South Florida Agrees With New Yorkers : Hockey: Torrey, Neilson and Vanbiesbrouck, late of the Islanders and Rangers, are alive and well with the Panthers.

They are hockey refugees from New York -- former Islanders president Bill Torrey and former Rangers coach Roger Neilson and goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck -- three amigos who have followed the traditional migratory route south to Florida to start a new life. None of them really wanted to start over at this stage of their careers, yet all three have become infused with the pioneer spirit as they lay the foundation for ice hockey in South Florida.

The payroll for the expansion Florida Panthers is dotted with the names of many others with New York connections, including television and radio analyst Denis Potvin and goaltender coach Bill Smith, both of whom had Hall of Fame careers with the Islanders. The playing roster includes ex-Rangers Joe Cirella, Randy Gilhen and Jody Hull and former Islanders Tom Fitzgerald and Mark Fitzpatrick. And there are others on the coaching staff and in the front office with ties to the Rangers and Islanders.

But it is Torrey, Neilson and Vanbiesbrouck who form the backbone of the Panther organization, along with General Manager Bob Clarke, the former Philadelphia Flyers’ Hall of Famer. While Torrey says, “You get tired of hearing the word ‘expansion’ because it carries the connotation of a disease,” the healthy smiles and energized attitudes of Torrey, Neilson and Vanbiesbrouck suggest they could get used to this lifestyle of warm weather, golf courses, beaches and more golf courses.

The only complaint Torrey and Neilson have so far is that they’ve been too busy to squeeze in much golf. Although Vanbiesbrouck is serving as the Panthers’ chief ambassador to the community, he already has established himself as the player with the best connections for starting times at the top courses in the area. Neilson generously has told his players they may play as much golf as they like so long as it doesn’t interfere with hockey. What a life.

Of course, lowering their handicaps is not the reason they’re here. Torrey, Neilson and Vanbiesbrouck each have something to prove, and they will have the chance to do it in the New York area on a regular basis in Atlantic Division play, starting Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils at the Meadowlands.

Torrey best understands what it takes to run an expansion team, having turned the California Golden Seals into a playoff team in the late ‘60s before the ruinous ownership of Charles O. Finley, and then building the Islanders from scratch in 1972 into a dynasty that won four straight Stanley Cups (1980-83) in the Rangers’ backyard. Deposed from his positions as chairman and general manager during an ownership upheaval last year, Torrey spent the season as a consultant. He watched the Islanders’ playoff run to the Stanley Cup semifinals last spring at a sports bar near his home in West Palm Beach.

“It wasn’t easy to leave the Islanders,” Torrey said recently. “I got great satisfaction sitting here and watching them in the playoffs. The bartender saved my stool for every game. Obviously, the kids are coming through now.”

It’s still difficult for him to speak of his ouster by the Isles’ new management team, but Torrey had no intention of letting them retire his trademark bow tie. The 58-year-old executive decided it wasn’t too late to start over for the third time when Panthers Owner Wayne Huizenga, who built his fortune as head of Blockbuster Video, offered him the chance.

“We fought through the tough times with the Islanders and won, but if they didn’t think I could do the job, you move on,” Torrey said. Speaking of his new team, Torrey added, “We have a great ownership. Wayne Huizenga is a spirited man, a visionary with great enthusiasm. His promise to build an arena intrigued me. It’s not like I’ve grown senile.”

To Islanders fans, it must seem odd to see Torrey and Neilson on the same side since they were such enemies in 1978 when Neilson’s Maple Leafs beat up Mike Bossy and eliminated the Isles from the playoffs. But Torrey knew no one was better suited than Neilson to take a team with marginal talent but a great work ethic and make something out of it. Neilson is the teacher Torrey wanted to develop young players, such as first-round draft choice Rob Niedermayer and next spring’s draft crop, which will include the No. 1 overall pick.

When Neilson was replaced as Rangers head coach 40 games into last season, he said he was losing the best job he ever had. The same night he was fired he lost his best friend, his dog Mike, who had to be put to sleep. Some losses are easier to get over than others.

“Everything is good here,” Neilson said. “We have a great video setup; we’ve got a real cold practice rink, the coldest I’ve ever been in; everything is up and ready to go. I’m living on the beach in Pompano Beach, and I try to swim every afternoon in the ocean for an hour or so. The main thing that’s difficult is I miss my dog.”

Neilson had the Rangers on the verge of Stanley Cup contention after winning the regular-season points title in 1991-92. He blames last season’s collapse on the failure of Mark Messier to play like the NHL MVP he was the previous season and on the unhappiness created by carrying too many extra players.

“I can say this is a lot more fun than last year with so much turmoil,” Neilson said. “I don’t feel the team was ever split, but I think it bothered the team that there seemed to be a split between me and Messier ... but I don’t think about it anymore.

“This is a whole new challenge. We’re not expected to win the Stanley Cup; we’re not expected to do anything, really. It’s exciting. In any job that is completely new, you get rejuvenated. I loved it in New York, but it’s been great here.”

One of the problems Neilson faced in New York was dealing with a goaltender rotation between Vanbiesbrouck and Mike Richter. The Rangers never could pull the trigger on a deal until forced to expose a goaltender for the expansion draft. They decided to keep Richter, who is three years younger than the 30-year-old Vanbiesbrouck, even though “Beezer” managed a winning record (20-18-7) with a losing club last season and Richter was sent to the minors at one point. After Vanbiesbrouck was traded to Vancouver, the Panthers grabbed him with the first pick of the expansion draft.

“New York will always be a piece of me,” Vanbiesbrouck said. “I’m not bitter. But I have to cut the cord. They had to evaluate the situation and make a decision. My evaluation is totally different. Whether that’s right or wrong has no bearing now.

“The situation (with the Rangers) always seemed to be a burden to the team. My role here is more defined. It gives me confidence every night, and it gives the team confidence.”

In short, Vanbiesbrouck’s role with the Panthers is to keep them competitive in the 55-60 games he’s expected to start and to sell them in his public relations role. Vanbiesbrouck is featured in an instructional hockey video that may be rented at Blockbuster stores for 50 cents with all the proceeds going to the Save the Panther fund.

The Panthers are trying to capitalize on hockey interest among fans transplanted from the Northeast and Canada and from the “snowbirds” who move to the area for the winter. They have identified a large pocket of French Canadians near Hollywood, Fla., and smaller groups of Europeans with hockey interest. But Vanbiesbrouck primarily has been working with first-time fans, including those from the Hispanic community, who must be educated in the ways of a foreign sport.

“You find transplants, but you also find a lot of strongly rooted Floridians who care about the community,” Vanbiesbrouck said. “That has stuck out. A few years ago, they just had the Dolphins. Then, the (NBA) Heat started up, and then, they got baseball and hockey. Miami is one of nine cities with all four profesional sports. The people are happy and proud about that.”