I didn't start off the way I wanted to. You can't hide under a pillow and you sure can't hide on the ice. You just have to grab the bull by the horns and work hard, make it work. Hard work does pay off. And we're playing very well. I'm happy for the opportunity.

Prediction: No one liked the Panthers to win the Southeast last year and few will pick them to repeat. But why mess with a good thing? Cats return to the top in a tight, tight race.

A reporter called me this morning from Vancouver and I said well, "Who's on his list?". He says, "It's very short". I said, "Well, how short is it?". He says, "One team: Florida"

The bottom line is that the Panthers’ current ownership did not get into hockey to lose money, and according to the county auditor they haven’t lost money. Florida, commonly presented as one of the league’s have-not teams, and an example of the dangers of over-expansion, is nothing of the sort: it’s a healthy business, carefully presented to appear like a money-losing operation.

We were on the Cats' bandwagon early last year and kudos to Dale Tallon and Kevin Dineen for delivering the team's first playoff berth since 2000. It won't get any easier in a suddenly compelling Southeast, but if the Panthers do end up with Roberto Luongo, as many believe will ultimately be the case, we like them as a playoff team once again

"Last Friday, players were allowed to come and go as they pleased. After practice, they could leisurely head to the locker room and hang out in the players' lounge afterward.

On Monday, players found out things are a little bit different. The weight room, showers and locker room are off limits as is the parking lot. Players were seen parking in the main lot at the Coral Springs Iceplex as they hauled their gear to and from practice. The complex wouldn't allow players to store their equipment overnight."

"While we remain optimistic that our Panthers will open the 2012-13 season as planned on Oct. 13, I also want to assure you that the work stoppage will not deter our organization from fulfilling its responsibilities to our fans and our community.

@GeorgeRichards: #FlaPanthers workouts next week heading into the #NHLockout are Mon, Weds, Fri at Coral Springs Iceplex around 10 am

"[The Panthers] makes sense for myself, for my career and my family."

"I feel like I’ve got a lot to prove; maybe even more so this year than ever. I don’t know what Florida has in the system with guys coming up, whereas in Nashville I had an idea. Being a contract year, too, I want go in and play my best."