In what may have been the final full on-ice practice of what has been a disappointing season, Tom Rowe pulled his team to the side with a message to finish strong, play the right way.
The Florida Panthers have not done a lot of that lately, one reason why Rowe will not return as their coach next season.
Rowe admitted Wednesday his job was to get the Panthers into the playoffs.
They didn’t make it and now someone else will run practices and coach this team next season.
“It’s frustrating. I was the guy who was supposed to get the team there and didn’t,” Rowe said in a candid media session Wednesday at BB&T Center.