had an extra ticket.

Now, hey, I really didn’t intend on starting this out by ripping on the Florida Panthers and their fan base. I have a soft spot for them. But, as a hockey fan, it was just downright disappointing to see what’s going on there. It seems like management has written off the fan experience altogether. Miami is an exciting city and there are some very cool people in Florida. This team needs a little pizazz. They need to give the fans something to cheer about to get them to come back. And when the fans do come back, they need to be treated right…because what’s going on at the Bank Atlantic Center, from a fan perspective, is downright depressing.

But, hey, I’m not there all the time. I don’t have season tickets. Are you a Florida Panthers fan? What are your thoughts on your fan experience?

Keith Korneluk is the co-creator and co-host of KingsCast – a podcast and video show for LA Kings fans, by LA Kings Fans. He’s a passionate hockey fan living in Los Angeles. Friend Keith up on Twitter and Facebook – this pleases him.