The 47-year-old Dineen replaces Peter DeBoer, who was fired on April 10 after three seasons at the helm. Last year, the Panthers finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 30-40-12 and missed the playoffs for the 10th straight time.
"It is with great pleasure that I welcome Kevin Dineen to the Florida Panthers organization," said Florida general manager Dale Tallon. "Kevin brings to our organization more than 25 years of playing and coaching experience. For the last several years, Kevin has been regarded as one of the top head coaches in the American Hockey League. He is a player's coach who understands our team's philosophy and direction, and (is) someone who will guide the Panthers to future success.
Dineen was named head coach of the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League in the summer of 2005 and was honored the following season as the most outstanding coach in the league after racking up a 53-19-8 record.
Dineen will be the teams 11th head coach in their 17 year history. Dineen's had a pretty good coaching career in the AHL and I really like the hire. Hopefully him and Tallon can finally turn this franchise around.
What do you guys think about the move? And where do you see this team going in the next 5 years?
