"Not much going on right now, what with GM Randy Sexton in Rochester and the Panthers not playing for a few days.

The big news around town is the return of Jay Bouwmeester.

'Big Bo' returns to the BankAtlantic Center on Friday night for the first time since he played his final game there with the Panthers on April 11, 2009.

Bouwmeester refused to sign a long-term deal with the Panthers and, in June, was traded to Calgary where he almost immediately signed a five-year pact with the Flames.

One of the reasons Bouwmeester wanted out of Florida was because of the lack of passion that exists for hockey in the sunny south.

In Calgary, the hockey team is the biggest thing going. Teammates in Florida weren't exactly surprised when he left after seven years with the franchise.

"I'm used to playing with him, not against him, but when the game starts, that's out the door,'' said Stephen Weiss, Bouwmeester's teammate since 2002. "We'll get our hellos in before the game, but then it's all business. We were pretty close. We came here at about the same time, spent a lot of time in the early years together. We became pretty close buddies.''"