Panthers fire coach, folks scramble for name

Is this news?

We’re not sure if this is news.

The Florida Panthers just finished another disappointing season, one that began with some of us — um, me — thinking they were the best-positioned of all the pro teams in our sadsack sports town to make a real run. They had young stars, a veteran goalie and Dale Tallon back in charge.

They also had a coach named Bob Boughner and, while Panthers fans didn’t seem particularly pleased with him, how much difference can an NHL coach really make?

Well, apparently a lot.

Panthers fans’ grumbling became louder as the season progressed, and Sunday this happened:

#FlaPanthers Relieve Head Coach Bob Boughner of Duties

» https://t.co/biW1j40uI3 pic.twitter.com/gtn1GKE7UF

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 7, 2019

Our friend George Richards at The Athletic had more:

#FlaPanthers fire Bob Boughner and assistant Paul McFarland (whose power play was No. 2 in the league). Team wants to talk to Joel Quenneville officially. Jonathan Huberdeau will play for his 6th coach next year. https://t.co/Dm8dVmrp34

— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) April 7, 2019

Quenneville is a name hockey fans have actually heard of, and not just because he’s Coach Q for short. He’s won three Stanley Cups.

So that would seem like an upgrade for a team that makes the postseason roughly once every dozen years. But so have about a dozen coaches since the franchise dumped Doug MacLean two decades ago — remember Mike Keenan — and the wheel keeps spinning to nowhere.

Bob Boughner was the 12th #flapanthers coach since the start of the 2000-01 season.

They've made the playoffs twice in that span

No playoff round wins since 1996

Easy to say from afar, but the thing this organization has forever lacked is stability

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 7, 2019

And it’s safe to say, we hardly knew him, as this poll emphasizes….

Did you know who the Florida Panthers Coach was?

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 7, 2019