Can someone give me a history of the owners?

[Little Bobby Boo]

So I've been a cats fan since I was 5, born in Ontario, Canada. I could never really follow them other than watching TSN hilights because I could not stream games as a child or teenager. I moved to school a few years back and basically have not missed a game since but I've never known anything other than Tallon, Viola, Cifu and that Yormack guy with the boots (he's gone now?). I know we haven't drafted well until Tallon came on and I was wondering who past owners were, what they promised us and failed to deliver on, why the arena is in Sunrise, and just things about why this is the first time we've had legit owners.

If anyone takes the time to answer I appreciate it.

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[Erased]

Started with Huizenga, there isn't much to be said about him that already hasn't been said in 1000 biographies. He sold the team in 2001 to Alan Cohen, who never gave a **** about the Panthers, he only wanted the arena for concerts and is largely responsible for the last 14 years of misery. Cohen's cheapness was 2nd only to Dollar Bill Wirtz, even going as far as nixing a trade for Jumbo Joe, forcing Keenan to take the cheaper option of Told Bertuzzi (and we all know how that worked out). Cohen decided to cut ties with the team in 2011-2012?(may be off by a year) and dumped the organization onto then minority owner Cliff Viner. Unforunately Viner has nowhere near the amount of money required to run a major sports team long term. He was however, able to keep the team together long enough to facilitate the sale to Viola and Cifu. Without Viner, Cohen probably would've sold the team to someone from Quebec. Now we are with our current, and one way or another, last owners who will either be the saviors we have waited so long for, or the last guys to bother trying.

 

[Egblad]

I still can't believe we could have had Joe Thornton.

 

[harv33173]

i met cohen at a practice. and he promised me that he would get us to win the cup! he really wanted to win, but got too involved in the day to day things and didn't spend much money. he was too involved in trade decisions and player decisions. i believe he thought he was doing this for the good of the team, but he played favorites and wasn't knowledgeable enough to make the proper decisions. he changed coaches and management constantly and imo, his major downfall was his unfaltering faith in mike keenan, who i believe set the franchise back more than 5 years with his poor player decisions, trades and drafting. i personally told cohen at that practice that his faith in keenan was like being in bed with a snake and that one day he'd turn around and bite him. of course he disagreed. all in all i believe he meant well, but was naive and misguided.

 

[Erased]

i met cohen at a practice. and he promised me that he would get us to win the cup! he really wanted to win, but got too involved in the day to day things and didn't spend much money. he was too involved in trade decisions and player decisions. i believe he thought he was doing this for the good of the team, but he played favorites and wasn't knowledgeable enough to make the proper decisions. he changed coaches and management constantly and imo, his major downfall was his unfaltering faith in mike keenan, who i believe set the franchise back more than 5 years with his poor player decisions, trades and drafting. i personally told cohen at that practice that his faith in keenan was like being in bed with a snake and that one day he'd turn around and bite him. of course he disagreed. all in all i believe he meant well, but was naive and misguided.

Winning and forcing trades of star players because you don't want to pony up the money those players deserve are 2 mutually exclusive things.

There is no argument you can make that will make picking Bertuzzi over Thornton sound like it was for "the good of the team". Especially when the answer Keenan received when he brought the Thornton offer to Cohen was "No, we don’t wanna take that contract on either"

 

[harv33173]

Winning and forcing trades of star players because you don't want to pony up the money those players deserve are 2 mutually exclusive things.

There is no argument you can make that will make picking Bertuzzi over Thornton sound like it was for "the good of the team". Especially when the answer Keenan received when he brought the Thornton offer to Cohen was "No, we don’t wanna take that contract on either"

obviously cohen didn't want to spend money, but imo the bertuzzi trade was due to the fact that luongo wouldn't sign with the cats and wanted a trade mostly due to his poor relationship with keenan. i really don't know about the thorton deal, but roberto forced their hand and keenan loved bertuzzi. so maybe you can enlighten me on what the thornton deal would have encompassed. i always thought that the bertuzzi deal was brought on by roberto's demands and keenans haphazard management of assets and love of certain players.

 

[Erased]

obviously cohen didn't want to spend money, but imo the bertuzzi trade was due to the fact that luongo wouldn't sign with the cats and wanted a trade mostly due to his poor relationship with keenan. i really don't know about the thorton deal, but roberto forced their hand and keenan loved bertuzzi. so maybe you can enlighten me on what the thornton deal would have encompassed. i always thought that the bertuzzi deal was brought on by roberto's demands and keenans haphazard management of assets and love of certain players.

Here is an article on the interview as well as the M&W interview itself(at 52:00). Luongo for Thornton 1 for 1 was a done deal before Cohen decided he didn't want to pay for good players. Keenan also mentioned in the M&W podcast that he had a done deal Pronger as well before Cohen nixed it.

 

[Android 16]

Here is an article on the interview as well as the M&W interview itself(at 52:00). Luongo for Thornton 1 for 1 was a done deal before Cohen decided he didn't want to pay for good players. Keenan also mentioned in the M&W podcast that he had a done deal Pronger as well before Cohen nixed it.

Absolutely sickening.

 

[harv33173]

Here is an article on the interview as well as the M&W interview itself(at 52:00). Luongo for Thornton 1 for 1 was a done deal before Cohen decided he didn't want to pay for good players. Keenan also mentioned in the M&W podcast that he had a done deal Pronger as well before Cohen nixed it.

thanks, read the article. something i didn't know. do you think that this is absolutely creditable? i know bertuzzi was keenan's man.

 

[Erased]

thanks, read the article. something i didn't know. do you think that this is absolutely creditable? i know bertuzzi was keenan's man.

I mean Keenan said it on live television. You really can't get more verified than that.

 

[harv33173]

I mean Keenan said it on live television. You really can't get more verified than that.

i know. i just don't trust keenan at all and feel that he'd do what ever he could to make himself look good. that's just me. thanks for the info. as i said i never heard this before. your the man!

 

[Erased]

i know. i just don't trust keenan at all and feel that he'd do what ever he could to make himself look good. that's just me. thanks for the info. as i said i never heard this before. your the man!

You do have a good point there. Someone should have Mike O'connell verify for us.

 

[Android 16]

The history of our owners summed up in one vid:

 

[Aksu]

The history of our owners summed up in one vid:

I laughed my ass off, and then I cried when I realized that it is real and it is our team..

 

[Android 16]

I laughed my ass off, and then I cried when I realized that it is real and it is our team..

I don't include Dale's regime in that group or anyone part of the personnel that helped build our 1996 SC finalist team. But absolutely everything in between was feces. Glad we don't do confetti or logos on urinal cakes anymore.