By Bill WhiteheadDespite playing on the top team in the Western Conference and almost certainly guaranteed of playing in the postseason, Vancouver Canucks players David Booth, Chris Higgins and Keith Ballard must feel like they're missing out on the party. They leave and suddenly the Florida Panthers are sitting in first place.All three are gone, but now they're back.The three ex-Cats, plus longtime Florida netminder Roberto Luongo, return tonight to BankAtlantic Center to be a part of a battle of first-place teams as the Panthers (20-13-8) host the Canucks (26-13-3) in a 7:30 start. However, tonight's big storyline isn't simply the on-ice meeting of two top clubs. The focus will be on the former Panthers on the ice -- Higgins, Ballard and Luongo -- and mainly the big one off it, David Booth.The boyish Booth is the poster boy of the lengths general manager Dale Tallon will go to in order to change the Panthers' losing direction over the past decade. Incensed over...
Original Story:
