Florida: Sun No Longer Shining in Southeast
Whilst enjoying my holiday time from work this week, Mike brought to my attention an interesting fact, it has now been nine years since a team from sunny Florida won a Stanley Cup and he posed an interesting question- can either Tampa Bay Lightning or the Florida Panthers could bring back glory to this state again next season- let's take a look at that theory!
Tampa Bay has been the last team from this state to taste glory when in 2004 and engineered by the insane mastermind John Tortorella they beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 to clinch their first ever triumph. But since then it has been a rather dry desert since then, despite the scoring talents of Steven Stamkos the Lightning has seldom made the playoffs since then! This season has been no exception as they limped home in 4th place in the Southeast Division and a disappointing 14th overall in the Eastern Conference!
Florida Panthers have also made an appearence in a Stanley Cup final when in 1996 they took on the might of Joe Sakic and the Colorado Avalanche and were on the losing as the Avs cleanly swept them in four games. But since then their playoff appearences have been few and far between and in the last 12 years they have appeared once! Last season was equally horrendous and they finished bottom of both Southeast Division and Eastern Conference.
From the description it may sound like I'm picking on this fair state- but you couldnt be further from the truth because I firmly believe that with some clever restructuring, glory could soon return. Tampa Bay have a key franchise figure in Steven Stamkos who at only 23 is yet to hit the prime of his career! Also he is aided by the veteran talents of Hart Trophy winner Martin St Louis and Captain Vincent Lecavalier who show no signs of stopping scoring yet! With some clever additions, the Lightning could soar up the ladder but they may have to start be overhauling the defence as last season a whopping 150 goals were conceded!
Florida Panthers however is going to require some serious overhauling, as this team doesnt possess any players approaching star quality and their top scores was Tobias Fleischmann with a mere 35 points scored and their Goals Against total only stood at 112- over 53 goals less than conference winner Pittsburgh! The draft may hold the key to future success and the Cats will need to pick well during this time and look out for any trades that could potential benefit because based on this roster- there really isnt depth!
To answer Mike's question, if I had to pick a future success from this state it would have to be Tampa Bay Lightning as they have the star quality to make effective progress and they will be eager to put last season behind them! Their scouting network seems good at spotting talent, so new faces could be crucial. Florida Panthers will need to start showing something positive soon because despite their dedicated fans, they are primarily seen as a feeder team for bigger clubs and they need to find that franchise player to elevate them!
People may pick on the Southeast division, but it does still hold a lot of promise and who knows the Sun may rise again in the state of Florida!
Tampa Bay has been the last team from this state to taste glory when in 2004 and engineered by the insane mastermind John Tortorella they beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 to clinch their first ever triumph. But since then it has been a rather dry desert since then, despite the scoring talents of Steven Stamkos the Lightning has seldom made the playoffs since then! This season has been no exception as they limped home in 4th place in the Southeast Division and a disappointing 14th overall in the Eastern Conference!
Florida Panthers have also made an appearence in a Stanley Cup final when in 1996 they took on the might of Joe Sakic and the Colorado Avalanche and were on the losing as the Avs cleanly swept them in four games. But since then their playoff appearences have been few and far between and in the last 12 years they have appeared once! Last season was equally horrendous and they finished bottom of both Southeast Division and Eastern Conference.
From the description it may sound like I'm picking on this fair state- but you couldnt be further from the truth because I firmly believe that with some clever restructuring, glory could soon return. Tampa Bay have a key franchise figure in Steven Stamkos who at only 23 is yet to hit the prime of his career! Also he is aided by the veteran talents of Hart Trophy winner Martin St Louis and Captain Vincent Lecavalier who show no signs of stopping scoring yet! With some clever additions, the Lightning could soar up the ladder but they may have to start be overhauling the defence as last season a whopping 150 goals were conceded!
Florida Panthers however is going to require some serious overhauling, as this team doesnt possess any players approaching star quality and their top scores was Tobias Fleischmann with a mere 35 points scored and their Goals Against total only stood at 112- over 53 goals less than conference winner Pittsburgh! The draft may hold the key to future success and the Cats will need to pick well during this time and look out for any trades that could potential benefit because based on this roster- there really isnt depth!
To answer Mike's question, if I had to pick a future success from this state it would have to be Tampa Bay Lightning as they have the star quality to make effective progress and they will be eager to put last season behind them! Their scouting network seems good at spotting talent, so new faces could be crucial. Florida Panthers will need to start showing something positive soon because despite their dedicated fans, they are primarily seen as a feeder team for bigger clubs and they need to find that franchise player to elevate them!
People may pick on the Southeast division, but it does still hold a lot of promise and who knows the Sun may rise again in the state of Florida!
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