NOTEBOOK: Panthers enjoy cold weather, warm welcome in Jackson Hole

JACKSON, WY -- All you had to do was pick up a newspaper to see the buzz in Jackson Hole.
"NHL team to train at King" read the headline on the front page of theJackson Hole Daily.
Making a quick pitstop in between games at Seattle and Winnipeg near their end of their five-game road trip through the Northwest, the Florida Panthers enjoyed a day of bonding and team building on Sunday in Jackson Hole before closing out their stay with a practice at the Snow King Sports and Events Center on Monday.
"This is an extraordinary place," said Panthers general manager Bill Zito, who orchestrated the delightful detour. "To have the opportunity to bring our guys here and expose them to such a unique environment and be able to practice and have an off-day and a little bit of team building and team bonding, it all worked out quite well."

Shortly after arriving to town on Sunday, players ventured to a local hot springs for a little rest and relaxation. After that, they headed downtown for dinner. But before they sat down for a meal, players decided to embrace the vibes in Wyoming by purchasing some custom cowboy hats at a nearby store.
"I think most of the guys got one," forward Sam Bennett said. "I'm sure we'll all be rocking them tomorrow."
Sporting those hats the following morning, players hopped on Jackson Hole's famous aerial tram for a trip up the mountain. Once they arrived at their destination about 10,450 feet above sea level, they were met by chilly winds, but also some warm waffles and beverages at the famous Corbert's Cabin.
"It was cold, very cold," Bennett smiled. "A cool view and some good waffles, so we enjoyed that."
To read more about that trip up the mountain, you can find a new "Panthers Postcard" from forward Sam Reinhart
here
.
Getting in on the fun, Panthers coaches and trainers got to explore Jackson Hole as well. But while many of the coaches decided to spend their time skiing the slopes, head coach Paul Maurice had other plans.
"I have another profession," smiled Maurice, who added that he hadn't been skiing since he was 13 years old. "I sat in front of the fireplace in the middle of the hotel lobby for about seven hours and just talked to everybody. We actually don't get to see people as much as you think, to connect with people and with their families. It was just a real nice 36 hours out of an NHL routine. We enjoyed it a lot."
Given how fast the word spread about the Panthers being in town, the atmosphere during Monday's practice at the Snow King Sports and Events Center could best be described as hockey's version of Beatlemania as hundreds of fans -- and even a few dogs -- packed the cozy rink, which is home to the Jackson Hole Moose of the Senior A division of the U.S.A. Hockey Association.
With every move the players made on the ice, the kids in the crowd would ooh and ahh, and any time that a goal was scored the stands would erupt into a chorus of cheering and clapping.
For players that grew up in similar areas, the practice felt like turning back the clock.
"It was a lot of fun," defenseman Josh Mahura said. "We all kind of grew up playing in rinks like this in smaller towns. It's a lot of fun and kind of brings you back to those memories. To see the support from everyone here has been so much fun."
Following practice, players were mobbed by excited kids as they mad their way to the locker room. Many were able to get autographs and selfies, while a lucky few headed home with a stick or puck.
With the closest NHL team to Jackson Hole located roughly 500 miles away in Denver, this was the first time that many of the kids had the chance to see professional hockey players up close.
"It's nice a reminder of the power of the National Hockey League," Maurice said. "It gets lots sometimes, especially if you're on a long road trip and fatigue starts to set in and you stop appreciating how nice the hotel is that you're in because you're just tired. It's good to get to places like this and just see the kids. They're all excited and fire up."

INJURY UPDATES

With one game left on their five-game road trip, the Panthers are calling in reinforcements.
Already without captain Aleksander Barkov, who is dealing with a non-COVID illness, the Panthers lost forward Anton Lundell (upper body) during Thursday's win at Vancouver, and then forward Patric Hornqvist (upper body) and defenseman Radko Gudas (upper body) during Saturday's win at Seattle.
Maurice said that both Hornqvist and Gudas are currently in the NHL's concussion protocol and that there is not timetable set for their return as of right now. Lundell will also miss Tuesday's game against the Jets, but isn't expected to be out long term. Barkov is making progress, but won't join the team in Winnipeg.
"On the mend and getting close, so we're optimistic when we get back," Maurice said of Barkov, who has missed the last five games.
To help fill the void left by those injuries, forwards Zac Dalpe and Chris Tierney as well as defenseman Matt Kiersted were called up from the AHL and are expected to suit up for the Panthers against the Jets.
A veteran of 154 games in the NHL, Dalpe, who captains Florida's AHL affiliate in Charlotte, leads the Checkers with 10 goals in 19 games this season, while Tierney, who inked to a one-year, two-way contract with the Panthers in the offseason, has recorded 226 points (73 goals, 153 assists) over 561 games in the NHL.
Kiersted has appeared in 10 games with the Panthers already this season.
"Kiers played here for a while and was important in some wins that we had," Maurice said. "I had Dalpe when he first came into the league, and Tierney has NHL games. We'll put enough veterans on the ice. You can't replace Barkov, and we haven't tried to. We've played pretty well. Our last two games in terms of quality hockey, we played hard. We've just got to keep that going."