Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers

NHL lockout could impact Stephen Weiss' future with Florida Panthers

 

If the NHL’s 2012-13 season gets canceled, Stephen Weiss might have played his last game as a Panther.

 

Florida Panthers center Stephen Weiss, right, celebrates a goal scored by Kris Versteeg as New Jersey Devils defenseman  Bryce Salvador skates by during the second period of Game 6 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series on April 24, 2012, in Newark, N.J.
Florida Panthers center Stephen Weiss, right, celebrates a goal scored by Kris Versteeg as New Jersey Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador skates by during the second period of Game 6 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series on April 24, 2012, in Newark, N.J.
Julio Cortez / AP

grichards@MiamiHerald.com

“I want to make a good impression for the coach,” Marco Sturm joked as he skated off the ice dripping in sweat.

There are currently nine members of the Panthers working out at Glacier — which was the Panthers’ original training facility in the 1990s — as well as former Florida players Radek Dvorak, Tomas Vokoun and Sturm.

Vokoun had reportedly signed with a Czech team, but Monday he said he changed his mind and would remain in South Florida.

Tomas Kopecky left to play in Slovakia but injured his shoulder. He’s back working with his teammates but said he will head back to Europe if the lockout continues.

Weiss said he would love to play in Europe but won’t because he is in contractual limbo.

“I’m champing at the bit and would love to play somewhere very badly,” Weiss said. “But I have to be smart and take care of myself.”

Bure enters Hall

Pavel Bure was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame during a ceremony Monday night in Toronto. The South Florida resident spent parts of four seasons with the Panthers from 1999 to 2002 after being acquired in a blockbuster trade from Vancouver on Jan. 17, 1999.

Bure, who won the league scoring title twice with the Panthers, officially retired from hockey in 2005. He becomes the fifth player with ties to the Panthers to be inducted into the hall.

“Seeing him go into the Hall of Fame, it’s well-deserved. He was one of the most electric players to play the game,” said Ed Jovanovski, who was drafted by the Panthers in 1995 and traded to the Canucks for Bure.

“They made a splash bringing him here. As a player, it was sick to see him play. He was a player who brought fans out of their seats. He was worth the [price of ] admission.”

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