Confirmed with Link: Florida Panthers to host the 2021 NHL ALL-STAR GAME.. erm, make that 2023

[PanthersHockey1]

However, unlike the Heat, the team is not located in Miami!

Not if Brightline builds a station along the treasure coast. Imagine going door to door without having to deal with any traffic.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Apparently they found another magazine to put into OJ's display case.

 

[ProjectPanthers]

Those pink Heat jerseys are atrocious

Yah but the black ones are top 3 NBA Jersey of all time don't @ me

 

[Chaos2k7]

Yah but the black ones are top 3 NBA Jersey of all time don't @ me

All time?

Not really IMO

 

[StrangeVision]

Cool news, went to the one in 2003, definitely going to try to attend this one.

off-topic but i attended a heat game for the first time when down for the holidays and it really underscored how much of a mistake the panthers made with the location selection for their arena.

the panthers should be playing at AA. or in FLL.

Here are some posts I've made on the subject:

Why doesn’t it work in Miami?
Why doesn’t it work in Miami?
Why doesn’t it work in Miami?

And that's purely population, ignoring any demographics.

 

[Bag Of Beans]

 

[zeroG]

Cool news, went to the one in 2003, definitely going to try to attend this one.



Here are some posts I've made on the subject:

Why doesn’t it work in Miami?
Why doesn’t it work in Miami?
Why doesn’t it work in Miami?

And that's purely population, ignoring any demographics.

hmm...

well, i attended games in the old miami arena. guess what? it worked. very well.

also, i was responding to a post that suggested either miami or FLL and if i didn't say so explicitly, either would be acceptable.

but the primary argument about locating an arena strategically at the center of all potential customers with great highway access is that you end up with BB&T - a dud of an experience that contributes much less to the surrounding businesses and community.

regarding contributions - after the heat game, the bars around the arena were full. shops at bayside were packed. in sunrise, i would guess that 95% or more get right in their car and drive home.

also important is the experience, which at BB&T is, in my opinion poor. part of that is the game day production but a big part is just the experience of driving into the middle of nowhere to get to the arena. the patios at AAA looking out toward the causeway and water are really nice. walking out of the arena and being able to rub elbows with other fans as you head to a bar for a night cap or a meal can be a big part of night. or swap it around and imagine the scene before games.

it's just not, in my opinion again, a very enjoyable or memorable experience. i hit the AAA and BB&T for heat/panther games on back to back nights and the difference was stark. i wouldn't say i'm an expert in the field but i have been to many NHL and AHL arenas so i have some basis for comparison, subjective as it is.

 

[PSLguy]

hmm...

regarding contributions - after the heat game, the bars around the arena were full. shops at bayside were packed. in sunrise, i would guess that 95% or more get right in their car and drive home.

As a law enforcement officer the above bolded for me is a scary proposition. Seeing fans downing multiple beers on the jumbo Tron during the game and the seeing bars full after the game would make for some dangerous drivers on the road.

You can't honestly tell me that having hard full after the game doesn't increase impaired drivers on the roadways.

 

[StrangeVision]

hmm...

well, i attended games in the old miami arena. guess what? it worked. very well.

Me too, BB&t works for me on a level that isn't even comparable to the old Miami Arena location.

also, i was responding to a post that suggested either miami or FLL and if i didn't say so explicitly, either would be acceptable.

but the primary argument about locating an arena strategically at the center of all potential customers with great highway access is that you end up with BB&T - a dud of an experience that contributes much less to the surrounding businesses and community.

But it's very easy to get to by car, and for a region that almost exclusively drives cars, that is important.

regarding contributions - after the heat game, the bars around the arena were full. shops at bayside were packed. in sunrise, i would guess that 95% or more get right in their car and drive home.

also important is the experience, which at BB&T is, in my opinion poor. part of that is the game day production but a big part is just the experience of driving into the middle of nowhere to get to the arena. the patios at AAA looking out toward the causeway and water are really nice. walking out of the arena and being able to rub elbows with other fans as you head to a bar for a night cap or a meal can be a big part of night. or swap it around and imagine the scene before games.

it's just not, in my opinion again, a very enjoyable or memorable experience. i hit the AAA and BB&T for heat/panther games on back to back nights and the difference was stark. i wouldn't say i'm an expert in the field but i have been to many NHL and AHL arenas so i have some basis for comparison, subjective as it is.

I've been to many arenas too, and the ease with which I can get to the BB&T Center makes up for other shortcomings. An arena in Miami would mean I would go to maybe one game a year from where I'm located. The fact that damn near everyone in South Florida drives means post-game entertainment options are perfectly accessible.

Sawgrass puts it in as neutral a location it can for traffic from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and WPB.

Here's a current map of the traffic in South Florida:

Miami is a no go, just no. Ever. FLL is actually pretty interesting, but where is the land to put an arena near downtown FLL.

 

[Drugs Delaney]

The All-Star Game in 03' was one of the funnest things I've attended as a sports fan. I HIGHLY recommend it to any hockey fans. The fans were great!

 

[PSLguy]

Florida Panthers, South Florida to Host 2021 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend
Florida Panthers, South Florida to Host 2021 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend

 

[PSLguy]

Barky and his pal Patrick Laine missing the Skills Comp to go to a Heat game!

 

[Boothinator]

 

[RogerRoger]

I want the NHL to come up with a Rat based skill competition.
It's a stupid idea, but using some of the hosting team.s tradition would be neat imo.

 

[pantherbot]

I want the NHL to come up with a Rat based skill competition.
It's a stupid idea, but using some of the hosting team.s tradition would be neat imo.

This is a great idea. The possibilities are endless. I'm picturing a free for all contest with say 10 guys and 20 rats running around on the ice. Whoever sends the most rats to rat heaven via their sticks ala Mellanby wins the competition. Or put a bunch of gators on the ice in the place of pylons for a stick handling competition. Imagine the publicity! I'm sure we could also come up with something to do with rockets.

 

[PanthersHockey1]

Me too, BB&t works for me on a level that isn't even comparable to the old Miami Arena location.



But it's very easy to get to by car, and for a region that almost exclusively drives cars, that is important.



I've been to many arenas too, and the ease with which I can get to the BB&T Center makes up for other shortcomings. An arena in Miami would mean I would go to maybe one game a year from where I'm located. The fact that damn near everyone in South Florida drives means post-game entertainment options are perfectly accessible.

Sawgrass puts it in as neutral a location it can for traffic from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and WPB.

Here's a current map of the traffic in South Florida:

Miami is a no go, just no. Ever. FLL is actually pretty interesting, but where is the land to put an arena near downtown FLL.

I took the brightline from FLL to MIA for the heat game Friday night. Every seat on the train was taken by young/attrcative fans doing the same. The Florida Panthers would be successful if they were able to build a stadium in Downtown Fort Lauderdale that becomes a scene with young people and offers accessibility to brightline which will have direct access to fans in West Palm, Miami and soon Boca and Aventura.

They need to do everything in their power to find the land necessary to build a stadium there. The one place to do it is right next to the new practice facility on Sunrise and US-1.

 

[StrangeVision]

I took the brightline from FLL to MIA for the heat game Friday night. Every seat on the train was taken by young/attrcative fans doing the same. The Florida Panthers would be successful if they were able to build a stadium in Downtown Fort Lauderdale that becomes a scene with young people and offers accessibility to brightline which will have direct access to fans in West Palm, Miami and soon Boca and Aventura.

They need to do everything in their power to find the land necessary to build a stadium there. The one place to do it is right next to the new practice facility on Sunrise and US-1.

Brightline is the only reason an arena wouldn't be bad in FLL, but again where is this land in downtown FLL? The only way to fit an arena down there would be to put together an assemblage and tear down a bunch of stuff, which is doable, but at what cost and are the right properties available? Keep in mind as well that the arena would have to be in relatively close proximity to Brightline.

To show the amount of space you need, here is a satellite image of the BB&T center and of the War Memorial Auditorium:

Both images are the same scale on Google Maps. Now, you wouldn't need a parking lot like that in downtown FLL, but they'd surely need to provide some additional parking to accommodate the arena.

The bottom line is if they don't keep winning they won't get fans, if they win they'll bring in people to watch. And with regards to a Heat vs Panthers comparison, in addition to the demographic differences between sports, the Heat actually have a history, they have a legacy, they've won. The Panthers ain't got jack shit for history, we like to pretend we do sometimes but it is very sparse. I truly believe that if this team has some real success, not a fluky playoff appearance, but if they look like a team that can win a cup they're going to fill the arena, easily.

Take a look at Heat attendance before 2005, before Shaq came on board. And then watch it drop back off once they stopped winning for a few years until 2011, when they started winning again, and it's been good since then.

You can put an arena in the best place in the world, but if the team occupying that arena doesn't win, it ain't gonna fill up.

 

[iam76]

So hes gonna do military themed unis right.. vinnie?

 

[RogerRoger]

This is a great idea. The possibilities are endless. I'm picturing a free for all contest with say 10 guys and 20 rats running around on the ice. Whoever sends the most rats to rat heaven via their sticks ala Mellanby wins the competition. Or put a bunch of gators on the ice in the place of pylons for a stick handling competition. Imagine the publicity! I'm sure we could also come up with something to do with rockets.

Rockets on the rats and gators or don't even bother with an All-Star game.

 

[Drugs Delaney]

As a law enforcement officer the above bolded for me is a scary proposition. Seeing fans downing multiple beers on the jumbo Tron during the game and the seeing bars full after the game would make for some dangerous drivers on the road.

You can't honestly tell me that having hard full after the game doesn't increase impaired drivers on the roadways.

I used to live with three cops. I was surprised to find out that they were actually human beings after the negative impression they left on me as a teen. It also helped that I grew up with them.

 

[BeezKnees]

 

[KW]

I told them I’m buying all the 18,000 tickets but they canned it anyway. Oh well, their loss.

 

[Bag Of Beans]

The problem being that in 2022 is the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. The NHL fully intends to be participating in the Olympics, which would mean no All-Star game.

So does Florida gets the 2023 All-Star game then?

 

[PSLguy]

 

[SoupyFIN]

I understand the league preferring Vegas for the first ASG post pandemic (knock on wood), players are more likely to be interested taking part when it's there, especially if Olympics is a no-go.

However, they should've announced this at the same time as the Vegas news. It leaves the fans with a feeling that someone realised it at the league office after a couple days and the 70 missed calls from Viola.