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OTTAWA -- The Florida Panthers have been put on notice, and the players say the message has been received. The Panthers fired head coach Kevin Dineen and assistants Gord Murphy and Craig Ramsay on Friday after the team got off to a dismal start to the regular season. More changes could still come if the team doesnt soon find a way to improve its on-ice performance. The Panthers have lost ten of their last eleven games, sit seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 3-9-4 record and are 27th in the league heading into Fridays games. "Its easier to fire a coach than to fire 23 players," general manager Dale Tallon said on a conference call earlier in the day. "But were on the phone constantly and were going to make changes as we go. We want people that want to be Panthers, and if they dont want to be well accommodate them. Right now Im dissatisfied with the effort from most of the guys and we need to be better." Peter Horachek, who had been coaching the teams American Hockey League affiliate in San Antonio, was named interim coach. Director of player development Brian Skrudland and professional scout John Madden will serve as assistant coaches. The Panthers took part in their first practice Friday with Horachek at the helm. Afterwards they said they were disappointed by Dineens firing and know its up to them to turn things around. "I think for us as players we definitely share or take most of the blame for what has gone on, but were trying to look forward now," said defenceman Brian Campbell. Players are well aware of the situation and say they control their own fate. "Who knows whos safe and what not, but now its just going out and playing the right way as a team," said Erik Gudbranson. "Weve put ourselves behind the eight ball early in this season and the only way that we can get out of it is within our dressing room and going out there and playing hard and playing the right way." When asked about Tallons comments on potential trades, Campbell admitted such things shouldnt even need to be said at this point. "I dont think Dale needs to say a word about that," said Campbell. "Us as players should realize that, but hopefully it can bring us together closer and we can think about the good times we had with Kevin and then move forward to hopefully great times ahead." Tallon met with reporters in Ottawa late Friday afternoon and said, "we need our better players to play better or I have to get better players." Rumours had been swirling for weeks that a change was likely imminent and Tallon said he felt a change was necessary. "Youve got to do something, you cant sit still when were doing this poorly," he said. "We have new ownership and they have high expectations of excellence and performance and so weve got to make sure and we had to change direction." Panthers owner Vinnie Viola, who bought the club in late September, wrote a letter to fans saying the change in direction was "absolutely necessary." "With 66 games remaining this season our expectations remain the same," Viola wrote. "We expect a team that plays hard, that sacrifices for each other, that gives everything they have for our fans and supporters, and a team that wins hockey games. By the end of this season we expect to be competing for a place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and we expect to have taken a significant step toward achieving the goals and objectives we have set for this franchise." With the Panthers playing the Senators Saturday afternoon Horachek, known as a no-nonsense coach, has little time to implement many changes, but he does hope the days events resonate with players. "I think the guys know theres a talent there, theres ability there and they have pride and they have to understand that theres a big responsibility on their backs for where they are and whats gone on," said Horachek. "I think theres a professionalism and they have to move forward here and do all the things necessary to be a competitive team, be where we need to be and how we need to play and I think they realize that. They feel good about committing and being part of that journey right now." Horacheck says its up to the players to look in the mirror and take responsibility for the situation. "We have to take a bigger, better approach on how we approach our day and how we approach ourselves," he said. "Are we prepared to practice, are we prepared to play? And how we want to go about that. What kind of team do we want to be? Do we want to be individuals or do we want to start playing the way were capable of playing?" When asked what the biggest problem has been this year Campbell summed it up fairly easily. "I think our consistency definitely," said Campbell. "We can be more consistent throughout a game, shift to shift. Expectations put on yourself, but also accountability. I dont think theres enough accountability right now put on each and everyone of us. I think thats something we need to change and expect everybody playing on the same page and nobody taking shortcuts." Tallons message to the players was simple. "Win a fourth game and go from there. Win the next game and be ready to play hard in that particular game." Dineen was 56-62-28 in parts of three seasons, leading the Panthers to the 2012 Southeast Division title and guiding the team into the playoffs for the first time since 2000. Tallon said Dineen has been offered a spot within the organization. -- With files from The Associated Press. New Balance 574 Mujer Baratas . 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Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. MANCHESTER, England -- A superstar in the United States, Kevin Durant has enjoyed being just a "regular person" during his time in Britain this week. On Tuesday, Durant was back to being the centre of attention. The Oklahoma City Thunder was behind 51-48 at halftime against Philadelphia 76ers in an NBA pre-season match in Manchester when Durant came alive, scoring 14 points in the third quarter to turn the game on its head and put his team 83-74 up. Durant stayed on the bench for the final quarter, giving him 21 points for the match, and although the Sixers pulled level at 85-85 with 8.43 minutes left, guard Reggie Jackson (29 points) led the Thunder home to a 103-99 victory. "I like what he has been doing in pre-season," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said of a player who has led the NBA in scoring in three separate seasons. "He has come back even better." Durant scored a game-high 24 points in the Thunders 95-82 victory over Fenerbahce Ulker of Turkey on Saturday but started slowly three days later, making just 3 from 10 from the field before halftime. If the Sixers thought he was off colour at that stage, they were to be mistaken. It wasnt just Durants third-quarter scoring, it was also his quick passing, his leadership. Barking orders from the bench during the fourth quarter, he could easily have been the Oklahoma City coach. "We demand a level of play and he is as coachable as any player I have seen in this league," Brooks said. "He is going to continue to get better. He has the talent, the skill, the body, the touch, the gifted game. But he also has an unmatched work ethic." Manchester can hardly be called the hotbed of basketball in Britain -- there were plenty of empty seats in the 21,000-capacity Phones 4u Arena -- but a sign of the sports growing appeal in the country is the staging of a regular-season NBA game between the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks in London in January.dddddddddddd And a slew of Premier League footballers, including Manchester United players Rio Ferdinand and David de Gea, were courtside to see the Thunder and the Sixers step up their preparations for the new NBA season. After missing out on the playoffs last season, the Sixers are in a rebuilding phase under new coach Brett Brown and have lost All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, who was traded to New Orleans on draft night. However, they held their own against one of the NBAs standout team for three quarters. It was Durants brilliance in the third quarter, which the Thunder won 35-23, that was the difference, along with 20 turnovers. "I am really proud of our guys," said Brown, who had 20 points from Tony Wroten. "I see carry-over (from training)," he added. "Thats the Holy Grail." Like the Thunder, Philadelphia has been on a week-long tour of Europe as the NBA looks to promote the sport around the world, and beat Bilbao Basket 106-104 in Spain on Sunday. The NBA season starts in three weeks time, but the league hasnt seen the back of Britain. "Its a great atmosphere here, the fans are unbelievable," said Durant, who won gold with the U.S. team at last years London Olympics. "I think they deserve basketball, especially regular-season basketball. Im sure well see that in the future." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '
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