News from September 2001

DALLAS -- Being late is the South Florida way and so it was for newly signed right wing Valeri Bure and his Panthers teammates throughout Thursday.

Bure came into training camp eight days late after agreeing to terms on a three-year contract with the Panthers late Wednesday night. He skated with the team Thursday morning, then the entire club bunch was late to Dallas when its Miami Air charter flight was delayed at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport.

After a police escort from Love Field through the end of rush hour day's game started a half-hour late, at 8:08 p.m.

The Panthers had to wait on the plane in Florida from 2 p.m. to 4:35 p.m. while technicians replaced a starter on one of the engines.

``As I told one of the people who was [complaining], `How would you like to find you've got a problem in the engine at 40,000 feet?' '' Panthers president and general manager Bill Torrey said.

Despite the travel difficulties, Torrey was in a jaunty mood Thursday night, as was Bure.

Asked how much his contract was worth, Bure laughed.

``I just wanted to make sure they didn't pay me in rubles,'' he said.

It will be dollars and quite a few, even if the whole contract might not equal the $10 million older brother Pavel will receive this season.

Negotiations started late because Mike Gillis, agent for both Bures, had several other clients involved in this summer's festival of arbitration hearings. Once negotiations began, the Bure side argued in the $3.5 million per year range and the Panthers made a case for around $2.5 million.

``Obviously, he had strong feelings,'' Torrey said. ``If he plays with the same determination that he negotiates, we'll be the beneficiaries.''

``It's been a long time from the time I was traded [Jun. 23] to the time I signed the contract,'' Valeri Bure said. ``It seemed like forever. It's part of the business, but it's a tough part.''

During negotiations, Valeri Bure flew back to Los Angeles to be with his two children and wife, actress Candace Cameron, who is expecting their third child. All of them came to Florida with Valeri to their new Broward County home.

Pavel was already a star when Valeri began lighting up junior goalies for the Western Hockey League's Spokane Chiefs. But Valeri's career didn't take off until a February 1998 trade from Montreal to Calgary. In his three full seasons with the Flames, Valeri had 88 goals and 95 assists for 183 points in 240 games.

In some areas on the ice -- speed, scorer's hands, creativity -- Valeri is a slightly lesser version of Pavel. Both are small with powerful legs that give them a quick burst as they almost run on their skates.

Valeri makes use of his teammates more than his brother. When both of them are on the ice -- likely only during four-on-fours and power plays because of their size -- Valeri figures to be the server for Pavel's shots.

``It'll be cool,'' Valeri said. ``To get some time together will be exciting. They don't want me to change in any way. They like the way I skate, the way I handle the puck, the way I shoot, the way I go to the net and score goals. That's why they got me, so I'm not going to change my style.''

Torrey said he thought the Panthers' power play has been too predictable over the past two seasons. Translation: the Panthers would insist on forcing the power play to Pavel.

``[Valeri] adds more speed and quickness,'' Torrey said. ``He's a very intelligent player. I think he'll be a major addition to our power play, no matter who he plays with. He's as creative as anybody can be on the power play.''

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Quickly, V. Bure in the fold
by Michael Russo - - Sun-Sentinel
September 21, 2001

DALLAS · Like he can so often do on the ice, right wing Valeri Bure moved at an awfully quick pace and got a lot done Thursday.

By midnight Wednesday, Bure officially became a Panther, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal, $8.6 million deal. By 7:30 a.m. Thursday, he passed his physical. By 11 a.m., he practiced with his new teammates for the first time.

He was in Dallas by 8 p.m. to watch his new team, including his brother, Pavel, play an exhibition game against the Stars. The game was delayed 40 minutes because the Panthers left Florida 21/2 hours late after mechanical problems on their plane.

Bure, the Russian Pocket Rocket, pocketed a large sum of money in the process. Bure, who made $1.175 million last season, will make $2.6 million this season, $2.9 million next season and $3.1 million in 2003-04.

"I just wanted to make sure they didn't pay me in rubles," an ecstatic Bure kidded Thursday night, eight days after the Panthers opened training camp. "I don't know how people sit a month. To sit out at home knowing everybody was playing, I was going crazy already. It seems like forever since the [June 23] trade to when I signed."

Bure, 27, will slip on a Panthers' jersey for the first time Wednesday night in Grand Rapids, Mich., against the Ottawa Senators. He's expected to wear No. 20, the first player since former captain Brian Skrudland to wear the number.

The negotiations were long and tedious, and the Panthers stuck to their wish of signing a long-term deal.

"We discussed short term, middle term, long term and any term," Panthers GM Bill Torrey said. "I can't speak for his side, but dollars sometimes take precedent over term. He had strong feelings and so did we. I told him if he plays with the same determination as he negotiated, we'll be the beneficiary."

Bure has proven that he can be a dominant force in the NHL, setting personal highs of 35 goals and 75 points two seasons ago. That same year, he combined with Pavel to score 93 goals, the most by a brother combination in NHL history. The two also combined for six points in the 2000 All-Star Game, also the most by a brother combination.

Even last season, when he felt unwanted in Calgary and struggled because of it, Bure scored 27 goals and 55 points. Sixteen of his goals came on the power play, tied for ninth in the NHL.

"He brings more speed and quickness to our lineup and he's a very intelligent player," Torrey said. "But the major addition will come on our power play, whether he plays up front or on the point. He's as creative as anybody can be on the power play, and I've thought our power play has been pretty predictable and easily defended against the last few years."

Ironically, that's because the Panthers became a one-man unit on the power play with basically a "Pass-the-Puck-to-Pavel" system. Pavel has scored 30 power-play goals in two years, and Valeri gives the Panthers a new threat.

Even though the plan is for Valeri to play most of his even-strength shifts on the second line, he will see a lot of power-play time with his brother.

"It'll be cool," Valeri said. "To get some time together I think will be exciting. ... They don't want me to change in any way. They like the way I skate, the way I handle the puck, the way I shoot, the way I go to the net and score goals. That's why they got me, so I'm not going to change my style."

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Boston 4, Florida 0
- - Florida Panthers
September 21, 2001

The Panthers fell to 1-3 on the preseason with a 4-0 loss to Boston at the FleetCenter on Friday night. The shutout at the hands of Bruins goaltenders Byron Dafoe (first two periods) and Andrew Raycroft gives the Cats just four goals in their last three games. Florida, playing without Pavel or Valeri Bure, Bill Lindsay, Viktor Kozlov and many other regulars, mustered only 13 shots on the Boston net.

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Dallas 4, Florida 2
- - Florida Panthers
September 20, 2001

The Dallas Stars snapped a 2-2 third-period tie with a pair of goals, beating the Florida Panthers 4-2 at American Airlines Arena. It was Florida's second loss in as many nights.

Special teams were the story of the evening. Dallas scored on three of its nine power plays, while the Panthers notched both goals with the man advantage in six attempts. Joe Nieuwendyk scored the third power-play goal of the night for Dallas with 11:41 remaining in regulation to lift the Stars to a 3-2 lead. Sergei Zubov and Pat Verbeek assisted on the goal - Nieuwendyk's first of the preseason and the eventual game winner. Jim Montgomery later added an even-strength goal from Niko Kapanen and Benoit Hogue to provide insurance with 7:25 to play. It was the game's only goal at even strength.

Center Viktor Kozlov had tied the game for Florida at 2-2 on a power-play goal 5:20 into the third period. Defenseman Bret Hedican assisted. It was the first preseason point for both players this season.

Dallas drew first blood, capitalizing on a power play, as Donald Audette scored on assists from Greg Hawgood and Brad Lukowich at 2:39. Florida evened the score with a power-play tally of its own, just less than three minutes later, as Brad Ference beat Ed Belfour to tie the score at 1-1. Right wing Pavel Bure and left wing Marcus Nilson assisted on Ference's first of the preseason. The Cats out-shot Dallas 7-3 in the opening period.

Audette added another power-play goal in the second period, from Lukowich and Kapanen at 14:24. The teams combined for 23 second-period shots, with Dallas edging the Panthers 12-11, but Audette's second of the night was the only goal of the frame. Roberto Luongo, seeing his first action in goal of the preseason, left the game after the second period, after stopping 13 of 15 shots. Wade Flaherty defended the Panthers net in the third, stopping nine of 11, but suffering the loss. Belfour made 27 saves on 29 shots for Dallas.

Defenseman Brad Norton had a tough night for the Panthers, taking four minor penalties in the game. After mustering only one shot on goal in the game Wednesday night in Sunrise, Bure celebrated the team's signing of his brother, Valeri, on Thursday, as he fired five shots and notched an assist in the first two periods.

The Panthers almost didn't make it to the game. Mechanical problems with the team's early afternoon chartered flight caused the Panthers to take off more than two hours late. The team arrived in Dallas at 7:00 p.m. and the game - scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. - started at 8:10.

Florida will be back in action tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Boston, playing its fourth game in four nights. There is no local television or radio for tonight's game.

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Sutter upset with Panthers' effort
by David J. Neal - - Miami Herald
September 20, 2001

Left wing Bill Lindsay scored in his first game in a Panthers uniform in more than two years. Florida goalie Trevor Kidd allowed one funky goal, then stopped the next 27 shots in two periods.

Other than that, and two goals by Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour, there wasn't much to recommend in Wednesday's 2-1 Panthers preseason loss to Carolina.

``I could tell even sitting [on the bench] there wasn't much going on tonight,'' Lindsay said. ``I don't think either team played well.''

Pretty, it wasn't, especially from the Panthers' point of view. The National Car Rental Center ice wasn't conducive to deft puck-handling. A Marcus Nilson-Pavel Bure two-on-one was ruined when Nilson had to pull the puck like a parent pulling a tired child through Wal-Mart.

``Our speed wasn't a factor,'' Panthers coach Duane Sutter said. ``On our forecheck, the first guy in didn't get pursuit close to what we had [Tuesday] night. Obviously, we didn't work very hard.''

Carolina played 12 established NHL regulars among its skaters and goalie Tom Barrasso. The Panthers played nine established NHL regulars and Kidd for the first two periods.

Both of the Panthers' 2001 first-round draft picks, center Stephen Weiss and defenseman Lukas Krajicek, saw power-play time. Krajicek played the right point with left wing Kristian Huselius working the left point as he did in Tuesday's preseason opener.

``On the power play, we refused to shoot the puck,'' Sutter said. ``A lot of it is intimidation of the young guys. They're a little awestruck, which is part of the package.''

Weiss also had shifts between right wing Pavel Bure and left wing Marcus Nilson. Huselius spent some of the game in Nilson's usual spot, on the left wing with Bure and center Viktor Kozlov as Sutter tinkered with combinations.

The game's first goal, at 3:57 of the first period, set the tone. Brind'Amour circled the Florida net left to right, then threw the puck toward the slot. The skate of Florida defenseman Paul Laus was in the perfect spot for the puck to carom into the net.

Kidd said he asked Brind'Amour how the puck went in, and the Carolina center said, ``I don't know, either. Maybe it hit your defenseman.''

After that, Kidd made several good saves. In the second, his stop on defenseman Glen Wesley, sneaking in on the backside for a one-timer, seemed to leave Wesley doing a double-take.

The second period ran only 14:25. It ended in a shower of broken glass after Panthers defenseman John Jakopin took Carolina's Brad Defauw into the glass.

The teams were sent to the locker rooms. The remaining 5:35 was played after a 15-minute between-periods break.

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Panthers sign Valeri Bure
"Pocket Rocket" will be on the ice this morning at the National Car Rental Center
- - Florida Panthers
September 20, 2001

Florida Panthers President and General Manager Bill Torrey announced today that the club has signed RW Valeri Bure, known as the Pocket Rocket, to a three-year contract. Terms of the deal were undisclosed. Valeri is the younger brother of the Russian Rocket, Panthers all-star RW Pavel Bure.

Valeri passed a physical exam this morning and will practice for the first time as a Florida Panther at the National Car Rental Center at 10:30 a.m. Panthers that are not playing tonight in Dallas will be on the ice this morning. All players will leave for Dallas this afternoon. The Panthers will travel to Boston tomorrow.

"Obviously, we are extremely pleased that we were able to reach a compromise," said Bill Torrey about the Bure signing. "From the day we made the deal for Valeri we realized that he brought some very important skills to our team. We're excited to have both Bure brothers skating together, but that's not why we made the deal. We signed Valeri because he is an outstanding player; one we are sure the fans of South Florida will enjoy."

Valeri, 27, played in 78 games last season for the Calgary Flames scoring 27 goals and 28 assists (55 points). The native of Moscow, Russia, was acquired by the Panthers with C Jason Wiemer from the Flames in exchange for C Rob Niedermayer and a 2001 second-round draft pick on June 23, 2001. Valeri was the selected 33rd overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.

Valeri has 139 goals and 163 assists (302 points) in seven seasons in the NHL. He set personal highs in games (82), goals (35), assists (40), points (75) and penalty minutes (50) in the 1999-00 season with the Flames.

The Bure brothers played together in the 2000 NHL All-Star game setting a new mark for most points (6) by a brother combination in an All-Star game. Valeri assisted on two of three Pavel's goals in the contest.

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Carolina 2, Florida 1
- - Yahoo.com
September 19, 2001

It took some time for Tom Barrasso to find his way back onto an NHL roster, but he quickly returned to his winning ways.

Barrasso, who ranks 11th all-time in wins, stopped 20 shots as the Carolina Hurricanes held on for a 2-1 exhibition victory over the Florida Panthers.

A winner of two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Barrasso signed as a free agent after sitting out the entire 2000-01 season.

Rod Brind'Amour scored both goals for Carolina. He opened the scoring on the power play at 3:57 of the first period when he poked the rebound of Martin Gelinas' wraparound attempt past former Hurricane Trevor Kidd.

Brind'Amour struck again 32 seconds into the third period by slipping the puck past offseason acquisition Wade Flaherty.

Kidd stopped 27 of 28 shots over the first two periods before Flaherty turned away two of three.

Florida halved the deficit 2:27 into the third period on a goal by free-agent signee Bill Lindsay. An original Panther, Lindsay took a cross-ice pass from fellow newcomer Jason Wiemer and fired a shot over Barrasso's shoulder on the far side.

Two-time goal-scoring champion Pavel Bure made his preseason debut for Florida and logged nearly 22 minutes of ice time but was held scoreless on one shot.

Playing with a watered down lineup, the Panthers took nearly 11 minutes before recording their first shot on goal.

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Bure to play in 2 of 4
by David J. Neal - - Miami Herald
September 18, 2001

Sutter said Bure will play two of the four preseason games this week, meaning two of the three after tonight. Bure isn't scheduled to play tonight in Estero against Carolina.

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Sutter plans on two captains
by By Michael Russo - - Sun-Sentinel
September 18, 2001

Paying a player in his 20s a few million and placing him in range of the South Florida sun and nightlife can often be too much of a distraction.

Coach Duane Sutter says that has been one of the Panthers' biggest obstacles.

So Sutter plans an unusual system that he hopes will increase accountability in the dressing room. Because he believes about 10 players have the leadership qualities to wear the captain's "C" or alternate captain's "A," Sutter is contemplating rotating the captaincy every 10 games between defenseman Paul Laus and right wing Pavel Bure.

He would rotate the two A's among some of the others.

"From a coaching staff you need a lot of self-discipline in the dressing room as far as preparation and discipline away from the rink," Sutter said.

"If somebody is screwing up, it shouldn't always be the coaches going in and straightening things out. If I have a bunch of core guys as captain material, they can address a situation before it even gets to me."

Sutter says he is reacting to problems the club has faced in recent years.

"In this environment," Sutter said, "it's pretty darn easy for guys to get comfortable or to abuse the privilege of being a professional athlete in South Florida. I don't want to leave the rink and not ever sleep because I'm trying to figure out where everybody's at.

"This has been an issue for a while here. If you play horrible one night and you walk out of here after the game, in a minute you've already forgotten about it. And the next day you walk out in a pair of shorts and there are palm trees, sunshine and you're out teeing the ball off.

"You can't do that year-round in Long Island or Buffalo. We've taken a lot of criticism in the past as an organization for moving guys on. But if you know a lot of the inside information, some players were not focusing strictly on business."

Sutter would not say which players he was talking about. But at the time of one trade, a member of the organization said, "The only people that are going to miss him are the bartenders."

At the time of another deal, an insider said, "A few ladies will miss him. That's it."

When the Panthers traded for Jason Wiemer in June, the bruising center mentioned how much he has matured. He indicated that one of his problems early in his career was having too much fun away from the rink in Tampa.

Laus is one whom Sutter expects can deal with this issue.

"We're professionals, no matter where we play," Laus said. "There are distractions, but guys should realize that's what summers are for. We're here to do a job and not here to goof around.

"It's something that's got to be addressed. There are certain times for certain things."

Sutter's plan: When Bure wears the C, Laus won't and vice versa. Two other players will wear the A's.

But those letters are "just material on a shirt," Laus said. "Come games, come practices, I know my role on this team. I'm looked to as a leader. If I'm vocal or have to yell at someone, I know when to do it and I know how to do it."

Sutter considers Colorado's Joe Sakic to be the only perfect, clear-cut captain. Sakic is good in the dressing room, leads by example on and off the ice, always plays hard, supports charities, is an excellent public speaker and is comfortable addressing the media.

Sutter feels he can get that perfect captain by combining Bure and Laus.

"Both have strong points and both have weak points," Sutter said. "They bring different attributes, and by doing this, we should get the strengths of many other players."

Forward Kevyn Adams agrees.

"The biggest pressure you can have is to make sure you're not letting the guy next to you down," he said.

"By watching the '96 team [that went to the Finals] here, it seems guys would do anything they could for each other. That's what we need to build again, and I think we can. There's a core of guys who can create that atmosphere in the locker room."

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Laus, P. Bure may share captaincy
Several to get call to lead Panthers
by David J. Neal - - Miami Herald
September 18, 2001

More than one South Florida young professional with time, money and a bright future has been seduced into gorging himself on the area's assets. What once seemed like Eden becomes the graveyard for a career.

That's part of the reason Panthers coach Duane Sutter wants to use the ``It Takes a Village'' philosophy for team leadership. The captaincy could be shared between defenseman Paul Laus and right wing Pavel Bure. The alternate captains could be rotated among several veterans.

``For a coaching staff, you need a lot of self-discipline in the dressing room, as far as preparation goes, as far as discipline away from the rink goes,'' Sutter said. ``We lay out some closed-door rules. If somebody's screwing up, it shouldn't always be the coaches going in and straightening things out. If I have five or six core guys as a captains group, then they can address a lot of situations before it gets to us. Especially this environment that we're playing in,'' he continued.

``It's pretty darn easy for guys to get comfortable or abuse the privilege of being a professional athlete in South Florida. I don't want to leave the rink and not ever sleep because I'm worrying about where everybody's at.''

An overstatement? Perhaps. Without reason? Well . . .

Former Panthers center Jason Wiemer said the good life in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area drew him and several Tampa Bay Lightning teammates.

Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo bought a house in Coral Springs instead of hipper downtown Fort Lauderdale because he wanted to be away from the hubbub.

``We've taken a lot of criticism as an organization for moving guys on,'' Sutter said. ``On the other hand, when you know the inside information on who's not focusing strictly on business when it's time to, that's why guys get moved.''

After one trade a few years ago, a member of Panthers management said, ``The only people who are mad about this are a few bartenders.''

Sutter said, ``It's quite obvious there's a lot of distractions. You might play horribly one night and walk out after the game, in a minute, you've already forgotten. Or, the next day, you walk out in shorts. There's palm trees, sunshine and you're out teeing the ball off. You don't do that year round in Long Island and Buffalo.''

This wasn't a problem for earlier Panthers teams. That was a married-with-children bunch of NHL veterans that knew how close most of them were to being out of the league. Also, they dealt with any problems in the locker room.

As for the captaincy, Sutter said it's too hard to find a single player to be all the things a captain needs to be -- top player, butt-kicker, counselor to some players, leader in relating to the community and talking to the media. Rotating the ``C'' between Laus and Bure is likely to be Sutter's answer.

``It's just material on the shirt,'' Laus said.

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2001 Training Camp
- - FloridaPanthers.com
September 13, 2001

Practice Schedule:

Please note that each of the following practice sessions are open to the public.

Roster:

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Panthers skate with heavy hearts
Saturday's preseason game nixed
by David J. Neal - - Miami Herald
September 13, 2001

Wednesday's opening of Panthers training camp was supposed to have a bouncy, energetic feel of the new. There were going to be excited fans overflowing the Incredible Ice stands while scouts, new owners Alan Cohen, David Epstein and Bernie Kosar grinned down from the viewing areas above.

Instead, Kosar was on the radio offering season tickets for those who donate blood. Scouts eulogized Los Angeles director of pro scouting Ace Bailey. The fans would have barely filled a minibus. Anticipation about Saturday's preseason opener was replaced by uncertainty about it being played.

It won't be. The NHL announced Wednesday night it had canceled all of Saturday's preseason games and will decide today about Sunday's games. The Panthers were scheduled to play in Dallas on Saturday and against Ottawa in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Sunday.

Wednesday's first official practice became refuge from Tuesday's tragedies.

``It's nice to have something to do -- for us,'' left wing Bill Lindsay said. ``I think everybody's got a heavy heart with them today.''

Each of the two practice sessions began the same way.

``I talked to each group at the start of practice,'' coach Duane Sutter said. ``Obviously, it's been emotional with a lot of people. I just mentioned that I hope it didn't involve any of our immediate families and we all had a moment of silence at center ice.''

Tuesday, there were a couple of tense moments in that regard. Relief overcame Panthers center Kevyn Adams when he found out his father, an American Airlines pilot, was not on either of the American planes hijacked. Kari Lindsay, Bill's wife, was supposed to have flown Tuesday, but the plane was turned back while on the runway in Calgary.

Right wing Pavel Bure, whose personal and business contacts know no borders, said he wasn't sure if he had any friends working in the World Trade Center, but, ``It doesn't matter. Too many people died.

``It makes me sick, what people can do to civilian people,'' Bure said. ``It doesn't matter what country it happens to -- United States, Russia, anywhere in Europe.''

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman often consults with Panthers president and general manager Bill Torrey and talked to him twice Wednesday. Torrey acknowledged there were two schools of thought on playing this weekend.

``There's the thought that, obviously, it's better to bring some normalcy back to our lives and there are those that feel we shouldn't [play],'' Torrey said. ``You're not going to get unanimity. If you took a vote here amongst all of [the media], it probably would be split pretty close. We're no different.''

The Panthers have talked with Dallas and Ottawa about rescheduling the games if they're canceled. The camp schedule, already tight because of the Olympic break, will make that difficult.

That compressed camp schedule pushed the Panthers toward opening training camp Wednesday, as scheduled.

``There's no point in taking the day off, sitting at home and thinking about everything,'' Sutter said. ``Get in to work, get in a group environment try to be as upbeat as we can. Everything that's taking place up in New York will look after itself.''

Sutter was among the many touched by the death of Bailey, who went into scouting after a 10-year career.

With Edmonton in 1978-79 -- the last season for both Bailey and the World Hockey Association's -- Bailey befriended a 17-year-old named Wayne Gretzky.

Gretzky was forever grateful, and his 1991 autobiography called Bailey one of his best friends.

Scout Wayne Meier, who covers Western Canada, has known Bailey personally since Bailey was playing junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the mid-1960s.

``He was a prankster type of person who was the first guy in the crowd you sought out,'' Meier said.

Frequent fliers, like scouts, often like to point out flying is statistically safer than driving. That's especially true in icy Western Canada winters.

``That's what brings it right down to earth, is the danger of the job,'' Meier said. ``We do a lot of driving in winter conditions and you don't think flying is dangerous. Something like this happens, it just scares you a bit.''

Sutter said, ``All kinds of sports scouts, management, coaches, players . . . how much flying do we do every year? It's always something in the back of your mind. Every time you get on a plane you think about it.''

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