The Florida Panthers were one of the teams to open the lockout with a message to the fans.
"The work stoppage will not deter our organization from fulfilling its responsibilities to our fans and our community," Panthers general partner Cliff Viner wrote on the team website Sunday. "In fact, we will use this challenging time as an opportunity to be even more active in South Florida, and offer even more special events and experiences for our incredible fans."
That active community spirit didn't last long.
The Panthers have canceled an event scheduled for Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, according to good friend George Richards of the Miami Herald. The news comes one day after the Panthers laid off about a dozen people, including the man behind mascot Stanley C. Panther.
"We thank all of those former staff members for their efforts," Panthers President Michael Yormark wrote in a release.
The poor Panther is not alone. The Ottawa Senators have laid off anywhere from 11 to 40 people. The NHL held a staff meeting today and told workers they'll work four days a week and their pay will be cut by 20 percent, beginning Oct. 1, according to Puck Daddy.
Meanwhile, the NHL and NHLPA have now gone a full week without formal negotiations on how to split $3.3 billion. That's billion, with a b.
---John Vogl
