November 7
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Alan Cohen's days as majority owner of the Panthers are numbered, as two partners in his ownership group are expected to take control of the team, sources said. Panthers Vice Chairman Cliff Viner and Managing Director Stu Siegel, both Boca Raton businessmen, have reached agreement to buy as much as half of Cohen's approximately 43 percent share of the team, a source said. They will become co-general partners, other sources said. The agreement has not been signed but is expected to be announced next week. Cohen is to retain a stake but will no longer be making team decisions. Panthers fans are desperate for change. The team has not made the playoffs since 2000, the longest playoff drought ..."
November 6
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Florida Panthers winger David Booth said Thursday he expects to start exercising in the next day or two, though doctors won't allow him to do anything more strenuous than about 10 minutes on a bike. Booth has been restricted from physical activity since suffering his first-ever concussion Oct. 24 during a game against the Flyers in Philadelphia. He said he has gone for walks and relaxed in the pool. "You start to get anxious when you haven't done anything for so long," Booth said. "This is the longest I've ever gone without doing anything. I don't like it, but it is part of the process and you have to stick with the program." Booth said Thursday he felt much better than the days ..."
October 27
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The big question was: How good are the Thrashers? The bigger question is: How good are the Thrashers without Ilya Kovalchuk? The high-scoring forward suffered a broken bone in his right foot Saturday night and is expected to miss four weeks, the team announced after its star player underwent a CT scan Monday. The team captain who was tied for the NHL lead with nine goals, Kovalchuk was hit in the foot by a shot during the first period of the 4-3 loss to San Jose. "It's never good when you lose your best player, top scorer, captain," defenseman Zach Bogosian said. "There is not much we can do about it. We just have to come together as a team and step up. That's the bottom line. Everyone ..."
October 25
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The Thrashers lost more than a game Saturday. They lost Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk took a shot off his foot in the first period and did not return in a 4-3 loss to San Jose. The exact nature and extent of the injury was not immediately known. Thrashers coach John Anderson said Kovalchuk would visit a doctor Monday to determine the next course of action. "He'll have a scan and an X-ray, and we'll figure out what it is," Anderson said. "He was walking, but tentatively, otherwise he would have come back and played." The Thrashers' captain, who entered the game tied for the NHL lead with nine goals, played only 3 minutes, 54 seconds in four shifts. It was another slow start that led to the ..."
October 25
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Panthers' forward David Booth spent Saturday night at a local hospital after receiving a vicious hit to the head late in the second period of Saturday night's 5-1 loss to the Flyers at Wachovia Center. The extent of Booth's injury wasn't known after the game. Panthers' general manager Randy Sexton, who spoke briefly to the doctor who treated Booth at Methodist Hospital in South Philadelphia, said it appeared Booth suffered a concussion, but that he was conscious when he was wheeled off the ice on a stretcher and could move his extremities. Assistant team trainer Steve Dischiavi, who rode in the ambulance with Booth, stayed with him at the hospital while the team flew home. "They did some ..."
October 24
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Goaltender Kari Lehtonen is no closer to returning to the Thrashers than he was soon after offseason back surgery. According to Thrashers general manager Don Waddell, Lehtonen again experienced pain in his legs while rehabbing from July surgery to repair a herniated disc. He recently received another epidural injection to reduce inflammation, and he has stopped skating. Waddell said Friday that Lehtonen is scheduled for another examination by doctors to determine the next course of action. Waddell said he would not label the current situation a setback. "When you are dealing with the back, everyone heals at a different rate," Waddell said. "He is progressing very slowly." Lehtonen signed a ..."