If you stuck with the Caps’ victory in south Florida all the way through the final, shotless frame for the hosts last night, you saw a vast bowl of emptiness surround the ice sheet. It was only moderately filled two hours earlier. Seated invisibily down low were the ghosts of Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen; soon, Jay Boumeester will join them. Soon, it seems, the Panthers’ organization will be reside in south Florida as mere ghosts.
Good.
While some Caps’ fans last night watched the action from Sunrise with white knuckles, after Monday night’s purported skyfalling, I watched the sun set on hockey in South Florida and the Caps play well in what was for them a meaningless hockey game.
The Caps are playing out the regular season string these days, alternately slacking off in short stretches and snuffing out desperate and talented foes in others, all the while trying to stay healthy for the season that counts. But the game last night was anything but meaningless for the Panthers — they were just one point out of the 8th spot in the East. They were well rested, having not played since Saturday, while the Caps had labored most unsuccessfully against Kari Lehtonen in Atlanta on Monday. In the final dozen games of the NHL regular season, with five teams in a mad scramble for spots six, seven, and eight in the East, you have win when you’re hosting as the ‘Cats were last night.
That they were in the role of hosts would have been news, apparently, to much of south Florida’s sports’ fans. For the arrival of the world’s greatest hockey player and one of the NHL’s most exciting teams, in a huge game, fewer than 15,000 could be bothered to show up. This for one the league’s more impressive teams since January 1 (18-9-5 prior to last night). And spare me any St. Paddy’s holiday argument — Cinco de Mayo is far more important in the region these days than March 17. The rest of the league had no trouble filling seats last night.
As the seconds wound down in a virtually empty lower bowl in Sunset Sunrise last night I couldn’t help but sense that we were witnessing one of Jay Boumeester’s final home games in a thoroughly indifferent to hockey market.
Or perhaps it’s not indifference among Sunshine State hockey lovers but discerning eyes that have hollowed out home games in greater Miami. Perhaps they took stock of the return for Roberto Luongo (he’s played rather well since leaving the Panther franchise): a washed up Todd Bertuzzi, a serviceable Bryan Allen, and ho-him Alex Auld. They say the team that gets the best player in a multi-player swap wins the trade. Who won that one?
And more recently captain Olli Jokinen was swept out for another strikingly underwhelming package: Nick Boynton (real popular in the Cats’ room these days) and Keith Ballard. And so perhaps this season ‘Cats’ fans paid particular attention to the bargaining position of team Boumeester, watched Cats’ management allow the trade deadline to pass inactive, and simply know that one of the best defensemen in the world, in his middle twenties, will depart for greener, more passionate pastures while his drafting club receives a second round pick in return.
Technically, the Panthers remain very much in the hunt for the postseason — they remain one single point out of the eighth spot. But key cog Nathan Horton is shelved for the remainder of the regular season, Bryan Allen is gone until next season, and the teams the ‘Cats are chasing — Montreal, the Rags, Carolina — all improved themselves with trades in the last month. Losers of four straight, they’re not a smart wager for the postseason right now. This would be the eighth consecutive season they’ve failed to qualify for the postseason. And then they’ll watch their best player walk this summer. How’d you like to work in ticket sales for the team then?
In all likelihood, Florida will compete again in the Southeast next season, but would you really want to wager on them being there in 2012-13? Florida hockey fans most nights half-filled the stands for a fine team this season — what will the gate look like for the team sans Boumeester next season?
But Boumeester’s inevitable departure sounds an even more troubling siren: when a player among the best in the world at his position says his interest in uprooting the only NHL organization he’s known is predicated as much on the market as his desire for great compensation, what signal is sent to the rest of the league’s free agents?
The Capitals actually won more than a hockey game in South Florida last night — they thrust a fresh stake in a lifeless-as-a-vampire market in the Southeast. The Florida Panthers’ eventual, inevitable departure to another market is the first domino that must fall to collapse the sorry Southeast division. That, moreso than last night’s victory, is what Capitals’ fans should celebrate most this morning.
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I really don’t have a problem with Florida holding on to Boumeester at the deadline… If he goes, so do their chances at a playoff spot.
I wouldn’t write them off just yet. We had lean years here in D.C. while the Caps weren’t very good, and this is the first season in a while Florida’s had serious playoff chances. Though I seem to remember they like to fake it enough in the lats couple months of the season to almost get there and them miss out, but I don’t know. Only time will tell.
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw pucks. We are enjoying packed arenas and increased fan interest now days, but go back as short of a time as a year and a half ago and we were in much the same situation. A half empty Phone Booth despite having the most exciting player in the league.
Everyone laughed at Boynton and Ballard for Jokinen, but the Cats are laughing now. Phoenix got nothing close to that in return for him at the deadline, the Cats got rid of a locker room cancer, and they got the best player in the trade (Ballard) in return.
Now they’re just hurting because Martin couldn’t shore up the offense this deadline. It’s too bad for them, losing Horton may have been a deathblow.
Actually, even when the Caps were lousy, we drew a good 10,000 per night. Compare that to the infamous crowds of 5,000 or fewer at Canes games just a few years back or the complete lack of interest in South Florida. DC might not be a Hockey Town, but the core Caps fanbase has been sturdy even in the roughest of times.
Where this article goes a little askew is on the Jokinen trade. Ballard was a great pick-up and Jokinen, as someone has already pointed out, has already moved on from Phoenix.
Ballard as great value for first-liner and captain Jokinen? Really? Small wonder we don’t have NHL GMs among respondents to this file.
And the Luongo deal?
Actually, even when the Caps were lousy, we drew a good 10,000 per night. Compare that to the infamous crowds of 5,000 or fewer at Canes games just a few years back or the complete lack of interest in South Florida.
What last few years are those? The ‘Canes have only drawn fewer than 15,000 fans once in the last seven seasons. The only time their attendance was really bad was when they were in no man’s land in Greensboro while they were waiting for their arena to be ready in Raleigh.
Carolina has had terrific attendance ever since the move, and Tampa has even through the bad hockey of the past couple of seasons. Note that both SE franchises have won relatively recent Cups. And still the division sucks.
I seem to remember the Luongo deal only went down because Roberto straight up demanded a trade… Something about him hating Mike Keenan (and god knows enough people have hated that guy over the years) or Keenan traded him because he was bitter about some sort of internal power struggle thing? I could be way off-base here, but I’m pretty sure it has something to do with Mike Keenan.
As far as the Southeast sucking goes, I really don’t think that’s fair anymore. The Caps, of course, now appear to be a powerhouse, and Florida and Carolina are both right up in the playoff hunt (albeit for an 8th seed, but hey, right now there are just as many SE teams in the top8 as NE…)
And Tampa Bay, well, it’s just a circus down there. Those guys are like Peter Angelos on drugs. And insane.
Not cool. At all. Hockey fans should never feel pride at the fact that a franchise is in danger. Unless of course it’s the Penguins or Flyers. Then all bets are off.
Agreed. Granted, I wasn’t around in the late 70s/early 80s, but from what I’ve heard, the Caps were on the verge of moving/contraction at one point.
No matter what the attendance figures may look like, there are always diehard fans that would be heartbroken to see their team move.
You’re severely underrating Ballard, or overrating Jokinen. He’s a stud, plain and simple. He could be the guy that’ll make losing Bouwmeester survivable. To get him (plus a depth guy in Boyton and a pick) for the locker room cancer who wanted out was not a bad deal at all. The best possible return? Maybe not. I can almost guarantee you the Yotes would take it back in an instant if they could, though, especially given the paltry return they recieved this past deadline.
As for the Luongo deal, yeah that was bad. That wasn’t on Martin though so what can you say?
I will say it again. Judge this franchise when it’s winning…consistently. Don’t judge it so harshly at the moment. Florida is attempting to awaken from a nearly decade-long slumber of hockey irrelevancy. Only now do more fans seem to be coming out because the team is finally giving them a reason to show up.
Sure, the arena still isn’t full, but I’ve noticed more folks in the seats as compared to earlier in the season. I know, I know, maybe I’m a sucker. But I was a Hanlon’s last game as coach, and there couldn’t have been more than 8k people at Verizon. I knew then that DC was a decent market for hockey. I hope the same for Florida.
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