Florida Panthers

His cannon of a shot has helped put him on the top of the scoring list among NHL defencemen, but Jason Garrison’s top priority isn’t seeing the red light come on whenever he winds one up from the blue line.

He’s netted 11 goals to date, the only big-league defenceman to have reached double digits in goals in 2011-12. And while the man behind the booming blasts is thrilled to be contributing to the Florida Panthers’ success story, it’s another side of his game that takes top priority.

“For me, it’s all about defence,” Garrison recently told NHLPA.com. “The first order of business is to do what I have to do in my end. If I can move the puck out of our zone by delivering a solid pass or being physical down low, then I feel as though I’m doing my job.”

Undrafted, the native of White Rock, British Columbia, has been one of the league’s top two-way defencemen this season; a player capable of making his presence known both offensively and defensively.

In 2010-11, Garrison had 18 points, including five goals, for the Panthers. This year, the 27-year-old has put more faith in his offensive abilities.

Teammate and fellow blueliner Brian Campbell, battling for the league lead in points by a defenceman, has rave reviews for Garrison, a player who played collegiate hockey with the University of Minnesota-Duluth of the WCHA before signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers on April 2, 2008.

“We’ve really clicked well together, and that’s only gotten stronger as the season has gone on,” said Campbell, who was dealt to Florida in exchange for Rostislav Olesz during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. “He has a fantastic shot, and he’s very strong in his own end.”

Garrison, who turned professional in the 2008–09 season with the Panthers’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans and scoring 35 points and earning a solitary recall to make his NHL debut against the St. Louis Blues on October 25, 2008, likes what he sees in Florida, a team that has missed the postseason for a record 10 campaigns.

“We had a so-so exhibition season, but by the first game of the year, we felt that we could be competitive with anyone,” said Garrison, who split the 2009–10 season between the Panthers and the Americans, scoring his first NHL goal in a 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on March 3, 2010. “We brought in new players, but everyone gets along. We’re very tight. Everyone is happy coming to the rink and everyone wants to win.”

What makes the Panthers a tough team to play against? 

“We have a lot of speed which is always a good thing to have,” said the 6’2”, 220-pounder. “Our forwards do an excellent job hanging on to the puck down low. Our strong puck possession is something that’s also helped us be successful.”

Even though he’s only played in slightly more than 150 NHL regular season games, Garrison is happy with how his game has progressed since he took his very first big-league shift.

“Your first game is always a blur, but I remember on one shift Keith Tkachuk coming in hard, driving to the net, and I was able to hold my own,” recalled Garrison, who points to team leaders Ed Jovanovski and Tomas Kopecky as two key veteran presences. “And as you go on, all you look to do is get better and hopefully, that leads to team success.”

Garrison also sees things getting better for the Southeast squad, who have finished fifth and last in their division the past two seasons, winning 30 games, along with 72 points, in 2010-11.

Currently leading the Southeast and holding down a playoff spot, the Panthers know what to expect as the mid-point of the season draws ever closer.

“It’s only going to get tougher from here on in,” said Garrison. “We know that, and we know we have to be even better as the season goes on. We haven’t lost sight on what it takes to make the playoffs.”

And Garrison’s teammates haven’t lost sight of that either. “He comes to play every night, and he has a great personality and attitude,” praised Campbell. “He’s an ideal guy to have on your team.”

A player that always seems to take his best shot regardless of where he is on the ice.

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Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Florida Panthers forward Krys Barch deserves a harsh penalty and suspension, if the allegations that he used a racial slur against Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban are true. 

According to a report from George Richards of the Miami Herald, Barch was ejected from Saturday's game due to his use of a racial slur that was directed at Subban. 

In a separate report from Richards, Barch has denied any wrongdoing, and is working with the players association to prove his innocence. 

"Scott Norton, who has known Barch since he was a 15-year-old junior player in Canada, said that Barch is 'upset and concerned for his family.' He added the comment directed toward Montreal's P.K. Subban from the Panthers bench was misconstrued and 'didn't have any racial undertones nor was a slur. It may have been a misunderstanding or taken out of context' by linesman Darren Gibbs."

Norton's comments don't exactly help the situation, because it is hard to have a comment be taken out of context as a racial slur. It makes it sound like the referees were out to get his client, which is ludicrous. 

The NHL has to take a hard stand against any racial prejudices. The league has worked hard at opening its doors to anyone who wants to play the game, but to think that there are no racial prejudices against these players would be naive.

Commissioner Gary Bettman has to investigate this incident and make a decision about what to do with Barch as soon as possible.

I don't know if the players association will make it possible for Barch to be sat down until the incident is investigated. But anything and everything that Bettman can do before making an official ruling has to be done.

There should be no tolerance for this kind of thing. It reflects poorly on Barch, the Florida Panthers and the NHL, and punishment should be meted to the full extent of Bettman's law.

Follow @adamwells1985 

When it came to making a good first impression on one another, Krys Barch and his Florida teammates instantly clicked.

The hours and first few days in the aftermath of his trade to the Florida Panthers from the Dallas Stars on December 7 was hectic, to say the very least.

So when Barch, who was dealt to the Southeast Division club in exchange for forward Jake Hauswirth and a fifth-round pick in 2012, made his debut on December 8 in Boston, he wasted little time in showing his teammates what he was all about, dropping the gloves with Bruins enforcer Shawn Thornton and playing a robust, physical style.

His new teammates, in turn, made him feel welcome when he joined up on their flight to Buffalo.

“First impressions, in any walk of life, always seem to say a lot,” said Barch, who played his junior hockey with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, where in three years, he had 123 points in 187 games while tallying 206 penalty minutes.

“The guys invited me to sit at the card table during the flight and I got to know a little more about them," he added. "I couldn’t have asked for it to go any better.”

His teammates are glad to have in the mix.

“He’s a great guy, someone who sticks up for his teammates and comes to play every night,” defenceman Jason Garrison, who will be profiled on NHLPA.com in the coming weeks. “We’re happy to have him here.”

The move is something new for Barch, who was selected 106th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, but went unsigned, eventually inking a free agent contract with the Stars on July 18, 2006.

“I’ve never been traded at any point in my career, even dating back to junior," Barch said. "You don’t know what to expect, but so far, so good.”

Barch, who made his NHL debut in the 2006–07 season on January 15, 2007, against the Los Angeles Kings, can also the same for his wife and kids.

The 31-year-old forward said:

I don’t think it’s as tough on the player as it is on their significant other. For me, I get to have that tunnel vision, just focusing on playing hockey. But there’s a lot left to do and to take care of when a trade happens. I got to see my wife for about 15 minutes after our game against the Rangers in New York, and then we had to get on the plane. We each have our own list of what we have to do, including calling back the NHLPA. I find myself having to write everything down these days.

Barch’s two children had but one request when they were given the news they would be moving from Texas to Florida. Barch, who is moving closer to 300 games of NHL regular season experience, offered:

They are four-and-a-half and two-and-a-half, so the first thing they wanted to know was if they could stay in Dallas until after Christmas so that Santa could come. After we assured them Santa would be coming, they seemed to be relieved. Change is hard for anyone to deal with, but we’re looking forward to this opportunity.

Barch won’t be altering his on-ice style with the Panthers. Barch, who has appeared in only three NHL playoff games to date, said:

Whatever it takes to get the win, to provide the team with a lift, that’s my role and that’s what I want to do. One thing that was obvious the moment I got here was the commitment to winning. Everyone works hard in practice and in games. There’s a good focus and intensity.

Which are accurate terms in describing Barch’s blue-collar game. Barch said:

It’s been a short time, but I feel good about being here. I’ll have a bit of a break to go back to Dallas to see my family for Christmas and then fly back to Florida. They’ll be joining me here in mid-January.

As for what he’d like to get for Christmas, Barch is hoping to find a nice place to live.

“Could you find me a nice rental property?” he laughed. “That would be a big help.”

Until then, Barch will look to keep delivering on the ice, all the while feeling right at home in his new surroundings.

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Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

It’s not sun, sand and surf that have Brian Campbell raving about life and hockey in Florida. For one of hockey’s most smooth-skating defenceman, it’s all about feeling good every time he laces up his skates.

Campbell came into the 2011-12 season after appearing in 626 NHL regular season games. He drew a deep breath when asked why the NHL 2011-12 season has brought out the best in him.

“You know what?” asked Campbell, in a recent chat with NHLPA.com. “I’m having a lot of fun playing these days. People might connect the weather to being the reason you love to play in Florida, but that’s not it for me. I’m having fun. We all are.”

While a playoff berth for the Panthers might have been a long shot at the start of the campaign, the Eastern Conference squad is by no means an outsider as the season draws closer to the mid-way mark.

He has 90 games of NHL playoff experience, and believes it will get only better. A big part of the success can be traced back to Campbell, who could eclipse his NHL career-best 62 points he recorded in 2007-08 with Buffalo and San Jose.

“It’s been great,” said Campbell, in reference to the 2011 Draft Day deal that brought him to the Panthers in exchange for Rostislav Olesz.

“We might have struggled in preseason because there were so many new guys in the mix, but once we got to know one another, the system and what we could do, we started to respond,” he added.

Campbell was the 156th overall selection of the Buffalo Sabres in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. His contributions at both ends of the rink have gone a long way in putting the Panthers in the top eight of the Eastern Conference.

But it’s not seeing his number on the score sheet that has Campbell feeling good about his game.

“One thing I’ve been very proud of is the chance I’ve been given to be out on the ice against the other team’s top line,” he said. “That’s a challenge anyone would want and I’m really happy that I’ve been able to be put in those situations.”

Campbell has confidence not only in his game, but as a group. It is continuing to grow for an eager group of players.

“At the start, you need to know more about one another on the ice and what everyone can do,” said Campbell.

“Then things start to click and everyone is on the same page. You look at a guy like Tomas Fleischmann, who is having a huge year. I don’t remember playing a lot against him, but you see how strong he is on the puck, how determined he is and how much he wants to win.

Everyone wants that same success. We realize that we can compete with the so-called top teams in our conference,” continued the 32-year-old native of Strathroy, Ontario.

While the lure of sunny days and warm nights are enticing for any athlete, Campbell, who won the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL's Most Outstanding Player, along with the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's Defenceman of the Year, the William Hanley Trophy as the OHL's Most Gentlemanly Player in 1998-99, the Canadian Hockey League player of the year honours in 1999, and the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2010, has other reasons for being thrilled to be in Florida.

All of which is why Campbell isn’t asking for much this Christmas.

“I don’t think I’ll be getting a tan any time soon, so I’ll think I’ll settle for a long skateboard,” he said.

A trip to the playoffs in his first year as a Panther wouldn’t be too bad, either.

Visit NHLPA.com for more player news and videos.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

On Sunday afternoon the Miami Dolphins defeated the Oakland Raiders in convincing fashion by the score of 34-14. 

It was one of those games that even with the team at 4-8, would have dominated Miami's sports coverage in year's past. 

Miami is a football town and the Dolphins are No. 1. They were Miami's first professional sports franchise and until recently were the only ones who consistently sold out their stadium. Despite the fact that Pat Riley coached the Miami Heat from 1995-2003 and again from 2005-2008 (and won a title in the process), Don Shula is usually looked upon as Miami's best head coach. 

How times have changed down in the 305. 

The news that permeated in Miami sports on Sunday was not Miami's domination of a team that entered the day in first place in the AFC West, but instead about a team that finished fifth in their division but signed last season's National League batting champion. 

Jose Reyes and Miami Marlins were trending topics on Twitter in Miami yesterday, which is surprising because the Marlins rarely crack the trending topic list on Twitter even during the season.

But this offseason has been full of buzz thanks to a new ballpark (built with taxpayer money in a theft so egregious that the SEC is investigating the deal and the whole situation is partly responsible for Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez getting recalled), new uniforms (as ghastly they are) and the potential for the team becoming buyers during the offseason instead of sellers. 

The Marlins have done just that, and in addition to signing Reyes, have also added former Padres closer Heath Bell and are still in the pursuit of big-ticket talent such as Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle. 

Then you have the Florida Panthers, who are currently in first place in the NHL's Southeast division with 32 points, five points ahead of perennial contender Washington. The Panthers are also only five points behind Minnesota for best team in the NHL.

It's still early in the season but the Panthers have long been the most irrelevant team in Miami with their last postseason appearance coming in the 1999-2000 season when they had Pavel Bure. 

Of course tops in the market is the Miami Heat. As the favorites in the NBA this season, there's no doubt that the Heat are not only the top team in Miami, but likely now one of the top teams in the nation (at the very least they're the most hated team in the country). 

So where does this leave the Dolphins, who at best could finish 8-8 this season? 

Dolphins fans are trying to talk themselves into Matt Moore being the future at quarterback, and in a season where at times it looked like they'd get Andrew Luck, the 'Phins will likely lose out on Matt Barkley, Landry Jones, and Robert Griffin III as well.

Either one of those players could've added electricity that this franchise sorely needs, but the more success that the Dolphins have this season, the farther away they get from acquiring any of them. 

The Dolphins need to do something this offseason in order to electrify the fanbase, because by the time April's draft rolls around, the Marlins will have opened up their shiny new beacon to fleecing taxpayers and the Heat and Panthers could be right in the thick of the playoff race playing for home court/home ice advantage.

All of this while the NFL Draft becomes just something for Dolphins fans to tune in to between that night's Marlins, Heat and Panthers games that Thursday Night. 

Quite a contrast from years past when the NFL Draft was the highlight of April for Miami's sports fans. 

First the Dolphins fell from being consistently in the top two of the AFC East. 

Now, they're not even one of the top two teams in their own market. 

My how the mighty have fallen. 

On Saturday night, the Vancouver Canucks made a bold statement in acquiring David Booth from the Florida Panthers. Booth, 26, is a top-six left wing who posted 40 points last season in 82 games.

With Booth, the Canucks also acquired a third-round pick in 2013 and center Steve Reinprecht.

What did the two players and pick cost the Canucks? Veteran forwards Marco Sturm and Mikael Samuelsson.

This trade is a great victory for the Florida Panthers.

On face value, most casual fans think this is a great deal for Vancouver. Booth's been a hot name on the trade market for the last year, and adding him to the front lines in Vancouver gives them another weapon.

But digging deeper reveals that this deal is simply another neutral move by the front office of the Canucks.

Florida GM Dale Tallon built the Stanley Cup championship team in Chicago and has been strong in his moves early in his tenure in Florida. Clearly, he is putting into action a plan to make the Panthers relevant, and that plan includes mixing veteran winners with young talent.

Florida has a solid group of prospects coming along, but they aren't ready for the NHL yet. Tallon's history would indicate that he is not only looking to build through the draft, but also by adding elite players through free agency.

Will he overpay to bring a player in? Sure. He did with Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet in Chicago, and has since traded dead weight (Rostislav Olesz) to Chicago to bring Campbell to Florida.

Why did Tallon move Booth? In 2009-10, Booth was limited to 28 games because of concussion issues. He missed 45 games after his first concussion of that season, and his career was in question after a second hit to the head. He played 82 games for the first time in his career last year, and was minus-31 on the campaign.

Samuelsson has scored a game-winning goal in each of the last five consecutive postseasons, and had at least 50 points in each of the last two seasons in Vancouver, including 30 goals in 2009-10.

More importantly, Booth has three more years on his contract with a cap number of $4.25 million. Samuelsson and Sturm are both free agents after this season.

The long-term financial impact of this deal could be enormous on both sides.

Florida now has only $40 million committed to 15 players for the 2012-13 season, and under $30 million locked up in only eight players for the 2013-14 campaign.

Meanwhile, the Canucks now have approximately $55 million locked up in 16 players already for the 2012-13 season. In 2013-14, the Canucks have over $41.4 million already committed to only 9 players.

Consider the role players Tallon added this past summer. Tomas Kopecky and Kris Versteeg won rings with Campbell in Chicago. Samuelsson adds more playoff experience to this year's roster, and more size up front. Tallon also brought in Sean Bergenheim, Tomas Fleischmann, Scottie Upshall and Ed Jovanovski.

In the summer of 2012, who will Tallon target with close to $35 million in cap space? Alex Semin and Zach Parise might look really good making too much money without a state income tax. Similarly, could Ryan Suter or Shea Weber be intrigued by the money available?

Tallon is tearing apart a roster he didn't build, and adding valuable short-term assets while opening up future flexibility.

Nobody thinks Samuelsson is going to make the Panthers a cup contender in 2012. But he might make them a tough out in the first round of the playoffs, and the money opened up by unloading an overrated Booth could make it possible for Tallon to sign a game-changer this summer.