Panthers ask county for more money, says they lose $20 million per year

The Florida Panthers are not very good. That manifests itself in the team's fifth-worst record in the league, and haphazardly extends to incidents like maintenance being unable to remove the cardboard casing from a replacement glass pane in the boards.

But now, the team's struggles reportedly are extending off the ice, and according to a piece in the Sun Sentinel, the team is asking Broward county to help with it's struggles.

According to the report, Panthers President Michael Yormark said the franchise is losing more than $20 million a year, and has requested the team receive additional tourism taxes to help pay off $70 million in arena costs he says the team currently pays out of its own pocket.

The article does point out that records indicate the Panthers make a profit from arena operations, which include concerts and other events besides hockey games, but it's the team that's losing money. SB Nation's Defending Big D took a deep look into this clever bookmaking back during the 2012 NHL lockout.

Yormark had this to say about the situation:

"I think the community wants a healthy arena,'' Yormark said. "They want a healthy sports team. They want the benefit that a professional sports team and world-class entertainment brings to their community.''

It's interesting for him to bring up a "healthy sports team," as the Panthers certainly haven't been the banner NHL franchise in their recent seasons.

The county took notice of that, and one of the provisions in the proposed change (which needs the approval of a nine-member Broward County Commission) states, "The Panthers would commit to investing in hockey team payroll 'at a level competitive with the rest of the National Hockey League.''

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