That's why the Cats' wild downhill sluice head-on into a tree, with one of hockey's worst records, rewrites the standard for local underachievement. No Heat team has underperformed as much based on expectations. No Dolphins team, either. That came amid a run of mediocrity. It didn't shock like this Panthers season has.
Hockey ends here for now with everything in flux, with questions all over the ice and beyond.
There is no owner right now. There is no coach right now. There is no captain right now. There hasn't been one since Scott Mellanby was traded, underlining the image of a rudderless, listing ship. There is no general manager.