I’ve attended over 500 home Panther games (probably over 550 if I counted). I am a charter season ticket holder and for the first 10 years, I missed at most handful of games (one due to surgery and one due to a bar mitzvah). I’ve been to many road games as well.
This was one of the worst, if not the worst, Panther game I’ve ever seen in person. The team didn’t play worth a damn. A bunch of old ladies with walkers could have beaten them. It was a shameful, embarrassing effort. And this kind of half-hearted, disinterested effort happens more and more. We have — on paper — the talent and it repeatedly comes down to one thing: coaching. The game has changed since the lockout and Jacques Martin hasn’t. It’s the GM’s job to fire a bad coach, but Martin won’t fire himself. However, he needs to be fired even if it’s with the help of our meddling, star-struck owner. Honestly, I like Mr. Martin as a GM and I have no problems with him staying in that capacity but as coach, HE MUST GO.
After the game I and several other fans encouraged everyone to bring a “FIRE MARTIN” sign to the next game (Friday 1 February 2008). Please bring a sign, poster, flag, or banner to the next game that says “FIRE MARTIN” or “MARTIN MUST GO” and wave it proudly, shove it against the glass, hang it over the ledge, and do something to show team management that their absurd complacency is not appreciated and cannot be tolerated any longer.
AND MAKE SURE YOUR FRIENDS DO THE SAME.
Even my nearby seat-mate for the game, 4 year old Shane mocked Martin for his stupidity — truly sad for Martin when a 4 year old learning hockey can figure out what’s gone wrong on the ice and Martin cannot. Martin appears to be incompetent — sad because he isn’t.
SAVE OUR TEAM — FIRE MARTIN!
Seriously, PLEASE get everyone you know to bring SIGNS to the next game. Signs, Banners, Posters, anything. We must get him removed. We cannot let our team languish near the bottom of the NHL standings for yet another year.