Good Afternoon. I finally decided to create an account after years of lurking and having a blast reading the threads here on the sight. I'd like to consider myself pretty knowledgeable about hockey as I have been around the game my entire life. I figured since today is an off day that it would be a good opportuntiy to introduce myself. Im sure this probably won't be the correct thread to put this in and if so I apologize up front.
I grew up in Massachusetts a die hard Hartford Whalers fan (Hopefully most remember the Whale and aren't too young on here) as I lived closer to Hartford then Boston. Being a Whalers fan was interesting to say the least and certainly full of heartache. Year after year we had an underachieving team and ownership that generally didn't give a damn. Hell we threw a victory parade just for winning one round in the playoffs back in 1986. The similarities to the Panthers are quite striking except the fact the Panthers actually made the SC Finals before. Fast forward a bit to when the Whale sold off Ronnie Francis and Ulfie to Pittsburgh and the beginning of the end was near. Then the Brendan Shanahan fiasco was the final nail as he cried his way out of town delivering the final nail in the coffin. Karmanos ripped my heart out and moved the team to Carolina. The year the Canes won the cup I couldn't even stomach watching the end. So to this day Boston and now Carolina are at the bottom of the barrel for me.
The irony continues as I ended up moving to San Antonio, TX shortly after the Whale left town. I followed the Rampage from day one as a season ticket holder the first three years as I got to see the likes of Wade Flaherty and Travis Scott in net along with Filip Novak, good old Denis Shvidki (sp), Jeff Toms, Rocky Thompson along with many other less then sterling names. Not to mention JayBo and his I'm too good for the AHL and don't want to be here attitude during the lockout. Nate wasn't much better and at least Weisser didn't complain before they sent him off to Chicago to play in a winning environment. 2006 rolls around and I get a job off in South Florida that was too good to pass up. This enabled me to finally get to see NHL hockey again. Me and my children went to anywhere between 10-15 games a year over the next three years. Loved the BAC and the atmosphere at the games even though the team struggled.
Long story short I follow the Panthers on NHL Center Ice now living in New England and have watched every game this season. The start of the season was amazing and certainly more then I was expecting. I love Kevin Dineen for obvious reasons as the man wore his heart on his sleeve every night and was a true captain in every sense of the word. The man scored the last goal ever in Hartford Whalers history April 13,1997. I cried my eyes out as he ripped it past Rick Tabarraci playing for Tampa. This team personified Kevin Dineen during the begin of the season. They worked hard, didn't take shifts off and gelled quicker then anybody thought they would. It's been difficult watching since the first of the year as the division is there for the taking and the team has struggled mightily scoring goals. No matter the outcome I still love this team and sooo want to see playoff hockey in South Florida this year. Getting Steeger and Kuli back will certainly help and Theo playing lights out still is a must. Really like the pickups in Smitty and WW and hope Guds uses the recent benching as a good learning tool. Now if Flash can stop ringing the post and Weisser plays like he even cares then all the better.
Im really happy that Santos and Tallon have also taken a big interest in making the Rampage competitive as well. The fans in SA have suffered a long while also as there have only been two playoff appearances in ten years and one was a sweep the first season. I went down to SA for the holidays and saw the team play Houston, unfortunately the 'Page looked awful that night and Marky actually got pulled from the game. I don't think anybody on this board asides from possibly a few Rampage fans has mentioned just how good DGM is in goal. I got the pleasure to see him in Hartford alot last year and he is solid. If the Panthers ever got in a pinch between the pipes he certainly deserves a chance. (Hell he is miles better then Brian Foster). I really hope the affiliation agreement continnues beyond this year as constantly shuffling really does nobody any good. That and with the abundance of great talent coming through the pipeline in the next few years, I want to have the ability to see these guys in San Antonio. The climate and environment down in SA is very similar to South Florida minus the beaches and I hope Tallon and Santos do the right thing and extend the deal. I have rambled long enough and hope to be able to contribute in the future.
That was an interesting read WhalePanther! I lived thru some of the bruins whalers wars in the 80's. I think it was karma that the bruins got Glen Wesley from the whale and he missed an open net in ot3 sc finals game1, which totally took the wind out of the bruins sail. Sort of revenge in a convoluted sense. Of course, Wesley did have his ray bourque moment later though. Maybe the panthers have been paying for past sins for a decade but are finally forgiven....
Thanks for the welcome AG & KW. KW, Wesley was actually traded from Boston to Hartford in 1994 for three, yes three number one draft picks (Kyle Mclaren and Sergei Samsonov were two of the three picks I believe.) Not sure but are you referring to Wesley missing an open net in 1990 when he was a Bruin against Edmonton or when Wesley was with the divers post Whale.
Good Afternoon. I finally decided to create an account after years of lurking and having a blast reading the threads here on the sight. I'd like to consider myself pretty knowledgeable about hockey as I have been around the game my entire life. I figured since today is an off day that it would be a good opportuntiy to introduce myself. Im sure this probably won't be the correct thread to put this in and if so I apologize up front.
I grew up in Massachusetts a die hard Hartford Whalers fan (Hopefully most remember the Whale and aren't too young on here) as I lived closer to Hartford then Boston. Being a Whalers fan was interesting to say the least and certainly full of heartache. Year after year we had an underachieving team and ownership that generally didn't give a damn. Hell we threw a victory parade just for winning one round in the playoffs back in 1986. The similarities to the Panthers are quite striking except the fact the Panthers actually made the SC Finals before. Fast forward a bit to when the Whale sold off Ronnie Francis and Ulfie to Pittsburgh and the beginning of the end was near. Then the Brendan Shanahan fiasco was the final nail as he cried his way out of town delivering the final nail in the coffin. Karmanos ripped my heart out and moved the team to Carolina. The year the Canes won the cup I couldn't even stomach watching the end. So to this day Boston and now Carolina are at the bottom of the barrel for me.
The irony continues as I ended up moving to San Antonio, TX shortly after the Whale left town. I followed the Rampage from day one as a season ticket holder the first three years as I got to see the likes of Wade Flaherty and Travis Scott in net along with Filip Novak, good old Denis Shvidki (sp), Jeff Toms, Rocky Thompson along with many other less then sterling names. Not to mention JayBo and his I'm too good for the AHL and don't want to be here attitude during the lockout. Nate wasn't much better and at least Weisser didn't complain before they sent him off to Chicago to play in a winning environment. 2006 rolls around and I get a job off in South Florida that was too good to pass up. This enabled me to finally get to see NHL hockey again. Me and my children went to anywhere between 10-15 games a year over the next three years. Loved the BAC and the atmosphere at the games even though the team struggled.
Long story short I follow the Panthers on NHL Center Ice now living in New England and have watched every game this season. The start of the season was amazing and certainly more then I was expecting. I love Kevin Dineen for obvious reasons as the man wore his heart on his sleeve every night and was a true captain in every sense of the word. The man scored the last goal ever in Hartford Whalers history April 13,1997. I cried my eyes out as he ripped it past Rick Tabarraci playing for Tampa. This team personified Kevin Dineen during the begin of the season. They worked hard, didn't take shifts off and gelled quicker then anybody thought they would. It's been difficult watching since the first of the year as the division is there for the taking and the team has struggled mightily scoring goals. No matter the outcome I still love this team and sooo want to see playoff hockey in South Florida this year. Getting Steeger and Kuli back will certainly help and Theo playing lights out still is a must. Really like the pickups in Smitty and WW and hope Guds uses the recent benching as a good learning tool. Now if Flash can stop ringing the post and Weisser plays like he even cares then all the better.
Im really happy that Santos and Tallon have also taken a big interest in making the Rampage competitive as well. The fans in SA have suffered a long while also as there have only been two playoff appearances in ten years and one was a sweep the first season. I went down to SA for the holidays and saw the team play Houston, unfortunately the 'Page looked awful that night and Marky actually got pulled from the game. I don't think anybody on this board asides from possibly a few Rampage fans has mentioned just how good DGM is in goal. I got the pleasure to see him in Hartford alot last year and he is solid. If the Panthers ever got in a pinch between the pipes he certainly deserves a chance. (Hell he is miles better then Brian Foster). I really hope the affiliation agreement continnues beyond this year as constantly shuffling really does nobody any good. That and with the abundance of great talent coming through the pipeline in the next few years, I want to have the ability to see these guys in San Antonio. The climate and environment down in SA is very similar to South Florida minus the beaches and I hope Tallon and Santos do the right thing and extend the deal. I have rambled long enough and hope to be able to contribute in the future.
Go Panthers and Go Rampage. Long Live The Whale
Welcome aboard buddy. As someone who stalks the forums much more than he posts, I'll tell you first hand that stuff is 10x better once you get involved on here. So keep the posts coming!
Good Afternoon. I finally decided to create an account after years of lurking and having a blast reading the threads here on the sight. I'd like to consider myself pretty knowledgeable about hockey as I have been around the game my entire life. I figured since today is an off day that it would be a good opportuntiy to introduce myself. Im sure this probably won't be the correct thread to put this in and if so I apologize up front.
I grew up in Massachusetts a die hard Hartford Whalers fan (Hopefully most remember the Whale and aren't too young on here) as I lived closer to Hartford then Boston. Being a Whalers fan was interesting to say the least and certainly full of heartache. Year after year we had an underachieving team and ownership that generally didn't give a damn. Hell we threw a victory parade just for winning one round in the playoffs back in 1986. The similarities to the Panthers are quite striking except the fact the Panthers actually made the SC Finals before. Fast forward a bit to when the Whale sold off Ronnie Francis and Ulfie to Pittsburgh and the beginning of the end was near. Then the Brendan Shanahan fiasco was the final nail as he cried his way out of town delivering the final nail in the coffin. Karmanos ripped my heart out and moved the team to Carolina. The year the Canes won the cup I couldn't even stomach watching the end. So to this day Boston and now Carolina are at the bottom of the barrel for me.
The irony continues as I ended up moving to San Antonio, TX shortly after the Whale left town. I followed the Rampage from day one as a season ticket holder the first three years as I got to see the likes of Wade Flaherty and Travis Scott in net along with Filip Novak, good old Denis Shvidki (sp), Jeff Toms, Rocky Thompson along with many other less then sterling names. Not to mention JayBo and his I'm too good for the AHL and don't want to be here attitude during the lockout. Nate wasn't much better and at least Weisser didn't complain before they sent him off to Chicago to play in a winning environment. 2006 rolls around and I get a job off in South Florida that was too good to pass up. This enabled me to finally get to see NHL hockey again. Me and my children went to anywhere between 10-15 games a year over the next three years. Loved the BAC and the atmosphere at the games even though the team struggled.
Long story short I follow the Panthers on NHL Center Ice now living in New England and have watched every game this season. The start of the season was amazing and certainly more then I was expecting. I love Kevin Dineen for obvious reasons as the man wore his heart on his sleeve every night and was a true captain in every sense of the word. The man scored the last goal ever in Hartford Whalers history April 13,1997. I cried my eyes out as he ripped it past Rick Tabarraci playing for Tampa. This team personified Kevin Dineen during the begin of the season. They worked hard, didn't take shifts off and gelled quicker then anybody thought they would. It's been difficult watching since the first of the year as the division is there for the taking and the team has struggled mightily scoring goals. No matter the outcome I still love this team and sooo want to see playoff hockey in South Florida this year. Getting Steeger and Kuli back will certainly help and Theo playing lights out still is a must. Really like the pickups in Smitty and WW and hope Guds uses the recent benching as a good learning tool. Now if Flash can stop ringing the post and Weisser plays like he even cares then all the better.
Im really happy that Santos and Tallon have also taken a big interest in making the Rampage competitive as well. The fans in SA have suffered a long while also as there have only been two playoff appearances in ten years and one was a sweep the first season. I went down to SA for the holidays and saw the team play Houston, unfortunately the 'Page looked awful that night and Marky actually got pulled from the game. I don't think anybody on this board asides from possibly a few Rampage fans has mentioned just how good DGM is in goal. I got the pleasure to see him in Hartford alot last year and he is solid. If the Panthers ever got in a pinch between the pipes he certainly deserves a chance. (Hell he is miles better then Brian Foster). I really hope the affiliation agreement continnues beyond this year as constantly shuffling really does nobody any good. That and with the abundance of great talent coming through the pipeline in the next few years, I want to have the ability to see these guys in San Antonio. The climate and environment down in SA is very similar to South Florida minus the beaches and I hope Tallon and Santos do the right thing and extend the deal. I have rambled long enough and hope to be able to contribute in the future.
Go Panthers and Go Rampage. Long Live The Whale
Well that's one hell of a first post. Welcome aboard man! Glad to have you!
Thanks for the welcome AG & KW. KW, Wesley was actually traded from Boston to Hartford in 1994 for three, yes three number one draft picks (Kyle Mclaren and Sergei Samsonov were two of the three picks I believe.) Not sure but are you referring to Wesley missing an open net in 1990 when he was a Bruin against Edmonton or when Wesley was with the divers post Whale.
Yes you're right I got the trade backwards ... And yes i mean exactly that finals, wesley should have ended game 1 but missed a wide open with a backhand i believe. So much for my hockey karma analysis ...
No worries KW. It was a horrible trade but the Whalers were desperate for a defenseman that had offensive abilities at the time. It was bad enough seeing the divers win the cup but think it was even worse last year watching Boston win. Never thought I'd see that team win a cup in my lifetime and it was horrible and living up here made it even worse. Boston fans have such a feeling of entitlement that it truly is nauseating. It's nice seeing them scrambling now trying to sign Marty Turco. Even though Marty is horrible, I want another team to claim him so Boston has to overwork Thomas. I don't think it's out of the question to be able to catch them for the second seed if and this is a big if, the Panthers take care of their own business.
Welcome WhalePanther! That was a terrific read and you certainly seem to have plenty of knowledge on the sport and the team to fit right in here. It's always great to get new people on here If there's any other lurkers, make an account and join us!
Thanks everybody for the nice welcome and my own thread ATF. Hoping as we all are that the Panthers give us some playoff hockey. It's been a LONG time since any team I have rooted for has done that. I remember going to the Mosaleum (sp) on the Island back in the mid 90's when the Isles had that miracle run one year (1993 maybe)and saw the game where Dale Hunter while playing for the Caps almost ended Pierre Turgeon's career with his cheap shot. My next door neighbor in the off season was Ed Tyburski who was the Islanders trainer and he would get me and buddies tickets to the Isles games alot. Other then that I attended maybe a handful of Whaler/Bruin playoff games in the late 80's/early 90's amd that never turned out well.
Thanks everybody for the nice welcome and my own thread ATF. Hoping as we all are that the Panthers give us some playoff hockey. It's been a LONG time since any team I have rooted for has done that. I remember going to the Mosaleum (sp) on the Island back in the mid 90's when the Isles had that miracle run one year (1993 maybe)and saw the game where Dale Hunter while playing for the Caps almost ended Pierre Turgeon's career with his cheap shot. My next door neighbor in the off season was Ed Tyburski who was the Islanders trainer and he would get me and buddies tickets to the Isles games alot. Other then that I attended maybe a handful of Whaler/Bruin playoff games in the late 80's/early 90's amd that never turned out well.
As a ranger fan living in long island in the 80s and 90s, been to the mausoleum many times. And I remember many a cheap shot by dale hunter!
Thanks AG. I always enjoyed going to games on LI. The ranger/isles battles were epic and it was amusing hearing the 1940 chant. I couldn't stand Keenan as most posters on here would agree and it's a shame he had to be the coach that ended the Broadway drought. Loved Mess and your namesake though as well as Leetch and Richter. Those Islander teams were scrappy though and gave them all they could with Healy standing on his head. Bet you enjoyed serenading the Isles fans with 1982 chants now though.
I sure wish I was for many reasons. Kevin still bleeds green. You tube him addressing the crowd at the Whalers last game. Still gives me chills 15 years later. And yes for the record Im still bitter about losing the Whalers. Pony Tail Pete can (fill in the blank with many terrible things). Kevin and Annie did alot for kids with cancer back in Connecticut (probably helps that Annie is from CT) and is a true role model to kids. Obviously I have nothing but love for the man but I am not Captain Clutch.
If there's any other lurkers, make an account and join us!
