This marks their chance. This move. This hire. This big-money, bigger-statement decision that started last week when Dale Tallon read Joel Quenneville wanted to coach again and called Florida Panthers owner Vinny Viola with the idea.
“This makes us relevant,’’ said Tallon, the Panthers vice president of hockey operations and general manager, after naming Quenneville as coach as Monday.
The franchise that can’t win has no excuses not to win now that they’ve got the second winningest NHL coach and a three-time Stanley Cup champion leading them.