Andrew Brunette: The Florida Panthers special season has been ‘a joy’

The last time the Florida Panthers were in Detroit, their Hall of Fame coach had just resigned and no one was exactly sure how the talented team he was leaving behind would react.

Turns out, things have gone pretty well since.

Fantastic, even.

The Panthers have had some down times since Joel Quenneville’s October resignation but, for the most part, there have been a lot of sunny days for the Panthers this season.

It has been, as Andrew Brunette said after his team steamrolled the Red Wings 6-1 on Sunday afternoon, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Yes, these are special times in Pantherland.

“It is a lot of fun and I joke all the time, but I don’t know if you’ll ever be around a team like this,” Brunette said. “I just love watching them interact and am jealous I’m not playing. I am lucky enough to be a part of it. Their compete level … if you’re around them to see them day-in and day-out and see how hard they practice, how hard they compete, it has been a joy.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever see another group like this. It’s special and we have to keep going. We have a lot of hockey left and we’re just going day-by-day.”