I'm very pleased by this news. This is not as much about the success of the Panthers, but rather simply operating the BB&T Center. The county figured it was good to keep it running as it brings more than just Panthers hockey, but many big acts throughout the year to a place that isn't in downtown Miami.
Heck, the wife and I are going to see Amy Schumer there this Saturday.
It allows the Panthers to be accountable for how they run the team, and not a whole lot else in terms of maintaining the building etc. With the Panthers trending up, it bodes well for the long term success of the team in South Florida.
Cue everyone saying how stupid it is to have a team here and how they don't belong in Florida in the first place.
http://unitedstatesofhockey.com/2011...-on-the-south/
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The hockey-playing population in the entire Southeast region in 1990-91 was around 6,000, with around 1,200 in Florida. Today, there are more than 10,800 hockey players in the state of Florida alone. From 1991 to 2009, Florida’s hockey-playing population has grown by 804.7%
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If you're interested in growing the game, it's a good thing that there are still teams in the sunbelt. Look at what's happened in L.A. and San Jose. Very, very strong hockey markets now that are also producing players. Florida is just beginning to produce players (as they would have been born around the time that hockey was introduced to Florida initially), but excellent young players like Shayne Gostisbehere come from here. My neighbor's kids even played with him growing up.