Erin Brown

SUNRISE, Fla. -- It is far from matching the aura of traditional hockey markets, but the South Florida area might once again be turning its attention to ice hockey

And no, it isn't because we've had temperatures nearing the 90s in recent days.

The Florida Panthers are playing some pretty impressive hockey, going 8-0-1 over the past three weeks and actually planting the idea among fans that the playoffs are within reach. It isn't a pipe dream either, as Florida is three points out of the eighth seed in the East.

Of course, the Panthers have been in this situation before. As Wes Goldstein noted in his piece earlier this week, streaking in March has been a annual ritual for Florida. The one thing that may propel these Panthers into the postseason, though, are the crowds turning out at the BankAtlantic Center.

Florida has drawn crowds of at least 18,500 in three of its past four games. The team is showing up on the front of the sports page or earlier in the local newscast on a daily basis. Head to a bar, gym, golf course or some other sports-themed place and chances are you'll overhear some kind of chatter related to the Cats.

"We've been playing good hockey lately, and that's the reason we're on the front page," Florida winger Radek Dvorak said. "It's been a long time, we've had ups and downs during the season, but we came together. The whole team is playing the way we're suppose to play."

South Florida, with a very transient population, will only fall in love with a hometown team if they're winners. Even though the Panthers aren't taking aim at the Presidents Trophy or a Southeast Division title, they're the best team this region has seen since the Miami Heat won the NBA Championship in June 2006. (Yes, professional teams in South Florida suck that bad.)

With the spotlight off of every other team in the region, Florida has a very real opportunity to capture some of the attention it once garnered during the 1995-96 season in which they advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Dvorak couldn't help but notice the similarity of the crowds during that season and the ones now.

"You feel the crowd all 60 minutes," he said. "You can hear that. It's nice to see that. I'd compare it to the '95-96 season.

"It's nice to see all those fans at the rink. It gives you energy. When you have a crowd like we're getting the last month or so, it's nice to see that. We've been winning games, and a reward for all those fans."

As long as the Panthers can keep up their winning ways, the fans will continue to reward them, too.

Occasionally, I will join my friends Smitty and Adam on some sort of sports-related road trip. This year's journey is to Chicago for a Blackhawks game and a side venture to Milwaukee for a Bruce Springsteen concert.

Unfortunately, I got too swamped with work to work out the details. I'm incredibly disappointed I won't be joining them.

I would have liked to experience a Blackhawks game at the United Center. The resurgence of the team, not necessarily in the standings, but as an important part of the city's fabric once again, has been a thrill to follow. Every time a Blackhawks press release lands in my inbox at work, more often than not, it contains something that makes me smile.

Home games on television. Bringing legends Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull back into the fold. A sold-out fan convention -- the first of its kind -- scheduled for the summer.

Prior to Friday's Sharks-Hawks game, Chicago honored Mikita and Hull before a number of former players and a stuffed-to-the-gills United Center crowd. Watching the legends come onto the ice and the ovations from the crowd were enough to give me chills. And, remember, I'm not a Blackhawks fan. I can only imagine what a great feeling it must be to those who are.

Even the introduction of owner Rocky Wirtz, who took over the team when his father, William, passed before the season, drew cheers. One fan in the stands, clad in his team's colors, offered a "We're not worthy!" bow as Wirtz spoke.

One of the best moments of the evening, however, had to be the ceremonial faceoff, with Hull and Mikita dropping pucks before former Hawk Jeremy Roenick and rookie star Jonathan Toews. It was an image perfectly symbolic of how this franchise has turned around, with Roenick and Toews serving as the bookends to an era many would like to forget.

Given the reaction and roar from the hometown fans, it is fair to say they already have.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- A couple new additions appeared in the Florida Panthers locker room this week, and they weren't necessarily the three players acquired at the trade deadline.

Adorning the once blank walls of the team's weight room are five large signs in Panthers colors with a motivational saying on each: Details. Team Unity. Accountability. Perseverance. Sacrifice.

The effort rings hollow, though, especially with 15 games left in the season. Florida has now lost eight of its last 11 and is on the verge of missing the playoffs for the eighth straight season. The Panthers are seven points behind eighth place Philadelphia, and seven points behind division leader Carolina.

"We're in a bad position," Tomas Vokoun said. "There's no question about it."

Tonight may have been the first time in ages the Panthers actually found some energy to fight back. Down 3-1 to the Minnesota Wild in the third, Nathan Horton netted a power play goal six minutes into the period. A few moments later, his open-ice hit on Stephane Veilleux woke the Cats from their slumber and sparked a more intense style of play.

Florida finished with 16 shots in the third, but were unable to chip in a comeback tally like so many teams have done to them this season.

But like the new posters hanging in the Panthers locker room, Friday's effort is too little, too late.

Even Jacques Martin, who has presented a positive front during some of the rough stretches this season, appears to be tiring from his team's constant struggles. He plodded into the postgame press conference pressing his hand against his brow, like he was trying to rid himself of a splitting headache. Maybe he is.

The last coach I saw do the same thing down here was Terry Murray, who, after a 5-2 loss to Philadelphia on Dec. 27, 2000, appeared nothing short of bewildered and offered no answer to why the Panthers had won just six games at that point. Florida fired him the next day.

Granted, Martin didn't appear clueless as to why Florida continues to lose. He's well aware injuries have gutted the team. And that they are fragile when they have a lead. And that the Panthers are either taking too many penalties, breaking down too many times on defense, not playing physically enough or just giving up a cheap, lucky goal at the worst possible moment.

The whole situation lends itself to something one might see on a poster by Despair, Inc.:

Defeat: For every winner, there are dozens of losers. Odds are you're one of them.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- If there ever was a perfect example of a captain going down with a sinking ship, Mats Sundin is it.

But one thing is for sure, this leader isn't going to let the Toronto Maple Leafs finish the season at the bottom of the standings without trying to bail them out.

One day after announcing he would not waive his no-trade clause in order to remain with Toronto, Sundin went out and scored the first -- and eventual game-winner -- in a 5-0 drubbing of the Senators, in Ottawa. Tonight, one day after GM Cliff Fletcher could have plundered some other NHL team looking for a clutch veteran, Sundin produced again, scoring two game-tying goals in a 4-3 shootout win over Florida.

Now, with two victories in as many games, the Maple Leafs are believing the postseason is still within reach, even if it seems like an impossible task in a closely contested race. And it is Sundin's play that has them believing.

"He's a great leader and he showed it," Tomas Kaberle said. "He said he wants to stay and for a reason. He's the man here, he's always been, and everyone has followed him to play like him."

Despite all the talk in recent days about the Swede and his selfishness for staying in Toronto, now is the time to rescind those comments. Because even if the Maple Leafs don't make the playoffs, one awful season cannot trump the time, effort and dedication such a franchise player has given a team and a city.

For anyone who reads this blog, it is no surprise that I'm a Miami Dolphins fan (all of my teams are displayed above). I grew up in South Florida during the Dan Marino era, and anyone who lived here in those days is well aware of the quarterback's stature in this town. The whole Sundin situation got me thinking about Marino's last years in Miami, and I couldn't help but notice the similarities.

About five years before Marino retired, fans knew the quarterback's best years were behind him. There were endless comments about how the Dolphins needed to draft a quarterback, have Marino mentor him, then have the Hall of Famer retire. Only it didn't quite work that way. Marino still craved the ring, and when he had an opportunity to compete for one with the Minnesota Vikings, fans were aghast. Not because they didn't want the fan favorite to earn a ring, but because it meant he wouldn't end his career as a Dolphin.

Sundin's situation is slightly different in that he was drafted by Quebec and suited up for the Nordiques for four seasons before being traded to Toronto. For all intents and purposes, though, Sundin is a Maple Leaf. He's been with the franchise for 14 years and its captain for 10. He holds numerous Maple Leafs records. He is the face of the franchise.

It may be accurate to say Toronto would have been better off stockpiling draft picks and prospects, some of which may never pan out. Keeping a player who has seen your organization through the good and the bad is something rarely seen in sports nowadays, and should be respected, if not treasured.

Because like a Stanley Cup championship, Leafs fans, you never know when you may see one again.