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FLORIDA PANTHERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

January 2, 2016

Sunrise, Florida

THE MODERATOR: Here at the head table to discuss the announcement, are to my left, executive chairman Peter Luukko, vice chairman partner and alternate governor, Doug Cifu, general manager Dale Tallon, head coach Gerard Gallant and Associate GM Tom Rowe.

We'll start with opening comments from Dale, Peter and Doug and then we'll open it up to the floor for questions. Dale?

DALE TALLON: We are very pleased and very proud and very honored today to make this announcement. Gerard and I have been together now, this is our second season, and I couldn't be more proud of an affiliation. I'm very honored to be part of the Florida Panthers, and I want to thank Vinnie Viola and Doug Cifu for not only extending myself but to extend Gerard, so Gerard and I will be concurrent the next three years working side-by-side.

I can't think of a better person to work with, to be associated with in all my years, in 50 years in the NHL and hockey, I don't think I've met a better person than Gerard Gallant. His passion for the game, his professionalism, his character are impeccable and he's done a marvelous job for us. We're 18 games over .500 in less than 120 games in his coaching career here with us and with a young team. I'm thrilled to death to make this announcement today that we've extended him for two more years after, so we will be with him for the next three years.

PETER LUUKKO: Thanks, Dale. I, too, want to echo Dale's comments. I've had the opportunity to be around the NHL for a long period of time, and to see the way that Gerard handles these players. I think first when your coach checks his ego at the door, I think 22 other guys follow that. The way I've watched Gerard working with the veterans but more importantly our young guys, I think has been so impressive. So congratulations, Coach. It's great to see.

I think, really, what these moves do, re-signing deal and extending Gerard also, along with the deal we just cut with the county, really gives us the stability the franchise needs to succeed, both in the business side and as well as the hockey side. I think that's very important. Unfortunately the franchise has not had much stability, so I think our message to the marketplace, certainly, is that we are stable not only from the business but the hockey side and our next steps will be to extend our players and re-sign our players.

DOUG CIFU: Thank you very much, Peter. Peter, I think you really hit it on the head. When Vinnie Viola and I bought this team in September of 2013, we talked at the original press conference about creating a culture of winning and creating stability for the long-term in south Florida. There had been a lot of ownership changes, GMs, a lot of coaches and we really wanted to find the right character of people to run this franchise for the long term and frankly it's the four gentlemen on this table that Vinnie and are very, very comfortable with. It's not necessarily just about wins and losses -- yes, the goal every year is to win a Stanley Cup and if we don't, it's failure. And that's the only thing that this organization is about is winning the Stanley Cup every year.

But it's also about creating the stability and the character within the franchise that will enable us to be a champion. If you look at the consistency of the great organizations in sports, I start with my New York Giants, look at the Patriots, look at the Detroit Red Wings, look at the Chicago Blackhawks, the common thread is, the consistency instilled from the top by the ownership of the organization, but also the GM and the coaches and in Tom's case, the associate GM.

I've worked very, very closely with each of these gentlemen, Tom, Gerard and Dale have taken way too many phone calls and texts and conference calls with me and taught me a lot about hockey and enabled Vinnie and I to get very, very comfortable with their style of leadership and the way they pick and identify players. Vinnie and I could not be happier to have this leadership team.

The three guys you see to my left are going to be leading the Florida Panthers for at least the next three years and we hope to many, many playoff wins and filling this building and hopefully a handful of Stanley Cups, as well.

So guys, thank you very much for your belief in I, belief in Vinnie and myself. And to Gerard and Pam, I know you guys love it down here and really thrilled that you'll be in the South Florida community for the next three years.

Q. Coach Gallant, obviously you had one year left on this contract, but to get to the extra two, what does that mean to you as far as security and what it means to have obviously the stability of this front office moving forward?
GERARD GALLANT: Well, obviously it's great. I mean, I was a little surprised a couple days ago when they mentioned it to me, but when they brought Tom and Dale and they extended both of them and brought Tom in and then I guess the next step was to talk to me about an extension. I guess to me, I was a little surprised but I was really happy. (Laughter).

Obviously when you have 18 months left on your contract and they ask if you want an extension -- they treated me really fairly and I'm happy and things have gone well here lately and it's been fun and the last month and a half has been good for the organization. Obviously I'm very happy and I thank these people up here, the management staff, everyone, I really appreciate it.

Q. Doug, inquiring minds might want to know: Did the December winning streak have any play into re-upping these guys now?
DOUG CIFU: Obviously we wanted to -- because of the excitement of what's been going on and the fact the team has been doing well, we wanted to have the announcement. But we've been talking, frankly for months, about the direction of this organization. And Vinnie and I don't make judgments based on winning streaks or losing streaks for that matter.

It's really about the consistency and stability and gets back to the character of these three guys and how comfortable we are with how they will communicate with each other, how they will be open and fair with the players. And frankly, obviously, we are very happy with the product that we see on the ice because we see 20 guys every night that are hustling, that are playing well, that are playing a team concept and that have really bought into Gerard's vision. Every player that I've interacted with in his tenure has heard the same things over and over about Gerard: That he's consistent, that he's fair, that he gets the most out of the players, that he doesn't play favorites, that he doesn't talk to the players through you guys, which I think is a great skill -- sorry about that, Harvey.

Vinnie and I don't make snap decisions. We like to run organizations with people that we care a great deal about and have a great deal of confidence in, and that's what we have with each of the four guys up here.

Q. Dale, what are some of Gerard's better traits as a coach? How critical was it that he was so good working with the young kids like he did in juniors, and have you seen that translate to this young team?
DALE TALLON: Well, no doubt. I think we are ahead of schedule. I think because of Gerard and his coaching staff, and because of his relationship with our young guys, and also we have a separation, we have very young and we have guys that are on the -- that are older.

So that's not an easy task, and he's been able to communicate with both. That's what we saw in him when we interviewed him and we talked to him; the fact that he went back to junior and worked with kids and had success with kids and was good with them, and then also, he played in the league and has had experience with veteran players, as well, and the fact that he's been able to work with both of them and get the best out of all of them at the same time, speaks volumes about his ability to communicate and to treat people fairly.

Q. Gerard, there's been a lot of talk about what you do and they are impressed with you. When you first went and talked to Vinnie, Doug and Dale, what made you think that this was a situation that could succeed? Obviously the year before you took over, only 66 points.
GERARD GALLANT: Well, obviously you talk to people around the league and, you know, playing against this team with all their young players and all their prospects coming up, anybody that was working in the league alike -- I was with Montreal at that time knew this team was going to take off. It's just a matter of time and the right direction, and the right ownership group and everything.

When they talked to me in the summertime, I was pretty excited to get the interview, first of all, and then when I met Dale, we talked for four or five hours one day and then I had the opportunity to fly to New York and meet with Doug and Vinnie and met them a couple times. They wanted to know what kind of coach I was, what I was going to bring to the table and I said, I'm Gerard Gallant, I'm going to come and work and have fun every day with the guys. It's not like I -- we just talked about how we are going to win, how we are going to get better and how I'm going to treat people. That was the biggest thing.

It was a lot of fun and like I said, I was excited when I got this job because I knew this team was going to take off and it's been really exciting to watch the last two years.

Q. Today Jagr was named captain of the All-Star Game and you have an opportunity perhaps to coach that team. What's it mean to have Jagr and would you like to be there and coach that and have that opportunity?
GERARD GALLANT: You know what, you don't think a whole lot about that. I'd like to be there because if I'm there that means we're in first place in our division at that time so that would be really exciting. For Jagr, I think he talked about it a month ago, three-on-three might kill him for a full game. He's having fun with it and I'm sure once he goes there he'll have a lot of fun and he'll enjoy himself. It's a great honor. He's having a great year and he's a future Hall of Fame hockey player and it's well deserved for him.

Q. How much would you say you've evolved as a head coach since your first tenure, your first stint?
GERARD GALLANT: No idea. I mean, the first opportunity I got, was I ready, I think I was but some people would say no. I think going back to junior was a big thing for me, getting a lot of conditions.

We had an unbelievable team, I was fortunate to go to Saint John and I think we had ten or 11 players on that team that are playing in the National Hockey League today.

So it's pretty unbelievable the skill level we had. You didn't do a whole lot of coaching, just let them go and stay out of their way and you're going to win every night.

The biggest thing about coaching now is you make your decisions and you're confident with your decisions. The first time around, you're a young head coach, rookie head coach and you're not quite sure, you're always second guessing yourself. Now you make your decisions and you feel comfortable making those decisions.

Q. When you first came here, Dale went out of his way to bring in a lot of veteran leadership; how much easier has that made your job?
GERARD GALLANT: It's huge. Those guys are huge. Coaches aren't in the dressing rooms all the time. Your veteran players have to take care of your dressing rooms. Coaches do practice and the right thing with game preparation -- as many young kids as we got and they showed them the way. Those guys you just mentioned and other guys, they are a big part of the coaching staff. I've got some great assistant coaches that spend more time with the players, too, and they do a great job for us and sometimes the head coach gets all the credit but our staff is a real good staff and real good people.

Q. Thornton said the communication is the best he's ever seen on this team with the coaches staff. Can you talk about how much you delegate and how important that is?
GERARD GALLANT: We delegate a lot. People that are around the team know that Mike Kelly runs the power play, John Madden runs the penalty kill, we discuss it all the time and go over stuff like that. Those guys do a lot of the coaching. We work together as a staff. It's not about we want it done the head coach's way. It's about sitting down and communicating. The penalty kill is not going good, it's not just me and John, Mike and Tommy will throw a few comments, but we'll sit and talk and discuss things and it's about the staff and it's not about one guy.

Q. Tom, you came from outside this a couple years ago, took over in San Antonio. What have you seen from this organization as far as the prospects and all that, and a little bit about your excitement level to be part of this management staff now.
TOM ROWE: Well, the excitement level is through the roof to get this opportunity to work with Dale. Dale's reputation of putting together championship teams is well known, and so I'm going to get a chance to work with him very closely.

Obviously the ownership group here is very stable, and listening to Doug and Vinnie's vision is something I wanted to be a part of. I think everything's played out exactly how we had hoped it would be. I think the way Gerard has the team playing, what really opened my eyes is in New Jersey one night, I think Florida went in there and really dominated and did a heck of a job. They had a lot of guys from the farm team come in, and what every play has told me when they have comeback down, how much they love playing for Gerard.

When you talk about this generation of players, they are very educated, they are very intelligent, they know systems and they just want to be told the truth and that's what Gerard brings to the table and they love playing for him. Like Gerard said, you have a great coaching staff here that really rounds out the whole picture and makes it a real dynamic staff with a really dynamic group of players that the sky is the limit.

Q. We talk so much about the young players, but with this new extension, how satisfying is it for you to see them take -- that you'll be here for them to take that next step, and you get to be there and coach them along?
GERARD GALLANT: Well, I don't think the extension guarantees I'm going to be there but as long as we keep playing the way we are, things are going to be real good. (Laughter).

You know what, obviously like I said, and the first comments, I still had 18 months left on my deal so I was a little bit surprised but very excited with the tension and knowing you have three and a half years left with this hockey team. I look at the team and you talk about all our young players and there's a great core of players coming up and I see the team taking off and getting better and better every game. It's been fun the last month.

There's going to be some rough spots but we are working hard and the team is getting better. People see our team and know when we come in any building we can beat any team any given night. We are not lucky anymore. We play a good brand of hockey and we have some good players so the talent level is there and it's just going to get better.

Q. Can you talk about what your extension means to you?
DALE TALLON: Well, I'm not getting any younger and I want to win multiple Cups so let's get it done now. Listen, for two years, I've been through a few different regimes and now I've got stability thanks to Vinnie and Doug. They have given us the tools to be successful: Open line of communication, stability, guidance, leadership, all of these things they give to make my job a lot easier. To be included here now for the next three years -- I'm full of tea and vinegar; I'm not as old as I look. I feel really good and I feel really young and I'm ready to kick some you know what.

We want to win multiple Cups and I'm excited about this opportunity. I don't want to be anywhere else. I love it here and we've got great kids. We've put a lot of hard work into drafting and mentoring these kits. We are not anywhere near where we are going to be yet. We have a great group of young kids coming, as well. It's all good and very exciting. I want to make sure I finish the job properly.

Q. Dale, for your first however many years here, it was about the rebuilding process and the future and now this team, everyone says they are a playoff team and the players say they are a playoff team. How much does it change going into work knowing you can focus on the present?
DALE TALLON: When you start building a team, you have to fill 15 or 18 players, and then you get it down to ten and then you get it down to five and hopefully we're down to two or maybe we're at where we need to be now. You never know. But we're just going to keep adding pieces to this puzzle now. It's taken a lot of work to pull it all together, but the future is so bright, it's starting to -- the suffering when you're losing a lot and things are not going well, you're starting to now enjoy the games instead of going -- I always said I was going to war with a pea shooter before, but now we have some ammunition.

Q. Peter and Doug, how important is it that you guys have that deal with Broward County and you have your front office locked up, you are getting some of your young kids locked up, for stability, to show fans you are not going anywhere and this is a legit organization, legit NHL team, not only nationally but locally?
PETER LUUKKO: I think having been with a franchise that consistently won, the message to the fans was always stability and committed to winning championships.

And that's not just with the team side, but certainly on the business side. So our ability now to have got this deal done, that we are here the next 13 years, we'll have the capital to continue to improve the building and by the way, this is one of the nicest buildings in the National Hockey League. We are sitting in a beautiful room right here. Has so much potential here.

So to be able to build off of that and really just go to work, and I think you heard from Gerard, Tommy and Doug, you want to win but you want to have fun while doing it.

So all of our staff, when you have stability, you can begin to have that fun and then that fun translates certainly into the marketplace. We are going to sell out tonight. You saw the Columbus game, it was outstanding. The Montreal game was 60 percent Florida fans, we didn't think we were in Montreal. So the message is beginning to resonate into the marketplace and it's all because of, obviously the winning is very, very important but the stability is second to none.

DOUG CIFU: I'll echo what Peter said. I think it was a distraction and I was surprised because occasionally even players would ask me about it. We had to get this done. I've been preaching from the top of the mountain since we bought this team that we were not moving.

I made funny jokes about Quebec and Hartford and Vegas and other places folks on Twitter like to speculate about. Hopefully once and for all, we have put it to bed and we are not moving. We are here, we have a 13-year lease with Broward County and we'll be here beyond that. I think creating that stability and allowing the team and the sales staff and Peter and Dale and Tommy just to do their job, and not worry about all the BS of the outside world and all the speculation largely from Quebec that we were moving up there, I think it's been a huge weight that's just lifted from this franchise. So everybody knows, we are not going anywhere, people should buy their season tickets because we are going to be here for a long time winning a lot of championships.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks for coming, everyone.

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