FLORIDA PANTHERS OPEN NEW PRACTICE FACILITY IN FORT LAUDERDALE

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – Shortly before noon Friday, Florida coach Paul Maurice skated onto what was a pristine piece of center ice over the Panthers’ red and blue logo.

By 12:10 p.m., that patch of ice was all scraped up – after skate blades dug into it for the first time.

It was a wonderful problem for the Panthers to finally have. They got onto the ice at their new-to-them facility for the first time Friday, practicing at the War Memorial in downtown Fort Lauderdale more than 2 1/2 years after the team started remodeling what is now a 73-year-old building.

“We’ve been working on this for a number of years now,” Panthers president and CEO Matthew Caldwell said. “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 name of the new facility: The Baptist Health IcePlex at FTL War Memorial. The building itself dates back to 1950 and the Panthers unveiled plans to remodel it and turn it into their practice home – replete with two sheets of ice, a restaurant, 1,000 seats for fans to watch practices, retail space and an outdoor concert venue – go back to a groundbreaking in May 2021.

The plan then was to spend $65 million. The final number was significantly higher. And it’s not done yet; workers were literally tending to landscaping outside and countless projects inside on Friday, but the team portion is complete. A formal grand opening is set for early 2024.

Caldwell is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, as is Panthers owner Vincent Viola. They were approached by Fort Lauderdale city officials to gauge interest in updating the War Memorial, and quickly decided to go forward.

“To be able to honor veterans … we feel right at home,” Caldwell said.

The War Memorial is about a 25-minute drive from Amerant Bank Arena, where the Panthers play home games, and is about the same distance from the team’s former practice home. But many players live much closer to the War Memorial site – as evidenced by some of them driving golf carts to work on Friday.

“You have to take care of your players,” Caldwell said.

(Associated Press)