Vinnie Viola made his megabucks on the financial market by forging his own path thanks in part to doing things outside the box.
Now, it seems, the majority owner of the Florida Panthers has chosen a similar route with his NHL staff, opting to go all-in on a hockey department based on a groundwork of analytics, one that has never been seen to this extent at the sport's highest level.
The decision has rekindled the at-times ugly debate on social media between the advanced stats fraternity and the old schoolers who insist heart and hockey sense can not tangibly be measured by numbers.