Panthers" Ed Jovanovski Is Valuable Voice in the Playoffs Ed Jovanovski (55), in a game last month, was a member of the Florida team that made it to the 1996 Stanley Cup finals. SUNRISE, Fla. - Mounted on the back wall of the BankAtlantic Center press box is a photograph of a young, clean-shaven Ed Jovanovski celebrating a berth in the 1996 Stanley Cup finals with the Florida Panthers. Now the true graybeard of the franchise, Jovanovski brings a quality to the dressing room that cannot be measured on the stat sheet. The Panthers" rookie coach, Kevin Dineen, who once played against Jovanovski, cannot emphasize enough the role his most senior player had in getting the team back to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. "He's been a real quality player for us all year long," Dineen said before Florida's 4-2 victory over the Devils on Sunday. Off the ice, we knew what the expectations were, and on the ice, I think he's really had a solid season. It was between the second and third periods when that immeasurable quality of Jovanovski's took center stage and helped the Panthers win their first playoff game since April 1997. His team held a 3-0 lead and was 20 minutes away from tying the series. There are plenty of credible veterans on Florida's roster like the former Devils forward John Madden and defenseman Brian Campbell, but there is no more commanding of a voice than Jovanovski's. He delivered a simple message that his teammates took to heart and then took to the ice in that third period. "We addressed it at the start of the third that we had a good 40 minutes but the game's not over and we had to come out and play well," Jovanovski said. I think we needed this as a group to get the split in the series and have a good feeling here headed into New Jersey. The rookie defenseman Erik Gudbranson's locker is next to Jovanovski's by design. More than a decade separates the two, yet the 35-year-old Jovanovski logged more minutes and shifts than his protégé in Game 2. As the regular season drew to a close and the playoffs neared for the Panthers, Gudbranson and his teammates were continually reminded of that "96 group. Having turned 20 in January, he realizes the unique comparison he shares with Jovanovski and relishes it. "I think the biggest thing with him is trying to relate to myself personally, and he did it at the same age that I am now," Gudbranson said. It's nice to be able to relate to someone with so much experience, and he does it for the whole team. He's always there for me whenever I have a question, and he's taught me to become an overall defenseman and to know when and where to be physical while also playing composed. When he was a rookie, Jovanovski leaned on veterans like the current assistant Gord Murphy. After scoring 21 points in 70 regular-season games, he came on in the postseason to the tune of 9 points during that run to the finals. Jovanovski looks at Gudbranson and sees someone with talent and potential who can only develop quicker by experiencing playoff hockey. It helps Jovanovski forget his age, though he is reminded every time he looks in the mirror and sees his playoff beard peppered with gray whiskers. "Being in that position when I was a teenager when I came in and having Murph to lean on as well as being part of a veteran team was fun," said Jovanovski, who was the first overall pick of the 1994 entry draft. Anything I can do to help, I'm here for, but I think most of all they've had good years and they've learned a lot. I'm here just to remind them that in playoff hockey, the intensity picks up. Having been on the ice for that 3-0 playoff win over the Rangers 15 years ago at the old Miami Arena, Jovanovski enjoys reminiscing. So much has changed for him personally and for the organization, including home sites. What has not changed, according to the grizzled veteran, is the identity of the Panthers even though the coaches, players, front office and owners are different. "We've got a little bit of meat and potatoes as a group like we did back then," Jovanovski said. There's not a guy that's a 40- or 50-goal scorer, but we've got 20-goal guys that can chip in. One thing that's very noticeable on that "96 team was it was done by committee, and I think for this team to have success, it's got to go right around the room."