Comments (0) Best Sports Enigma - 2009
Florida Panthers
If a team wins in Sunrise, does anyone care? When it comes to the Florida Panthers, the answer is a resounding "No." It seems that no matter how good or bad the product on the ice, no matter what superstar players come or go, and no matter how cheap the tickets are, the Panthers just can't pull a consistent home crowd into the BankAtlantic Center. That's not to say games don't sell out — practically every time a Canadian or big-market team like the Flyers or Rangers hits the ice, the stadium is packed... with fans decked out in the visiting team's sweaters. Chants of "Go Habs Go!" or "Let's Go Flyers!" drown out the dozen or so loyal fans that the Cats can muster. If an all-star goalie (Tomas Vokoun), a hotshot coach (Peter DeBoer), and some of the brightest young stars in the conference (Booth, Bouwmeester, and Frolik) can't bring in the fans, perhaps South Florida doesn't deserve a hockey team. And that sucks for both of the hardcore fans left down here.
