Erin Brown

Winnipeg/Phoenix Average Home Attendance, 1991-2008

For the record, Winnipeg Arena seated 15,565, America West Arena seated 16,210 for hockey and Jobing.com Arena seats 17,125.

Few would argue moving to Phoenix helped the franchise increase the number of warm bodies in seats. The Coyotes experienced some success during their early years in Arizona, both at the box office and on the ice. They reached the playoffs in each of their first four seasons, but failed to get past the first round.

Phoenix's attendance increased only slightly from 2003 to 2004, when the team shifted its operations to their Glendale-based arena. The Coyotes barely benefitted from the lure of playing in a new facility.

Winnipeg/Phoenix Average Capacity, 1991-2008

Go ahead, heap criticism on the Florida Panthers. They deserve it. The Cats, seeking their first playoff berth since 2000, have lost seven of their last eight games. They've blown a two-goal lead in four of those.

The list of excuses Florida can lean on has diminished to one glaring, bold-faced bullet point: the inability to close out games. The Panthers cannot blame the loss of Nathan Horton or Bryan McCabe to injury; both players are back. They cannot suggest waiting for the trade deadline have caused frayed nerves; March 4 has come and gone, with the team left intact. Their only flaw is mental.

Ask around in the Panthers locker room as to what's the cause behind the slide. Nobody has an answer. Some will speak out about unacceptable efforts as McCabe did after the team's 3-0 loss to Washington. Others, such as Tomas Vokoun, question what has caused the season to go so wrong, so quickly. Coach Pete DeBoer focuses on the positives of his team working hard and playing disciplined hockey, even though the result on the scoresheet suggests otherwise.

Yet nobody seems to realize the solution to Florida's problem has always been in their presence: Craig Anderson. He's seen the collapse up close and personal from his rinkside seat on the Panthers bench. He's got a clear view of every teammate's body language off the ice as he sits at the head of the locker room. He's seen it all before and for whatever reason, over the past two seasons, Anderson has been clutch when the Panthers are in their most dire straits:

- March 2008: With the playoffs seemingly out of reach, Anderson kickstarts a franchise-best seven-game winning streak with three straight wins. He begins with a 1-0 victory over the New York Islanders and follows that with a 1-0 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins. In the process, he sets NHL records for most saves in a shutout (53 vs. New York) and most saves in consecutive shutouts (93).

- November 2008: Anderson posts a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 9, snapping the team's six-game losing streak. Three nights later, he posts a 4-0 win over Tampa Bay. By the end of the month, Anderson takes over as Florida's No. 1, starting in six straight games. In that stretch, he records five wins and two shutouts.

- January 2009: In the midst of a four-game losing streak, Anderson rights the ship with a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh. The Panthers begin a streak in which they earn a point in eight straight games.

- March 2009: One night after suffering a 7-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils, Anderson backstops the Panthers to a 6-2 win over the Washington Capitals.

Anderson has not seen any action since his victory over Washington. Since then, Florida has gone 3-5-3.

There's no explanation as to why Florida plays well in front of Anderson, who is 24-12-6 in his two full seasons with the Panthers. Now is not the time for DeBoer and the Cats to question why that is.

Florida has eight games left to salvage one of the best seasons they've had in years. There's no shame in leaning on numbers or intangibles to do so. The Panthers just need to get back in the win column.

Anderson has shown he can do that.

The trade deadline is a little less than 24 hours away and I can't help but feel I'm at ground zero, geographically, of what could be the biggest news in the NHL on Wednesday.

For all the rumors that have been thrown out about Jay Bouwmeester's future, those invloved with the situation have remained quiet. GM Jacques Martin isn't talking. Neither is Bouwmeester or his agent, Byron Baltimore. And we all know what happens when there is silence from the inner circle; it just makes those on the outside squawk louder.

The silence has struck me, but for a different reason: it is the antithesis of what Panthers fans experienced a couple summers ago when Florida worked on contract negotiations with Roberto Luongo.

Anyone who followed the team then (there weren't many of us) remember the fiasco played out in the papers. It didn't matter what the Panthers offered Luongo. He didn't want it. Florida owner Alan Cohen publicly stated he would give the goaltender anything he wanted contract-wise. Luongo could have demanded a 10-year, $100 million contract and he would have received it.

But the all-star responded with demands, some which constituted tampering, that could never be honored by Florida. Luongo insisted then-GM Mike Keenan publicly announce Luongo would never be traded; he asked backup Jamie McLennan be re-signed; and finally, he told the Panthers he wanted them to hire Anaheim's goaltending coach Francois Allaire, who was still under contract with the Ducks at the time.

Much credit goes to Martin for keeping the Bouwmeester situation under wraps. It's a classy move to not drag the situation into the open, and for all we know, it could be what gives the Panthers a chance at trying to convince the defenseman to stay.

But if the chatter is true, that Bouwmeester doesn't want to stay in Florida, why pretend?  If he didn't have at least some inner conflict about remaining in Florida, why didn't he seek an offer sheet last summer? Why didn't he demand a trade?

The Panthers are far from the no-win situation many pundits are putting them in. If Florida doesn't trade him before Wednesday, they've still got an all-star defenseman on their blueline. And assuming they make the playoffs or have a surprising run, who is to say it doesn't convince Bouwmeester to stay? Time is one thing that does not hurt Florida.

If they lose him for nothing? The Panthers still save a massive chunk of change for free agents. And for the money he's seeking, Florida may be better off parting ways. Not because they're cheap, rather he's not the end-all-be-all in Florida. Bouwmeester is having an outstanding season (offensively), but as a friend put it, "does everyone else not see him enough to know his flaws?"

Bouwmeester is not a Dion Phaneuf- or Chris Pronger-like player who can put up offense and be physical in his own end. Actually, there are a lot of times where the defenseman doesn't use his size. He can be a liability in his own end at times, which is part of the reason why he's paired with Karlis Skrastins, who is about as defensive-minded as you can get.

In Florida's 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals a couple weeks back, Bouwmeester displayed his lack of physicality clearly. He was matched up against Alexander Ovechkin. There's no question Bouwmeester could keep up with the star (so few can), but on two occasions, he failed to play the body. On one of those, Ovechkin tallied the game-winner. A check or bump by Bouwmeester would have disrupted the play.

If they trade him? Someone is bound to over pay for his services. Florida could fill its need for offense and possibly pick up some talented youngsters for the future. Martin may not have done well behind the Panthers bench, but he's done a solid job in the front office.

Remember, he traded oft-injured underachiever Mike Van Ryan for Bryan McCabe and a draft pick. He swapped a Olli Jokinen for two defenseman -- Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton -- who have put up as many points as the former 40-goal scorer this season. He's put together a goaltending tandem that has combined for eight shutouts and ranks among the top 10 in the league. He hired a coach, Pete DeBoer, who is frequently mentioned as a Jack Adams Award candidate.

Given the way the Panthers have adopted a scoring-by-committee strategy -- 12 players have at least 20 points -- I'm convinced players can step up and fill the void.  The Panthers, who were supposed to flounder without Jokinen, have already shown they're capable of the shared responsibility.

I can't say what will unfold over the next day, but one thing is certain: I don't envy Martin's situation.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Gary Bettman is in town for tonight's Rangers-Panthers game, and he took some time beforehand to speak with the local media.

The NHL commissioner would not confirm or deny a report in Thursday's Miami Herald which stated the Panthers would open the 2009-10 season in Finland. In talking about the process used to select teams to go overseas, though, Bettman may have tipped his hand and not even realized it.

Bettman stated the goal is to eventually have each NHL team play in Europe. He then said something very odd regarding one aspect of selecting teams to head overseas:

"What they wear on the sweater in terms of having interest and intrigue abroad are all factors."

What they wear? Since when is the NHL concerned about fashion sense?

Picking a team to play across the Atlantic based on its jersey may seem, well, child-like. Assuming the NHL eventually confirms the Cats are bound for Finland, it becomes obvious their selection is tied to marketing and merchandise.

The Panthers are reportedly slotted to play the Blackhawks at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki.  The arena also happens to be the home for Jokerit of the Finnish Elite League. And if you've ever seen Jokerit's sweaters...

No, you're not seeing double. These are the old CCM jerseys worn prior to the 2007-08 season. Even after the Panthers switched to the new Reebok jerseys, Jokerit followed suit. (Unfortunately I could not find a good picture for a side-by-side comparison.)

We're not oblivious to the NHL's intentions to promote the game in Europe, so from a marketing standpoint, the league made a smart move. Send a team that the locals can identify with, get the fans to buy jerseys (and other merchandise) and build a following for Florida in Finland.

Not that this is a bad thing. Exposure is good, and if there's something, besides the game of hockey, that the NHL can use to connect with fans elsewhere, by all means, do it.

It's fair to say there are probably a bunch of Rangers and Bolts fans in the Czech Republic as well as Penguins and Senators fans in Sweden because of their appearances earlier this season.

The Panthers only have one Finn in their current lineup. That would be Ville Peltonen, who may not even be on the roster next year if he tests the free agent market. But maybe the lack of Finnish representation won't matter in Helsinki, where there will probably be swarms of Jokerit fans draped in navy, yellow and red.

Maybe it is time I brush up on my Finnish... Siirry kissa, siirry! (Go Cats, go!)

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Even Disney could not have come up with an ending like this one.

One Feb. 10, 2008, Richard Zednik did not know if he'd live to see the next day. Exactly one year later, he's celebrating an unprecedented comeback 5-4 victory by the Florida Panthers over the Toronto Maple Leafs, one made possible with his tying and game-winning goals.

Hockey fans always talk about players getting a goal on their birthday. Apparently it is two for a re-birthday.

"It's a great story," Panthers coach Pete DeBoer said. "From what he came back from, I would think if you were in that position yourself, it would be easy to put your feet up, retire and never play again. He's made more than enough money to do that. I thought he showed a lot of character even coming back this year. He's starting to hit his stride, get more comfortable out there."

Down 4-1 with a little more than 12 minutes to go in the third period, Florida rallied on goals by Nathan Horton and Ville Peltonen.

Zednik, to that point, hadn't been much of a factor. Perhaps distracted by all the talk surrounding last year's horrific incident in which he took a skate to the throat, the winger had a penalty and just one shot through two periods.

With 6:29 left in the game, Zednik parked himself in front of Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala and re-directed a pass into the net to tie the game and force overtime. Just 68 seconds into the extra period, veteran Cory Stillman found Zednik breaking to the slot. He fed the winger, whose one-timer sealed the win.

Until Tuesday, the Panthers, in their 16-year history, never overcame a three-goal deficit and went on to win.

The victory only gives Florida a one-point lead over Carolina for eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. It isn't much breathing room, especially since the eight spot has shifted between the Panthers, Hurricanes and Penguins several times over the past few weeks.

It's quite the mirror image of last year, though, when the Panthers, trying to recover from the trauma of Zednik's injury, dropped seven of its next nine games and fell out of the playoff race.

There's a lot to be said for Zednik's play as of late and how it has rubbed off on the Panthers. Since being benched on Dec. 31, the winger has 11 points, including a pair of highlight reel goals. In that same stretch, Florida is 10-3-3.

Zednik's teammates have been buzzing, talking about his acrobatic feats. Now they're reveling in the effort that not only finishes off the franchise's greatest comeback.

There really could not be a more perfect end to a personal chapter in Zednik's life.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers have been in this situation before.

They know the feeling of being on the outside of the playoff bubble at the All-Star break and the high-level calculus required to plot a far-fetched path in the standings to the playoffs.

Unlike previous seasons, though, the math is a little easier to compute this time around. The Panthers are closer to a playoff spot than they have been in eight years. As of Jan. 26, they are one point out of eighth place with two games in hand.

"Looking back on the last few years, we're in a better spot than we were." said Gregory Campbell, who has played for Florida for five seasons. "I think all the hard work that kind of put us in the position we're in now. We have to realize it wasn't easy getting to this spot and we're still kind of on the outside looking in."

The idea of "looking in" is more of a revolving door, though. Florida, Pittsburgh and Carolina have spent at least one day in the final slot over the past 10 days and none have been able to keep a firm grasp on the position. Even the Buffalo Sabres, who distanced themselves with a 3-2 shootout win over Florida on Jan. 19, were in the fray at one point.

Still, the Panthers have reason to be feeling positive about their playoff chances.

For the first time since 1999-2000, the last season Florida advanced to the postseason, the Panthers have averaged a point a game in the standings in the contests before the All-Star break. They've accomplished that feat only five times in team history, and made the playoffs in three of those seasons.

Florida has a favorable schedule down the stretch, with 20 of its final 36 games at the BankAtlantic Center. The Panthers have established themselves as a better home team this season with a 10-6-5 record at home.

Even their schedule away from home is favorable. Except for a game in Dallas in late March, the rest of Florida's road games will be held in the Eastern Time Zone.

"We've had one of the toughest schedules, if not the toughest, with the road games played and the travel," Campbell said, referring to two separate trips which took them to northwest Canada and the west coast. "Having more time at home is always beneficial for rest. In the long run, it pays off."

And there's always the March factor, the biggest variable in the formula, and the only one Florida has control over. In each of the past three seasons, the Panthers have found their stride in the final weeks of the season. Since 2005-06, Florida is 27-11-3 in the second-to-last month of the season. It was in March of last season that the Panthers matched team records for consecutive wins (seven games) and consecutive wins at home (five games).

Veteran forward Ville Peltonen was part of two of the last three teams that surged in March, and indicated Monday this year's squad is focused on matching the feat.

"We had a brief meeting and everybody knows we've got to go at it the same way, one at a time, and really prepare ourselves every game," Ville Peltonen said. "We're going to be in a rhythm where there are three or four games a week, every second night, so we've got to be ready for them."

9:30 p.m. - And that does it for the 2009 SuperSkills competition. To recap: Fastest Skater: Andrew Cogliano, 14.31 seconds. Breakaway Challenge: Alexander Ovechkin. Accuracy Shooting: Evgeni Malkin 7-for-8. Hardest Shot: Zdeno Chara, 105.4 mph (a new record!). Elimination Shootout: Shane Doan. The rookies win the YoungStars Game, 9-5, and Blake Wheeler earns the MVP award with a hat trick.  Be sure to check out Monday's episode of the Odd Man Rush -- we'll be talking in depth about All-Star weekend, and I'm sure we'll have plenty to rant and rave about. Thanks for tuning in!

9:28 p.m. - Shane Doan survives six rounds and captures the title with a goal and a textbook pokecheck on Marc Savard by Henrik Lundqvist.

9:26 p.m. - All three shooters fail to score in Round 4 and 5, so they go again. In the fifth round, Doan and Savard score.  Savard was shooting on teammate Tim Thomas, so he gives him a high five afterward.

9:23 p.m. - Three survive Round 3: Doan, Savard, Hejduk.

9:21 p.m. - Doan, Niedermayer, Savard, Marleau, Hejduk and Getzlaf survive the second round.

9:16 p.m. - Shane Doan, Scott Niedermayer, Sheldon Souray, Zdeno Chara, Marc Savard, Patrick Marleau, Thomas Vanek, Milan Hejduk, Jay Bouwmeester, Mike Modano, Ryan Getzlaf, Alexei Kovalev are moving on.

9:02 p.m. - Elimination shootout time. Only one will survive. The NHL added a fun aspect to this, letting the goalies do a blind draw as to the players they'll face. The goalies were able to make trades, and Tim Thomas ended up swapping Ilya Kovalchuk to Niklas Backstrom... but he'll now have to face Montreal's Alexei Kovalev instead.

8:58 p.m. - Chara gave himself some good karma to break the record tonight. He's a supporter of Right to Play, a charity which helps children in third-world countries through sport. Chara put some of his own money on the event to break the record and a couple of other organizations matched. So not only does the Bruins captain get in the record book, but he helps a good cause while doing so.

8:57 p.m. - AND THE RECORD FALLS! 105.4! Chara retains his hardest shot title!

8:56 p.m. - Chara fires a 103.3 on his first try.

8:55 p.m. - Sheldon Souray hits 102.3. Not good enough for first, though.

8:53 p.m. - Time for the hardest shot. Shea Weber, the second participant in the event puts up a 103.4 blast. I believe that tops the winning shot by Zdeno Chara last year.

8:45 p.m. - Malkin goes 3-for-4 in the final round. Heatley only gets three shots off and hits two targets. Evgeni Malkin is this year's accuracy shooting champ.

8:43 p.m. - Tomas Kaberle won't retain his title. He only hits three targets. Time for a showdown between Malkin and Heatley.

8:42 p.m. - Marc Savard finishes 3-for-8 and in response to the showing says, "I'm a passer."

8:40 p.m. - Scratch that Malkin tips the fourth target, so he joins the ranks of the 4-in-4 club. And now Dany Heatley achieves the feat.

8:39 p.m. - Jonathan Toews starts off slow, but ends up finishing 4-for-8. Evgeni Malkin starts off by hitting his first three shots... and barely misses for a perfect showing.

8:37 p.m. - We're getting set for the accuracy shooting contest. Not a bad combination of players to set up the shooters -- Patrick Marleau, Scott Niedermayer, Joe Thornton and Keith Tkachuk.

8:35 p.m. - Fans like props. :)  Alexander Ovechkin wins the breakaway competition with 48 percent of the vote.

YoungStars - 3rd period - Neal steals the puck from Price in the right corner, passes to Boedker in front. The Coyotes forward drops it for Wheeler, who strikes again ... Rinne comes out to challenge Setoguchi, but fails, allowing the Sharks winger to move around him like a cone ... Rinne stretches to make a pad stop on a Brandon Dubinsky breakaway ... Doughty skates in alone and backhands the puck between Price's pads ... Raymond pulls off a toe drag, but Rinne keeps with him the entire time ... Another point-blank stop by Rinne, this time on Bolland. Final score: 9-5. Blake Wheeler earns YoungStars MVP honors with a hat trick.

YoungStars - 2nd period - Berglund tacks another one on for the rookies ... Marc Staal hits James Neal, then goes and nets a pass by Cogliano ... Price denies Michael Frolik on a point blank shot ... Nice job, Versus -- show the bench instead of the actual play on ice, then neglect showing a replay of a goal ... Stamkos, Mikael Boedker and Wheeler set up a triangle in front of the net and the Bruin pots another ... Schenn gets a breakaway, is booed by the Montreal faithful and scores on a backhand ... Frolik finds Wheeler all alone in front, but the Bruins winger can't convert ... Rinne stops what seems to be the sixth or seventh breakaway, this time on Cogliano ... Letang gets his own rebound in front of the net ... Versus misses another goal. Score: 7-4.

YoungStars - 1st period - Patrik Berglund scores for the rookies, putting a wrist shot over Price's right shoulder. ... Bolland ties it up with a quick shot on Pekka Rinne's doorstep ... Rookie Blake Wheeler tries to go 5-hole on Price, but ends up putting it in on the left side instead ... Beautiful behind-the-back pass by Pittsburgh's Kris Letang ... Wow! A little defense in this game! Luke Schenn steps up on denies Bryan Little a clean shot on an open net ... Some tic-tac-toe passing by Steve Stamkos and Schenn results in another goal for the rookies. Score: 3-1

7:53 p.m. - The YoungStars game is underway. Expect a lot of choppy updates as following the non-stop action tends to make fingers get tangled on a keyboard.

7:50 p.m. - The players are back in the locker room as the YoungStars take to the ice. How funny -- the all-stars are all texting their votes for the Breakaway Competition.

7:45 p.m. - People say Alex Ovechkin is worth admission, and there's no doubt the guy puts on a show. This time, he brought props. After a couple of so-so efforts which sometimes failed on the way to the net because of a puck rolling off his stick, Ovechkin skates over to the bench. With the help of Evgeni Malkin, he dons a hat with a Canadian flag sticking out, sunglasses and gets a squirt of Gatorade like a prize fighter from his comrade. He then takes his stick in one hand, Malkins stick in the other, dribbles a puck toward the net, throws away one of the sticks and shoots. I get that Ovechkin's just trying to have a good time, but I can't help but think he's made a mockery of the event.

7:35 p.m. - Now for the breakaway competition... Patrick Kane starts it off, flipping his stick and putting it in with the butt end. His best showing comes at the end, in my opinion, when he moves the puck and stick behind his back and wrists it in. Martin St. Louis gets some slight of hand by appearing to put put the puck on his stick, but instead shoves it in glove. As he waves the stick in the air, he drops the puck in front and shoots. Ryan Getzlaf and Steven Stamkos do some run-of-the-mill moves... nothing we haven't seen already. Stamkos wraps up his round with the between the legs shot that ended up plastered all over YouTube in his junior days. Kovalev does some pretty creative stuff, flipping the puck to the back of his neck, dropping it back to the ice, kicking it to his stick and shooting.

7:29 p.m. - The fastest skater event was kind of disappointing. Perhaps it had to do with the way it was presented, because it really seemed like the players were lumbering around the ice. For an event like this, it makes more sense to follow the players from up in the stands than ice level, because you get a real feel for how quickly they're moving.

7:27 p.m. - Cogliano comes in at 14.21 to take this year's title. It's still far off matching the all-time record held by Mike Gartner .

7:26 p.m. - Raymond catches a rut on the final turn and effectively kills his chance competing well in this one.

7:25 p.m. - Great start to the fastest skater. Zach Parise skates the first lap and the clocks aren't working.

7:21 p.m. - The first event is the fastest skater. It appears they've added a couple more players to the lineup than previously announced. The new additions are youngsters Mason Raymond and Andrew Cogliano .

7:08 p.m. - The players are introduced. As expected, the Canadiens players receive a rousing ovation, while all Bruins and Leafs are booed. Quebecois players also get a little extra love. Even former Canadiens who bolted via free agency -- Sheldon Souray and Mark Streit -- get a good amount of applause.  And it should be noted that the fans absolutely go bonkers when Vincent Lecavalier is announced. The announcers pause for a good 20 seconds as fans stand to cheer.

7:00 p.m. - We're almost ready for the Skills Competition to begin. One thing we forgot to point out earlier was the change in how the breakaway competition will be judged. Last year there was a panel of judges to provide the scores for each player, but this year the NHL will have fans in the stand vote via text messaging. Not to dismiss Alexei Kovalev 's amazing skills, but we're going to go out on a limb and say the Canadiens faithful are going to vote him the winner -- even if he falls flat on his face during the event.

5:34 p.m. - We're about 90 minutes away from the start of the annual SuperSkills Competition, and we're hoping the NHL got its act together for this year's event. Last year was a bit of a fiasco in Atlanta . That led to some changes for this go-round, notably the return of the one-lap fastest skater event, a revamped breakaway competition and the elimination of the obstacle course. Also, it appears the league has nixed the concept of East vs. West as the "lineups" for the events appear to be skewed toward the inclusion of Eastern Conference players (the hardest shot has two Western Conference representatives). That's fine with us, because frankly, it is more exciting when you really get the best-of-the-best competing instead of filling in slots because you have to.

Something worth noting about tonight is the atmosphere in Montreal. Something about playing up there has an impact on players. During the last All-Star Game held in Montreal in 1993, three SuperSkills records were set or matched. Washington's Al Iafrate set the hardest shot record with a 105.2 mph blast. New York Rangers forward Mike Gartner lapped the ice in a record 13.51 seconds. Boston's Ray Bourque retained his accuracy shooting title with a 4-for-4 performance. Although others have gone on to match Bourque's feat, and Gartner bested his own record three years later, Iafrate's record stands. Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara , who is back to defend his hardest shot title, came closer than anyone to Iafrate's record in 2008, and he was still 2.1 mph slower.

We'll be be tracking all the action tonight, so be sure to keep checking back for our running commentary. Feel free to add any comments below and share your thoughts as we go along.