Struggling Florida Fires Maclean

Two seasons after leading the Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup Finals, Doug MacLean took the fall Monday for a franchise that has struggled near the bottom of its division this season.

After a sleepless night, president Bill Torrey fired MacLean and replaced him with general manager Bryan Murray, the man who brought MacLean to Florida. Murray will do double duty the rest of the season.

“Twenty games into the season - I’m disappointed that maybe I didn’t get a little more opportunity, but that’s the business and I understand the business and my job is to win,” said MacLean, who called the firing a surprise.

The Panthers are 7-12-4, the second worst record in the Eastern Conference.

Torrey said he would meet with MacLean to see about finding him another job in the organization.

Messier, Keenan return to Madison Square Garden

There will be a familiar scene tonight at New York’s Madison Square Garden: Mark Messier will be wearing the captain’s “C” on the ice and Mike Keenan will be behind the bench chewing ice.

And like the 1994 Stanley Cup finals, it will be the New York Rangers against the Vancouver Canucks.

Only this time, Messier and Keenan will be on the other side and Rangers fans will be rooting against them - once they drop the puck.

On the ice

Kevin Hatcher scored twice in the second period as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the visiting Buffalo Sabres 5-1 Monday to extend their unbeaten streak to five games.