The Florida Panthers named former Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Dineen
the 11th head coach in franchise history on Wednesday.
The 47-year-old Dineen replaces Peter DeBoer, who was fired on April 10 after three seasons at the helm. Last year, the Panthers finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 30-40-12 and missed the playoffs for the 10th straight time.
In six seasons behind the bench with the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League, Dineen compiled a 266-155-59 mark. The Pirates won the
Atlantic Division this past season before losing to Binghamton in the second
round of the playoffs. As Portland’s head coach, Dineen led the Pirates to two Eastern Conference Finals, coming within one win of advancing to the Calder Cup Finals each time.
In his playing career, covering 1,188 games from 1984-2003, Dineen racked
up 355 goals and 405 assists along with 2,229 penalty minutes, having spent
time with Hartford/Carolina, Philadelphia, Ottawa and Columbus. 
A typical power forward of the era, Dineen came to Philly in a November, 1991 trade for Murray Craven and quickly established himself as a fan favorite with his quick hands and ability to mix it up when necessary.
He spent parts of five seasons here, eventually departing in December of 1995 after almost a year of diminished playing time. Over 284 games in Orange and Black, the native of Quebec City and former draft pick of Hartford notched 88 goals and 176 points.
From December, 1991 through the end of the 1992-93 season, he had the pleasure of being coached by his father, Bill, who guided the Flyers through a transitional period that included the rookie season of Eric Lindros.
Among the highlights of Dineen’s tenure in Philadelphia, were five total hat tricks within one calendar year (January 7 vs. Washington, February 9 vs. Ottawa, April 15 at Buffalo, a four-goal game at Chicago on October 31 and November 24, 1993 vs. Montreal), and a score in Vancouver with seconds left in the third period to give the Flyers a 3-2 win over the Canucks.
Dineen was named team captain for the duration of the 1993-94 season, and also served as host to Lindros during the latter’s tumultuous rookie season.