See the training facility every summer.

Now, you actually, we'll have a stall in the locker room.

Uh, what does it mean to be back home truly back home?

About what?

You kind of wanted to be here for several years now.

Yeah.

I mean, I think everybody is aware of you know, what's happened with my situation over the last couple of years.

And to be honest with you, when that whole thing went down with me originally, it was the year that the Panthers made the playoffs.

They really got me excited and thinking that it would be great.

Thio come back here and and possibly rejoin the team, and it took a while, but, uh, you know, uh, there was some other themes that were involved along the way, But in the end, I think you know, when I was least expecting it, something happened.

So, you know, I'm here today and I'm excited about this.

This new opportunity moving forward here.

Roberto George Richards, Miami Herald.

How are you?

Just a little.

When you left that night in Vancouver during the Mike Keenan air, a lot has changed.

You said yesterday that there's new ownership.

Did you feel that there's a brighter future ahead here for the Panthers?

Yeah, for sure.

I mean, uh, uh, that's one of the main reasons why I'm here.

Um, I think I put a lot of faith in my agent when he made this, uh, you know, put this plan in motion.

And, um, obviously, a lot of people think I want to come here and right into the sunset, but that's not what it's all about.

Um, I'm here to win, and I want to, you know, bring this team back in the playoffs.

Um, and I think when you ownership in and the promises they made, I think, uh, it's a good start, and hopefully we can bring some guys in and help the young guys move along, and that'd be a contender.

Roberto Charlie McCarthy, Fox Sports Florida.

Welcome.

What's your fondest memory of your first time here?

And why did you want to come back here so desperately supposed to go someplace else?

Uh, well, I mean, Flora was an option.

I think it was one of the options.

It was, uh, originally, you know, I wanted to move back.

Thio, you know, down south somewhere closer to home.

Uh, obviously the other teams opened up as I saw that things were getting difficult, but, um, you know, the and this is my home.

I spend my off season this year.

Uh, it will be my home when I retire.

So, um, you know, it made sense.

You know, when When all the things started to happen for me.

So as far as my greatest memory, uh, I got a lot, but I think the one I remember the most is probably the Detroit game, Uh, 63 shots or something like that.

So, uh, when the announcer announced that during the game in the maiI scored, the game was over.

Roberto, back on this side.

Tim Reynolds of the AP.

Oh, you have gone through so much, obviously.

I mean, and it's all well chronicled, and you don't need to review it all.

But is there a little part of you?

Even after all you've done to gold three Vesna finalists.

All that stuff Is there still a little part of you that says that you have something to prove out on the ice?

For sure.

I think you always feel like you have something to prove.

Um, there's always somebody behind you looking to take your job, and you have to have that desire to always get better and be the best.

So to me, that's what it's all about.

And, you know, I've seen it firsthand that it's Ah, you know, you could lose your job to younger somebody.

That's younger somebody.

It's better that comes along and has that fire as well.

So you just got to keep pushing and I'll be doing that till the day that I don't have that anymore.

And when that day comes, that's a veil.

I'll step aside.

Roberto, can you walk us through how yesterday went?

When did you first learn that this deal was in motion, though you were woken up with the news that it was done?

But did you go through the morning skate in Phoenix?

No.

One.

This could happen because not all I think I was getting ready to play.

I had no idea anything serious was going down.

I mean, there was always a few rumors floating around, but I've been hearing those for a couple of years now, so I don't really make much of them Um and I was just getting ready to play.

I mean, uh, I was I was during my pregame nap, and all of a sudden I got the call.

So, um, it kind of happened really quick and got caught me off guard.

And, you know, to be honest with you, I was I was, uh I was so caught off guard that I'm still a little bit of this belief of what's going on, you know?

So I'm really excited just to get on the ice tomorrow and practice with my new teammates.

Justo, get a little sense of normalcy back.

So much has been made of your so called feud with Tim Thomas.

Apparently, there will tell a slave that he spoke to Tim today.

And clearly Hey, wanted to be traded.

They didn't think it would work.

Possibly he wanted to start just like you do.

Could you have coexisted with Tim, you and that?

That would have been a pretty formidable tandem when you say Yeah, I could for sure.

I mean, I'm an easy guy.

I mean, I make jokes and stuff like that, but, uh, you know, that's a long time ago.

I always get along with all of my backups or when I'm the backup with starter, whatever, whatever the case is.

But, uh, yeah, I mean, that would have been a problem.

I think you know, I'm a pro, and I know Timmy's a pro, so it would have been a problem.

Hey, Jameson Cooper, Panther Parkway.

The past few seasons, you've kind of been embattled and was just a goaltender battle between you Schneider lack.

How does it feel to come here and finally know that you're the number one guy after a couple of years of kind of having that hanging over your head?

Uh, yeah.

I mean, it feels good.

I think, um, you know, first and foremost feels good to, you know, to feel wanted from from an organization.

I think that's that's great.

Um, you know, going into this season, you know, I thought of myself as a number one, and obviously until the last week or so, things changed quite a bit.

But you know, that's what I'm all about, it like that.

I thrive on on playing.

I like to play a lot.

I think the more I play, the better I feel in the ice.

So, uh, you just wanna have that peace of mind that no matter what happens out there, you know, you know you're gonna have the next game and don't have to worry about that stuff and just focus on plane Roberto.

Hell, have it with the Palm Beach Post.

Welcome back.

Um, a lot of been made people doing the math of how old you are now, how long your contract does and how old you would be at the end of your contract.

Can you give us a sense if you have some on how long you intend to play?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Hopefully till the end of the contract.

That be nice, huh?

You know, there's two things that they're gonna decide that first is my desire to win, which is probably at its highest right now, So that's good.

And I obviously, you know, my body, uh, how it's gonna hold up, You know, once I get into my older the latter part of the contract.

So you know, I've been healthy most of my career.

I've been had any major injuries.

So, you know, who knows?

I mean, I love to play until till I get into my forties.

But the fact that I'm playing here and Florida really makes it easier for me to keep playing, as opposed to maybe thinking about stopping Roberto Bob Weeks TSN Could you just give us a sense of your emotions right now?

Is there a sense of relief that this deal is done or excitement?

And you could put that into words?

It's It's a lot of mixed emotions, believe it or not, I think definitely excited, that's for sure.

I think you know this new opportunity.

Um, it's gonna be great.

I know this this season there's only 20 games left and probably not gonna make the playoffs.

But, uh, just the future and next year and looking forward.

Thio working Ah, great young core group on bringing in some some veterans is something that's, uh, you know, exciting to me and just, uh, just looking forward to it in general, tow this new chapter of my career.

And even though you know I did request to trade a couple years ago, it's still sad for me.

Oh, leave especially, you know, during the season when you're so much invested in playing for a team.

And you know, when your team mates and stuff like that, there's drop that and move everything.

Thio join another team, and it's still tough shocked that you Vancouver's two points out of a playoff spot.

And obviously, Corey's gone.

Your gun going with?

I know you like Eddie, but pretty untested.

You shot just from that aspect of it.

Um, I don't know.

I mean that he's played well.

So, uh, I'm not surprised from that that point.

I mean, he's he's, uh, you know, he's played really well the games he's played, he's got great talent.

So he is a rookie, but I think you can handle the load.

Um, I'm just shocked that I got traded because of all the stuff that's happened, that's That's the bottom line, I think, you know, especially with my contract and all that kind of stuff and all the talk about it in the last year.

So that's what surprised me more than anything that was able to get traded and especially during the season in shut short notice.

So if you could indulge me for just a second and final say, Steve, you play.

If you could answer a question.

Just a general sense of what you feel about the trade waste you call a brutish monster.

Shark fish.

My difference.

He makes tea The backpack to the king's ASIO.

It's gonna bone jungle the water, activate the attack on the city.

He, uh, left, uh, right.

The amnesia is river Mama.

Uh, See them.

Let me see.

That should take it.

Slow down, and then he sees it.

Roberto Courtney Fallon, NBC six up Florida Right over here.

Seeing as though that you do want to ride off into the sunset, you do plan to retire with the Panthers.

Have you anticipated your role as a mentor to mentor the next future Panthers goaltender?

And how do you feel about that?

Yeah, for sure.

I think, uh, you know, that's part of it, you know?

But I think right now, I don't know if there's any young goalies in the organization coming up or not.

So I'm here for a while.

I guess we'll have to wait a few more years before I can answer that one.

But yeah, I mean, that's part of you.

Want to be a good pro Onda good vet.

And you know, especially young guys coming in, not only goalies, but you know players as well.

You know, I mean not not hockey wise, but just the way to handle themselves.

Whether that's in the locker room or outside, I think it's important and really brings, you know, a good attitude, good atmosphere on the team and really can help with the demeanor and the outlook of the club.