FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Aaron Ekblad drove to work on Friday morning in a golf cart. Some of his Florida Panthers teammates did the identical. And Panthers coach Paul Maurice skipped autos completely, strolling to the workplace earlier than dawn as an alternative.
These long-awaited perks for the Panthers are actually actuality.
The Panthers obtained onto the ice at their new-to-them facility for the primary time Friday, training on the War Memorial in downtown Fort Lauderdale greater than 2 1/2 years after the crew began reworking what’s now a 73-year-old constructing.
Many Panthers gamers and coaches dwell in that a part of Fort Lauderdale, close to the ocean. The commute to work, for some, has been greater than half-hour – typically rather more the half-hour – every method. Not anymore; Maurice’s stroll was about 8 minutes and Ekblad’s drive lasted about 5 minutes Friday.
“And I took the long way,” Ekblad stated.
It was shortly earlier than midday Friday when Maurice skated onto what was a pristine piece of heart ice over the Panthers’ purple and blue brand. By 12:10 p.m., that patch of ice was appropriately scraped up – after skate blades dug into it for the primary time.
It was a beautiful drawback for the Panthers to lastly have. The ice obtained rave evaluations, too.
“We’ve been working on this for a number of years now,” Panthers president and CEO Matthew Caldwell stated. “A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into making this first class. And to have our first practice today, I just saw the players and they were overwhelmed. We’re just blown away.”
The formal title of the brand new facility: The Baptist Health IcePlex at FTL War Memorial. The constructing itself dates again to 1950 and the Panthers unveiled plans to rework it and switch it into their observe dwelling – replete with two sheets of ice, a restaurant, 1,000 seats for followers to look at practices, retail house and an out of doors live performance venue – return to a groundbreaking in May 2021.
The plan then was to spend $65 million. The closing quantity was considerably increased. And it’s not performed but; employees had been actually tending to landscaping exterior and numerous tasks inside on Friday, however the crew portion resembling the primary rink, locker room, video room and coaches’ house is full. A proper grand opening is ready for early 2024.
“You want to play and you want to win. That has to be priority one,” Maurice stated. “And then you want an opportunity to enjoy life, and boy, we’ve got it. This setup is going to be as good as there is in the league. And when you’ve got some lifestyle pieces to it as well, this is an exciting day for us. It really is.”
Caldwell is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, as is Panthers proprietor Vincent Viola. They had been approached by Fort Lauderdale metropolis officers to gauge curiosity in updating the War Memorial, and shortly determined to go ahead.
“To be able to honor veterans … we feel right at home,” Caldwell stated.
The War Memorial is a couple of 25-minute drive from Amerant Bank Arena, the place the Panthers play dwelling video games, with the crew’s former observe dwelling a bit additional to the northwest. But many gamers dwell a lot nearer to the War Memorial web site – as evidenced by a few of them driving golf carts to work. There are outside coaching areas, a terrace with barbecues for gamers to grill, lounge areas to chill out or watch video games and 24-hour entry for gamers to work out or get therapy.
“There’s so much functionality,” Panthers common supervisor Bill Zito stated. “But I think the most important part is that it’s home.”
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