The Panthers skated in Miami-Dade County on Saturday for the first time since leaving Miami Arena in 1998 for new digs in Sunrise.
The stands at Kendall Ice Arena were full and the line for autographs from players snaked around the back of the building.
The team supplied a charter bus for the drive down from Sunrise, although some players chose to drive themselves.
“After the first few games, I knew we had some pretty good fans,'' said Matt Bradley after signing autographs for 15 minutes. “These things are a lot of fun. It's cool to practice in a different place and meet new fans.
"And we got to see some kids play here before we practiced which was fun. I'm jealous of their hands. They were good.''
Said Dineen: “What this shows is the tentacles the Panthers have in the South Florida market. This was a fabulous turnout and we're really thankful for our fan base. It's a good setup for us.
"It's nice to be able to get out and interact with our wide fan base and come down to Kendall. That's a good day for us.''
I was one of those there. Had never seen an NHL team practice before. It's amazing how much work they get done in a relatively short time. Great time.
Posted by: Minter94 | January 14, 2012 at 06:22 PM