SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers, after years of planning how to make such an endeavor happen, are about to put a whole bunch of new players into their uniforms.
The targets: girls.
The Panthers unveiled plans Monday for a girls travel hockey program that will begin play out of the team's current and former practice facilities later this year. It comes on the heels of USA Hockey sweeping Olympic golds — men's, sled and women's — at the Milan Cortina Games this winter and has been a project Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito has wanted to tackle for some time.
“Actually, the perfect time probably would have been 15 years ago," Zito said. "But now we have the chance.”
The Panthers hired Rob Granato as youth travel hockey director as part of the move unveiled Monday, and he'll oversee the team's boys and girls youth programs. Granato — the brother of women's hockey legend Cammi Granato — has a decades-long relationship with Zito, even serving as linemates together in a Chicago summer league with Cammi Granato as the center.
“If you look at hockey, it has grown pretty much everywhere," Rob Granato said. “There are girls that played here (and) they’ve had to leave the area if they want to continue their path. Now we want to make sure they’ve got an opportunity here, in our buildings, to stay in their own beds, not travel far to play other teams. And there’s enough players now.”
The Panthers said the programs will have an emphasis on development while still providing a pathway to national-level competitions. Interest in the new girls teams, Zito said, has been extremely high in recent weeks even before the team officially revealed the plan to add the programs.
It's not the first time the Panthers have focused on female players. Girls are part of some of their programs now, and last year the team unveiled a learn-to-play program for girls and women age 14 and older who had not previously played.
And youth hockey has exploded in Florida in recent years, with the total number of players registered with USA Hockey in the Sunshine State going from 9,363 in 2005-06 to 22,888 (a 144.5% increase) a year ago.
“It's been amazing," Zito said.
Zito said he also hopes it even appeals to older kids, pointing out that Panthers great and Hall of Fame goaltender Roberto Luongo didn't start concentrating on hockey until he was 14.
“So, if you’re 14 and you’re listening to this and you want to play hockey, you can play hockey — and you might make it to the Hall of Fame," Zito said. "There isn’t a rule that says you can’t start later, that it’s impossible. Of course you can. Come and play fun. And just enjoy it."
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