How'd the Panthers finally get their act together as a franchise?

[senseimike]

Hey guys,

I know Bill Zito is generally doing a great job as GM but my question is broader than that- what led the Panthers to go from basically being a joke for about 20 years to where they are now? What changed in the last 5ish years to establish that?
I can't imagine it is just a matter of the GM but rather something like the direction ownership is looking to go, what they are willing to invest $$ in, etc. And if that is the case, why/how did that change?

Any insight would be appreciated!

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[pantherbot]

They got competent owners who have money and sense. Made some mistakes at the beginning with Tallon and then computer boys but learned and improved. That's pretty much it.

 

[Ratsreign]

Hey guys,

I know Bill Zito is generally doing a great job as GM but my question is broader than that- what led the Panthers to go from basically being a joke for about 20 years to where they are now? What changed in the last 5ish years to establish that?
I can't imagine it is just a matter of the GM but rather something like the direction ownership is looking to go, what they are willing to invest $$ in, etc. And if that is the case, why/how did that change?

Any insight would be appreciated!

The turnaround started more than 5 years.
Simple answer is, Mr. Vinnie Viola bought the team.
The man who finally did (and spends) what it takes to build a solid organization

 

[senseimike]

They got competent owners who have money and sense. Made some mistakes at the beginning with Tallon and then computer boys but learned and improved. That's pretty much it.

Thx! What do you mean about the computer boys?

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

In 2013 after putting up a horrible season, Dale Tallon was given enough funds to bring in Scott Gomez, Joey Crabb, and ancient Tim Thomas (like 1 million each lol). You can't win without spending. Like others said, it came down to the ownership change a year later. They made some mistakes at first being too involved (firing Tallon after the best season in franchise history for HF boards posters) but they learned from that and we haven't heard from them in years, which is how owners should be.

 

[KW]

I agree like others have said, ownership change and treating the team like an investment. How do you make its value go up? Success.

When rangers and canadiens and maple laughs and bruins are in town, we finally outnumber their fans in the stadium. Away games are no longer like home games for those teams.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Ownership.

The old ownership group would have struggled to run a clown show at a used car lot.

 

[letsgrowcactus]

Hey guys,

I know Bill Zito is generally doing a great job as GM but my question is broader than that- what led the Panthers to go from basically being a joke for about 20 years to where they are now? What changed in the last 5ish years to establish that?
I can't imagine it is just a matter of the GM but rather something like the direction ownership is looking to go, what they are willing to invest $$ in, etc. And if that is the case, why/how did that change?

Any insight would be appreciated!

Ownership gets huge credit for being willing to spend and doing what it takes to win, but I'd actually circle back to Zito a bit.

He didn’t just change things on-ice, the trades, signings etc. that people usually think of when they think "GM's job". He reportedly changed thinga juat as much off-ice - a significantly expanded management team, scouting team, new experts beought in, nutritionists, more offort to support local hockey, lot of stuff like that. There was a great article on it a while back; wish I could link it but when it's said he "changed the culture completely", it involved a lot more than just bringing in the right guys and "fixing the locker room" (though he gets credit for that as well.)

 

[Gentle Man]

Taxes

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Ownership gets huge credit for being willing to spend and doing what it takes to win, but I'd actually circle back to Zito a bit.

He didn’t just change things on-ice, the trades, signings etc. that people usually think of when they think "GM's job". He reportedly changed thinga juat as much off-ice - a significantly expanded management team, scouting team, new experts beought in, nutritionists, more offort to support local hockey, lot of stuff like that. There was a great article on it a while back; wish I could link it but when it's said he "changed the culture completely", it involved a lot more than just bringing in the right guys and "fixing the locker room" (though he gets credit for that as well.)

One of the ONLY things the Panthers organization has done right the entire time has been its support for local youth hockey.

 

[Stanley Cup Boundd]

We jettisoned a couple of our playoff strip club boys

 

[letsgrowcactus]

One of the ONLY things the Panthers organization has done right the entire time has been its support for local youth hockey.

Yeah, that’s not Zito alone. My point is, there’s been a lot of off-ice changes that aren’t usually talked about and aren’t nearly as "sexy" as making a huge trade, but they're also an important part of the picture. I'm on my phone now and need to feed the kid, but I'll try to drop some later if I have the time.

 

[Stanley Cup Boundd]

We jettisoned a couple of our playoff strip club boys

And got rid of that POS Yandle!!

 

[HockeyRulez]

Let's win a cup and then come back to this convo

 

[BeezKnees]

Zito picking up a 40 goal scorer in Verhaeghe and a top pair defensmen in Forsling pretty much out of nowhere for free really helped things along.

 

[letsgrowcactus]

The article below describes some of the things Viola and Zito did to lead the Panthers to success. Might be paywalled though:

Inside Panthers' wild path from dysfunction to contention: 'It was really hanging on by a thread'


I recall another article at nhl.com discussing similar things but I can’t find that one.

 

[Ryuji Yamazaki]

Like someone mentioned, Vinnie Viola, then Quennville, then Zito.

 

[violaswallet]

I'd argue that it begins in 2020. Some might say hiring Zito, but I think the clear break was:

 

[ShootIt]

I switched my avatar from the Tallon facepalm to the current one.

But as above posted it was ownership, with some bad at first and then rebounding nicely to then replacing Tallon who had a decent run but the franchise needed a new direction from the GM spot.
Coaching too. No more first time unknowns. Q and then Maurice brought good game plans and direction

 

[Ratsreign]

I switched my avatar from the Tallon facepalm to the current one.

But as above posted it was ownership, with some bad at first and then rebounding nicely to then replacing Tallon who had a decent run but the franchise needed a new direction from the GM spot.
Coaching too. No more first time unknowns. Q and then Maurice brought good game plans and direction

After his work building up the Blackhawks,
Tallon came to FL and helped build two organizations, simultaneously.

 

[Ratsreign]

Ownership.

The old ownership group would have struggled to run a clown show at a used car lot.

Pooter would’ve been their lead clown

 

[Justlou4545]

Ownership was the biggest difference maker imho. Outside of the Tom Rowe debacle, they have done a fine job of instilling their vision onto the franchise. They changed the culture and instilled pride into a franchise that once had the team logos in the urinals of the arena. (Thanks Yormark).

 

[FrolikFan67]

Starts with ownership. Willing to spend to the cap every year, no exceptions. Invested heavily into the franchise from top to bottom. They brought in Zito who was a fanatic hire. They allowed him to surround himself with a large group of people (both smart and experienced). They bought a new team jet not long ago. Invested in amenities for the players. Brand new top of the line practice facility now. Just completely rebuild every in this franchise essentially from the ground up. Made a few mistakes along the way like the whole Tallon “promotion” thing but then listened and reverted, learning from their mistakes. Found a good GM in zito, hiring Maurice, Q before him (so investing in good established coaches). Reinvested back into the arena with the playoff money, just tons of different things but it’s night and day vs how things were run and operated in years past

 

[Cats2TheCup]

Great owners found a great GM.

 

[Chessarmy]

Ownership at the top of the list for reasons already mentioned in the thread

Bill Zito is also a massive reason this organization finally turned around for the better. What I love about Zito is he didn't just make an impact in terms of personnel (and he has made fantastic move after fantastic move to bring in guys like Tkachuk, Bennett, Verhaeghe, Forsling, etc.) - but he also instilled a winning culture here.

The Florida Panthers were a joke and perennial losers for so long, the team needed a complete culture shift to orient the franchise toward winning. Zito accomplished that.