Does it help the Panthers if the Lightning win the cup?
- Thread starter UtahPanther
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FlaPnthrsPunk
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I've been thinking about this over the last round and I believe it does. Last night #StanleyCup was trending at #1 in Miami three hours after the game ended. That shows that there ARE hockey fans in South Florida, but the Panthers have not given them much a reason over the last fifteen years to support them.
Casual hockey fans down here that don't adopt the Panthers as their favorite team or even follow them are likely giving more attention to the sport because a Florida team is going to the Cup. Even most Panthers fans were rooting for the Bolts throughout the playoffs as there is no spirited rivalry yet.
I think it's a good thing because even though these casual fans are not becoming Panthers fans exactly, they're watching the games and might want to get more involved in playing hockey. A friend of mine that works at Kohl's said they got a large shipment of Lightning playoff shirts in last week, so the demand is there. As the Panthers are on the rise, if they can make the playoffs next season, the fans who are being introduced to the sport now from the Lightning will start paying attention to us.
The only negative I see if that we'll have many more Lightning fans at our games vs. them down here. Any time a Sunbelt team wins a playoff round, it helps grow the game in non-traditional areas.
I hope the Ducks can knock off the Hawks tonight. However, I'm torn with who to root for if it's Lightning/Ducks in the Cup. I like that Canadian elitists hate it, but the part of me that still isn't too fond of the Bolts to begin with is making gear towards rooting for the Ducks. Despite a Lightning Stanley Cup win being good for hockey in Florida.
Casual hockey fans down here that don't adopt the Panthers as their favorite team or even follow them are likely giving more attention to the sport because a Florida team is going to the Cup. Even most Panthers fans were rooting for the Bolts throughout the playoffs as there is no spirited rivalry yet.
I think it's a good thing because even though these casual fans are not becoming Panthers fans exactly, they're watching the games and might want to get more involved in playing hockey. A friend of mine that works at Kohl's said they got a large shipment of Lightning playoff shirts in last week, so the demand is there. As the Panthers are on the rise, if they can make the playoffs next season, the fans who are being introduced to the sport now from the Lightning will start paying attention to us.
The only negative I see if that we'll have many more Lightning fans at our games vs. them down here. Any time a Sunbelt team wins a playoff round, it helps grow the game in non-traditional areas.
I hope the Ducks can knock off the Hawks tonight. However, I'm torn with who to root for if it's Lightning/Ducks in the Cup. I like that Canadian elitists hate it, but the part of me that still isn't too fond of the Bolts to begin with is making gear towards rooting for the Ducks. Despite a Lightning Stanley Cup win being good for hockey in Florida.
Android 16
Registered User
Help Florida generate interest in hockey? It's likely it would.
Help them have more success? No, it doesn't. In fact, it lowers our chances at qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs if we have to go through the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa owned us last year and the year before last. If they win a cup, it just makes them more confident they can go through us like a hot knife through butter. TB is young as heck and talented as heck. The Rangers aren't as young, but they will still be a tough challenge for anyone next season. Florida shouldn't worry about anybody but themselves. Florida needs to help themselves if they want to get better.
Florida couldn't hang with the best in the East this past season.
Preseason vs TB:
0 wins
2 losses
Outscored 7-1
3-0 L VS TB
4-1 L @ TB
Regular season vs TB:
1 win
3 losses
Outscored 14-9
3-2 OTL @ TB
4-3 W VS TB
4-3 L @ TB
4-0 L VS TB
Regular season vs NYR:
0 wins
3 losses
Outscored 13-6
5-2 L VS NYR
6-3 L @ NYR
2-1 L @ NYR
Help them have more success? No, it doesn't. In fact, it lowers our chances at qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs if we have to go through the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa owned us last year and the year before last. If they win a cup, it just makes them more confident they can go through us like a hot knife through butter. TB is young as heck and talented as heck. The Rangers aren't as young, but they will still be a tough challenge for anyone next season. Florida shouldn't worry about anybody but themselves. Florida needs to help themselves if they want to get better.
Florida couldn't hang with the best in the East this past season.
Preseason vs TB:
0 wins
2 losses
Outscored 7-1
3-0 L VS TB
4-1 L @ TB
Regular season vs TB:
1 win
3 losses
Outscored 14-9
3-2 OTL @ TB
4-3 W VS TB
4-3 L @ TB
4-0 L VS TB
Regular season vs NYR:
0 wins
3 losses
Outscored 13-6
5-2 L VS NYR
6-3 L @ NYR
2-1 L @ NYR
Last edited:
barkovcanfinnish
remember to breathe
Possibly locally. However, from an out-of-state perspective, the Panther's rival team going to the Finals won't help too much. As far as I'm concerned, people outside of Florida aren't going to give the Panthers much respect just because a different team in Florida is going to the Finals/winning the Cup. We're gonna have to show Tampa next year that we can beat them more than they can beat us if we want to gain some attention from them going this far.
SoupyFIN
#OneTerritory
- Nov 7, 2011
- 41,382
- 3,380
Preseason is and always will be, meaningless. Regular season games vs. Bolts were tight and intense games with a lot of emotion. Close games, apart from the last one.
Rangers well, they had our number and only the last game was close (IIRC they scored two fluke goals and Lundqvist stood on his head).
Still against the Eastern Conference champion, that 1-2-1 record is by no means bad, especially since two of those games could have been wins.
FlaPanthers11
Cats Are Coming?
- Aug 30, 2013
- 11,530
- 5,023
Regular season vs ANA:
2 wins
0 losses
Outscored 12-4
6-2 W @ ANA
6-2 W VS ANA
That must not have fit.
Android 16
Registered User
To be fair, Mr. Universe started in net for one of those games. Shaky goaltending aside, we're a decent matchup for the Ducks and I love our chances against them in a series.
But it doesn't matter. We don't need to climb over the Ducks in order to gain a playoff spot. If we must lose games I'd rather it be against Anaheim, than the 7 we play against Tampa and New York. That's 14 points up for grabs and we took a grand total of 3 away from Tampa and New York.
I think that fits.
FlaPanthers11
Cats Are Coming?
- Aug 30, 2013
- 11,530
- 5,023
Non playoff team can't take many points from best teams in conference? Color me shocked. As Soupy said, we played well enough to win in quite a few of those games. We didn't get the bounces. Oh well, it evens out over an 82 game season. We don't need to beat the best teams in the conference to make.the playoffs. Obviously, that's the ultimate goal but not the short term goal in the present.
I am not exposed
Registered User
Android 16
Registered User
I hope you're both right. If we don't get the bounces and everything doesn't even out next year then we'll be sitting here having the same annual "There's always next year" conversation like clock work.
I think it helps. Many northeners don't differentiate between florida locations. I'm rooting for Bolts. Their victory would put pressure on Panthers to improve as well, and create good teams like in CA.
CatscratchFever
#CatsAreComing
I'm with you on this. The answer is no. It hurts the Panthers. If TB is shaping up like I see, it will be similar to the Dolphins having the Patriots in the same division every season, taking a playoff spot away. Nobody cares about about growing hockey, blah blah blah anymore. You have to win..just like Tampa is doing. It's the only thing that really matters.
How any Panther fan can cheer for the Bolts, to win, is beyond me. It makes me want to puke, every time they win a game.
However, the Bolts winning in 04 didn't do much for putting ***** in seats for the Panthers. Ultimately, we have to start winning and making our own playoff runs, to attract more fans. We can't rely on other teams to do it for us.
Though, I do think this upcoming season will be the perfect time for us to turn heads.
However, the Bolts winning in 04 didn't do much for putting ***** in seats for the Panthers. Ultimately, we have to start winning and making our own playoff runs, to attract more fans. We can't rely on other teams to do it for us.
Though, I do think this upcoming season will be the perfect time for us to turn heads.
RogerRoger
Registered User
- Jul 23, 2013
- 5,145
- 2,717
There's no trickle down effect. If the Panthers don't win there won't be more people going to watch the games. Maybe some people will hear about hockey for the first time, but if that's the case, they won't know the panthers exist.
PanthersHockey1
South by Southeast
jol
Registered User
At least Panthers marketing is trying, there was a Panthers season ticket sale commercial during the first game (NBC6) (this is pretty much first time i see them marketing team, at the office we got dirt cheap tickets for some games during the last season).
JOL
Android 16
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