Oct 24, 2011; Montreal, QC, CAN; Florida Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom (25) makes a save against Montreal Canadiens during the first period at the Bell Center. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-US PRESSWIRE

We are still waiting around for a lockout to end, with little hope that less than half a season will be lost over a fight over HRR (Hockey Related Revenue). Recently I did an article on a former ECHL team, the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, who happen to be a former ECHL affiliate to the Florida Panthers. For this time, I want to discuss the Panthers AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.  Panther fans should now care about this team more than ever, seeing how the NHL lockout has no effect on AHL play.

The season for the San Antonio Rampage starts Saturday against the Texas Stars. This will be a prime opportunity for Panthers fans to observe the future of the franchise by seeing our prospects in play against the prospects of other teams. Then again, it will be hard to follow if the games are not available for us to watch here in South Florida. If you do want to watch the games, there is an AHL version of Game Center similar to the NHL version. Hopefully, this will tide over fans until the NHL breaks this deadlock. I think that the team will do well this season, more so after the recent shuffle of NHL affiliates, adjusting all AHL rosters to a degree, as well as the fact that all the prospects will be available for ice time due to the lack of an NHL season yet.

The lockout has been seen as a curse for hockey fans, but it may be a blessing in disguise. This gives people the chance to see another side of the NHL working that may have been missed by many in the past, and may help this important league grow more. Whatever your team, I suggest fans support their local AHL team or their NHL teams affiliate.Its not like the NHL is gonna break this lockout anytime soon.

I decided to stray away from the Panthers for a moment to delve into my past hockey experience and recall the team that first introduced me to the sport. This team may or may not be well known among many hockey fans, but it was big in the city it was in. That team is the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks of the ECHL.  The Tiger Sharks started up in 1994 in the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center after being moved from Huntsville, AL. Sporting black and grey uniforms, and a crazy mascot called Frenzy, they became well known for their enforcers more than their overall hockey skill in Tallahassee. They were also affiliated at the time with several NHL teams, such as the New York Islanders, the Montreal Canadians, and in 96, the Florida Panthers. In Their 97-98 season they became South Division Champions. I remember as a child that there were two main rivalry teams to the T-Sharks: The Jacksonville Lizard.

Kings (non-existent) and the Louisiana Ice Gators (also gone.) In fact, the best hockey fight I ever saw occurred during the 97 or 98 season against the Louisiana Ice Gators. Both benches cleared in a matter of moments, and it took forever for all the penalties to be assessed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6CDIDjzLkY&feature=share). The team did do more than throw punches during their entire duration, and several ex-T-Sharks are still in the NHL. Michael Ryder of the Dallas Stars spent the 200-2001 season with the Tiger Sharks, playing in only 5 gaes but put up 4 goals and 5 assists during that time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ryder). Micheal Fritz also played during the 2000-2001 season and is currently with the Norfolk Admirals. Ben Guite played during the 2000-2001 season before heading to the AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Todd Reirdon played during the 1994 season and is now known as the assistant coach to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lastly, Manon Rheaume played during the 1994 season, after playing an exhibition game for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992, being the first women to play an NHL exhibition game ever.

While the team did move in 2001, many fans still try to bring the team back to Tallahassee, but to no avail. Instead, the closest hockey to this city is the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. The team may be gone, but I still remember how much of an impact it made on the town, and on myself. If they did not exist, I would not have known what a puck was for a long time. The team may be gone, but they are certainly not forgotten.

Nov 3, 2011: Sunrise, FL, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom (25) during a game against the Chicago Blackhawks at the BankAtlantic Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The 2011-2012 season for the Panthers was a wild and crazy ride. With massive changes all around, from the front office to the blue line, they made great strides to show that hockey can survive in Florida. The “We See Red” campaign made a huge influence on the fan base in South Florida, as well as draw in more fans than before. Dale Tallon’s complete overhaul of the roster has started to pay off in leaps and bounds, ans this team may have the best chance in a while of running deep into a playoff berth. Without going crazy into the details of the last season, we will take a brief look at some of the “rookies” I feel will make a big impact in the future.

Offense: Michal Repik

The 5’10″ RW from the Czech Republic may not be considered by many as a “rookie”, seeing that he was drafted on ’07. However, he is, for the most part, a rookie as far as his NHL experience is concerned. He has been putting up good numbers in the AHL affiliate, and comes in to play when there are too many blue line injuries. He played 17 games for the Panthers last season, putting up 2 goals, 3 assist, and 5 points (Source: http://panthers.nhl.com/v2/ext/pdf/PanthersSeasonInReview-201112.pdf, pg 25). I would like to see him do better with the Panthers in the future, maybe more pro ice time is the key?

Defense: Tyson Stracthen

The Panthers have been working hard to shore up that D line that has plagued games in the past. He may not be a Panthers drafted player, but he appears to be a solid defensemen. I would keep an eye on him in the future.

Goal: Jacob Markstrom, AKA “Bigfoot”(Pictured Above)

This is the player I am most excited about, and I hope many others are as well. At 6’6″, he is tall for a goalie. However, he fills the net with little effort and can move around well for a man his height in net. He also has put up good numbers in both the NHL and AHL, recording a 0.925 Save % for the Rampage and a 0.923 Save % for the Panthers (source: http://panthers.nhl.com/v2/ext/pdf/PanthersSeasonInReview-201112.pdf, pg 25). Dale Tallon has even said that he is the future of Florida goal-tending. I hope so. I don’t believe that A) Jose Theodore is the future of the club, and B) Sadly, Clemmenson was never set up to be a starting goalie. The Panthers will bring him in to start when he is ready, and when he is, I believe that the Panthers will become an even bigger threat in the NHL.

I am excited to see what happens this season, as long as we have a season to play. However, if the lockout persist, feel free to see these guys as they play for the San Antonio Rampage in the AHL. At least they aren’t locked out.