The Florida Panthers are in the midst of celebrating their second consecutive Stanley Cup victory, and social media is flooded with pictures and videos of the players reveling in the moment. During the Stanley Cup parade on Sunday, Panthers president and CEO Matt Caldwell addressed the crowd—and took a jab at Paul Bissonnette.
Caldwell, who has served as the Panthers’ president and CEO since the 2016–2017 season, can now add “two-time Stanley Cup champion” to his already impressive résumé, which also includes service in the U.S. Army and a role as vice president at Goldman Sachs. Speaking at the parade in Fort Lauderdale, he responded to criticism suggesting that the Panthers’ success is largely due to Florida’s lack of state income tax.
Panthers’ CEO takes jab at Paul Bissonnette
Former NHL player and current TV analyst Paul Bissonnette has previously argued that Florida teams benefit from favorable tax laws, allowing them to attract and retain better players compared to markets with higher tax burdens. But Caldwell didn’t hold back when addressing those comments:
“Have you guys heard some of this rhetoric—that the reason the Panthers are winning is because there are no state taxes in Florida? Have you guys heard this? The media—that Biz-idiot is out there saying that,” Caldwell said to a cheering crowd.
You can watch the video below.
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