On the Prowl: Panthers Wednesday Links & Open Thread

Welcome to On the Prowl, a collection of links compiled by LBC and published each Wednesday and Sunday to stories pertaining to the Florida Panthers, their affiliates, and the National Hockey League. Have at it after the jump...

LBC Notes

• We are excited and extremely pleased to announce our humble site having reached the 1,000,000 page-view milestone just this morning. Attaining this level has taken far more than (several hundred) game threads and link dumps: it's been a labor of love and common bond to a certain hockey club for all involved. You - community members and lurkers alike - have brought us here, and we are forever at your service. Stick around; as Johnny said to me several days ago: the next million - aided by a competitive Panthers squad - should be even better. Thank you all!
• We're creeping ever closer to Rookie Camp; that said demand is building again for tickets to the LBC Opening Night fest at the BAC. Get off that fence and join us.
• In case you hadn't yet stumbled across it, Ryan recently compiled a superb list of FAQs on advanced statistics (Corsi, Fenwick, etc.); definitely worth familiarizing yourself.

Panthers & Affliates News (yes, it's August)

• Erik Gudbranson lent a charitable hand in helping to raise upwards of $43,000 at the Direct Energy Sens Fore Kids (golf) Classic in Ottawa on Tuesday. Marketwire
• There's a new kiosk at the BankAtlantic Center (have we yet mentioned it's August?). SoFla Business Journal
• Goal of the Year "final four" voting is soon to wrap up. Rampage
• Cincinnati recently signed Niagara University rearguard Ryan Annesley and 2008 Penguins draftee center Nathan Moon. ECHL

The NHL and Beyond

• The "race to the floor" is down to three. CapGeek
• Are the Jets and Oilers truly "rivals"? Not quite yet. The Copper & Blue
• Party like it's 1992: neutral-site exhibition games dominate the schedule. Globe and Mail
• Anything in particular you're looking forward to with the Blackhawks, Dan? SBN
• It's a huge week on tap for fans of the international game. WCH
• Uniform-ranking voting rolls on, with a focus on the Bruins, Devils, Islanders, Rags, Capitals, and Flyers. Icethetics
• Carolina's most beloved "role players" (a subject with which we in South Florida are quite familiar). Canes Country
• Wayne Gretzky's impact on the Los Angeles market...23 years after The Trade. PHT
• Backup goaltenders worth keeping a fantasy eye on. DobberHockey
• More fantasy: Diomedes looks at the Southeast Division. Fantasy Hockey Scouts
• The Rangers have inked free agent d-man Brendan Bell (yep, definitely August). Blueshirt Banter
• Alex Kovalev finds a way to exit the NHL stage like a rock star. TSN
• A terrific look at "traitors" from a Caps' standpoint. Japers' Rink
• The league's annual Research Camp will again study the feasibility of a number of dramatic rule changes. SBN
• Breaking down the Bolts at wing. Raw Charge
• Mile High Hockey needs your help, re: the Avs' captaincy - or lack thereof. MHH
• Has "acceptance" swept Vancouver? Yikes. Nucks Misconduct

Lastly, Matt Bradley tears him up some Blues' Tyson Strachan in March...