In case you weren't aware, Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon qualified for starter status in this weekend's U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, WA. His tee-off times and grouping for Thursday and Friday:

• 9:15 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. -- Dale Tallon, Lake Forest, Ill.; A-Scott Sullivan, Grand Junction, Colo.; Steve Krause, Hales Corners, Wis.

And yes, we said "U.S. Senior Open", which may differ from the Waterbury Open in several key aspects. Inject obvious and overused Shooter McGavin line here. Then again, at least Happy had a Whalers banner in his bedroom. But come to think of it, Gilmour had nothing on this.

For the uninitiated, this is considered a Big Deal. Featuring golf legends such as Mark Calcavecchia, Paul Azinger, Fred Couples, and Tom Watson - among many, many others - Dale has the opportunity of a lifetime; a fantasy camp, where the putts count, in the real world. Very cool.

And to you haters out there crying about the Cats' GM prancing around a golf course for less than a week - in the absolute dead of summer - when he should be aggressively pursuing overpriced UFA deadwood which doesn't fit The Plan: he's entitled to a life, so enjoy the weekend. Let the Rangers have their delusions.

Rounds three and four will be televised by NBC Sports on Saturday and Sunday from 4-7pm ET. If you never gave a hoot about golf (these are the FLORIDA Panthers, yes?), here's your excuse to become a fan for several days; the folks here can help you along as well. Besides, when's the last time a Panther received national exposure on a Big Three network? Other than this guy, of course. Soak it up and savor what may be a pretty sweet few days.

Tallon had previously won the Canadian Junior Golf Championship in '69 but (thankfully) stuck to pucks, becoming Vancouver's first-ever draft pick in 1970.

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