Panthers fire Dudley...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article.jsp?content=20040524_114737_916

Sorry Sotnos, but I had to post this.

:lol

Sorry Sotnos, but I had to post this.
It's OK, I'm sure we can all discuss this like adults (yeah right). ;)

But DAMN, why now? They must have someone else in mind to bring in or something else has been going on behind the scenes. This is very very strange...

I hope they hire Mike Smith. He'd be a most worthy successor to Dudley.

He must have seen this coming given the article last week praising the Lightning.

GrowlerNation must be up in arms. Dudley was only one or two players away from having built a contender.

BWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

:joker: :joker: :lol

3:1 odds Dudley was taking calls about moving Luongo because of his contract demands. Any takers???

P.S. BWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Dudley=UNEMPLOYED

-Pete Choquette

3:1 odds Dudley was taking calls about moving Luongo because of his contract demands. Any takers???


That was the first thing I thought too!

Pokemon Dudley... what cards can I get for my Luongo card? Wait... maybe I can get the first overall pick for him and snatch the best card ever -- Ovechkin!!

Bet he was trying to move Luongo to get that first overall pick this summer!

I wouldn't worry Sotnos, I don't think PantherNation will be showing their faces on this board for a LONG LONG time with all the material we have to now broadside them with.

-Pete Choquette

It was Luongo and Jokinen for Weekes and a 6'6" stiff defenseman of your choosing. (j/k for all the outsiders)

BWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

-Pete Choquette

P.S.S.

BEST. WEEK. EVER!!!!

-Pete Choquette

P.S.S.S.

BWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

BWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

:lol :lol :lol

OK, its out of my system. No, wait.

BWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

-Pete Choquette

3:1 odds Dudley was taking calls about moving Luongo because of his contract demands. Any takers???
It wouldn't surprise me.

Something definitely had to be going on behind the scenes in this one. Would be fascinating to find out exactly what. Either 1-they have someone else lined up for GM (Burke?) or 2-Duds had some objections to whatever coach they want to bring in or 3-Duds got caught trying to deal off a key player and the owner blew a fuse. 3 seems most likely to me, since I'll be surprised if they're not going to try and carry on with a cut-rate coach.

NOTE TO PANTHER FANS: No one's calling you out by name, come here again and call one of my good posters "stupid" and you won't be here for the draft. You should be happy anyway, later on you will look back on this day and smile.

You know, a couple of weeks ago Dudley's name came up in a column as a possible replacement for Martin as coach of the Senators. I laughed and thought what's up with that? Now I see that there may have been whispers already going around the league.

My question is, until they ice a playoff team, what on earth can we discuss "politely" with the Panther fans?

Is anyone else questioning the validity of this story? It's now been over an hour since sportsnet.ca posted this and tsn.ca (usually right on top of things) still doesn't have it up on their site. Could this all be some horrible, cruel hoax?

It just hit TSN. It is weird that it took them a while.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=85082

Here's a shot in the dark for rhyme and reason...

Jacques Martin is saying he'll announce this week who is he coaching next season: Florida, Phoenix, or New York.

Since Martin was coaching Ottawa when Dudley was GM there, I wonder if Martin had a condition to taking the Florida gig, that is, "I ain't working with that fool again!"

If Martin later announces that he's coaching Florida, then I think we'll know a bit more about this strangeness in Sunrise.

We need to get Hoek working on a photoshop of a homeless panhandling Dudley holding a sign saying "Will Gravy Train Off of Espo's Work For Food" sign post haste.

-Pete Choquette

NOTE TO PANTHER FANS: No one's calling you out by name, come here again and call one of my good posters "stupid" and you won't be here for the draft.

They haven't got the 'nads Sotnos. The threat of having to choke them on the bitter taste of their own quotes is a potent deterrent.

-Pete Choquette

This just in:

Fischel says Keenan will be named the new GM and Martin will be named as coach next week.

Someone else told me Dudley was offered to stay as head scout, but I think they were joking with me. Either way, with Keenan as GM, there's no way in hell Dudley will accept meaning:

DUDLEY IS UNEMPLOYED.

BWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

-Pete Choquette

I think they read my fine post yesterday about Dudley in Panther Land and realized what a problem they had. Ok, they didn't, but the timing was pretty good wasn't it?

Someone else told me Dudley was offered to stay as head scout
It does say in the TSN article that he was offered another position, so that very well could be it. Like you, I doubt very much he'd accept if Keenan's coming back.

Dudley stepped down by his own choosing. He's gonna try and land a job with Pittsburgh, Chicago, Washington, Columbus or Phoenix so he can keep his first row streak alive.

What happened?! I thought the Panther fans told me the team was quickly improving under Duds, and that he was only a puzzle piece or two away from building a contender, and that they were already seeing the fruits of his 21-year plan.

:lol

Dudley stepped down by his own choosing. He's gonna try and land a job with Pittsburgh, Chicago, Washington, Columbus or Phoenix so he can keep his first row streak alive.

:lol :rolleyes:

I dont know what makes Pete happier: The Lightning in the finals or Dudley being kicked to the curb. I'm surprised theyre (thankfully) not hiring Burke but when theyve got all that money tied to Keenan he might as well do something for them. Just weird that theyd fire him and then bring him back months later after they fire Dudley. Why not just fire Dudley in the first place? Weird situation thats for sure.

Fortunately we don't live in a world where I don't have to choose and can relish in the joy of both...

And lets not forget option C: The humiliation of PantherNation, which I also enjoy GREATLY.

-Pete Choquette

It surely is a strange one, but, the news conference is scheduled for Wednesday and I am sure most of the questions will be answered then. Than again there is always some sort of a conspiracy thoery that gets tossed around...

:shakehead

Hopefully it's for the best... But only Brian Burke would make the situation palatable for most Panther fans.

:dunno:

We'll see...

I'm surprised theyre (thankfully) not hiring Burke but when theyve got all that money tied to Keenan he might as well do something for them. Just weird that theyd fire him and then bring him back months later after they fire Dudley. Why not just fire Dudley in the first place? Weird situation thats for sure.

Clearly, this is a recent development.

Dudley was given a contract extension in January, just a few months ago. My guess is this is all being driven by the effort of the owner to bring in top notch coaching in the form of Jacques Martin, which only became an option in the last few weeks.

Again, my guess is Martin doesn't want to work with Dudley, and since the Panthers (as already noted by Hockeyfan02) still have Keenan on the payroll and since he is good buddies with Martin, it really seems to fit. That's the only plausible explanation: Martin wasn't coming to Florida with Dudley at the helm. Maybe no viable coach was coming to Florida with Dudley at the helm??

Clearly, this is a recent development.

Dudley was given a contract extension in January, just a few months ago. My guess is this is all being driven by the effort of the owner to bring in top notch coaching in the form of Jacques Martin, which only became an option in the last few weeks.

Again, my guess is Martin doesn't want to work with Dudley, and since the Panthers (as already noted by Hockeyfan02) still have Keenan on the payroll and since he is good buddies with Martin, it really seems to fit. That's the only plausible explanation: Martin wasn't coming to Florida with Dudley at the helm. Maybe no viable coach was coming to Florida with Dudley at the helm??
Possible, but I kind of doubt it in terms of Martin "not coming if Dudley's at the helm." Those two do have a history from Ottawa. If I remember correctly, it was Dudley who re-upped Martin's contract in Ottawa. That doesn't sound like two guys who dislike each other. Then again, who knows .. :dunno:

3:1 odds Dudley was taking calls about moving Luongo because of his contract demands. Any takers???

-Pete Choquette

Probably was MAKING calls as well.

Fortunately we don't live in a world where I don't have to choose and can relish in the joy of both...

And lets not forget option C: The humiliation of PantherNation, which I also enjoy GREATLY.

-Pete Choquette

I knew I was forgetting one. ;)

I heard it on wdae this afternoon. this one is hard to figure unless it has to do with martin not likeing dudley and/or dudley trying to trade luongo and his number 1 for ovechkin- which would not surprise me at all. This is just too funny. I wonder when the growler nation kiddies will return? Where are you bouw4?? Geez, i am sorry Sotnos for baiting the little kitties.

I heard it on wdae this afternoon. this one is hard to figure unless it has to do with martin not likeing dudley and/or dudley trying to trade luongo and his number 1 for ovechkin- which would not surprise me at all. This is just too funny. I wonder when the growler nation kiddies will return? Where are you bouw4?? Geez, i am sorry Sotnos for baiting the little kitties.
Im right here this is my new name. It doesnt really bother me. You guys got ride of him...what happened your in the finals...im not expecting a cup but it doesnt bother me...he didnt get it done so its time to move on.

interesting post Orr4. anyway my friends, you need to go to the growlernation board and read what they are saying about getting Keenan as their GM- geez, it sounds like last call on the Titanic. They are all ready to jump ship. It should be interesting with martin as their coach, they will get betterwith him as their coach, it just depends on how keenan runs the player acquisition and management process.

interesting post Orr4. anyway my friends, you need to go to the growlernation board and read what they are saying about getting Keenan as their GM- geez, it sounds like last call on the Titanic. They are all ready to jump ship. It should be interesting with martin as their coach, they will get betterwith him as their coach, it just depends on how keenan runs the player acquisition and management process.

Keenan isnt really as bad as everyone thinks...its just that we didnt have a winning stint with him and he does some stupid trades. Hopefully Martin can change some of his thoughts