SUNRISE, Fla. -- Vincent Violas first event as owner of the Florida Panthers opened in a manner worthy of a West Point graduate like himself, with a colour guard presenting a U.S. flag and an Army sergeant singing the national anthem. Viola sang along and clapped at the end. His enthusiasm was evident, as he hopes it will be in his new role. Viola was formally introduced as the Panthers principal owner, chairman and governor on Friday, after spending $250 million for the team and the operating rights to the BB&T Center, where Florida plays its home games. "We understand the privilege of the stewardship that ownership of a sports franchise really means," Viola said. "We dont really own anything. The players sweat, sacrifice their health in later years to do well on the ice, to provide the right feeling and connection to the fans. Its about the players and the fans and our service to those two respective groups that will determine our success. I really, truly believe that." Viola also gets the Saveology.com Iceplex where the Panthers train, along with teams development partnership with Boyd Gaming, an effort to put a casino adjacent to that arena. His acquisition of the Panthers happened quickly, starting about a month ago when he asked NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to have lunch. "A very nice lunch," Bettman said. Must have been, since Viola didnt wait around to complete the deal. He and his family -- his sons are hockey-mad -- plan to relocate to South Florida soon, and Viola said hes already assured general manager Dale Tallon that any resources the team needs to move closer to the ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup will be available. As part of the deal, Douglas Cifu takes over as the Panthers vice chairman, partner and alternate governor. Team president Michael Yormark was promoted, now getting chief executive officer as part of his title. "When you think back at the 20-year history of this team ... there has been one constant," Bettman said. "South Florida has always been an important, terrific hockey market for us and weve had passionate, loyal fans for the Florida Panthers. Well, today, we open a new chapter." Viola is the chairman and CEO of Virtu Financial, an electronic trading firm with offices in the U.S., Singapore and Ireland. Hes taking over a franchise that has been to the playoffs only once since 2000 and finished with the fewest points in the NHL last season. Then again, his resume shows hes never hidden from a challenge. Viola is a graduate of West Point, once chaired the New York Mercantile Exchange and was so moved by the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks that he decided to found a centre devoted to helping military officials combat terrorism. Viola helped ensure that the mercantile exchange reopened quickly after the attacks on the World Trade Center, earning him a citation saying in part that "his actions embody the American Spirit in its most noble form." "With Vinnie as the principal owner, we are going to be looking at an era where I think there will be unprecedented commitment," Bettman said. "Vinnie represents a focus and a determination to bring out excellence, commitment, hard work, teamwork, and hell make sure that the resources that this club needs -- not only to be competitive, but to be a winning, successful team -- will be available to the club and to the players." Viola said he has a long hockey background, as a fan. The Brooklyn native was a New York Rangers fan going back to the early 1960s, when he couldnt afford a good seat at their games, or really one that allowed him any decent view of the ice. Eventually, his seat kept getting better. And he said watching the Panthers at the end of last season provided him with the intuition that the time was right to call Bettman and start thinking about getting a view from an owners suite. "Its poised to win," Viola said of the Panthers. "And Im committed." 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The Rainbow FlickNext up is the Rainbow Flick, or as you probably know it, the trick that everybody at soccer camp thought they knew how to do.Ronda Rousey may be free to seek new management after the California State Athletic Commission ruled to release her from the fighter portion of an agreement with former manager Darin Harvey and Fight Tribe Management, but this bout is far from over. The ruling stated that the UFC womens bantamweight champion and Harvey never filled out the proper commission-approved forms, or appeared in front of the commission together, to certify their business relationship in regards to mixed martial arts, therefore making the whole agreement invalid and unenforcable. That didnt stop Harvey from sounding off on his impact on one of the UFCs biggest stars. "When I first met Ronda Rousey four years ago, she was destitute and UFC President Dana White was quoted as saying a woman would never fight in the UFC," Harvey said in a statement. "I set out to make Ronda a star and prove Dana wrong. The results speak for themselves. Ronda is now a highly sought-after model, spokesperson and actress, not to mention the first and still reigning female UFC champion. She deserves all the credit in the world for her accomplishments, but she never would have achieved such unprecedented success without the unwavering financial investment, career guidance and professional support Fight Tribe Management and I provided her." Rousey (9-0) has develop into a household UFC name and is starring in "The Expendables 3", "Fast and the Furious 7" and the "Entourage" movie, all coming out within the next two years. But on the other hand, there is evidence to support that Harvey provided substantial services, including a hefty financial commitment to her career. MMAjunkie.com posted further details on its site. "Harvey submitted an exhibit showing that from January 2010 to January 2014, he received $25,608 from Rouseys fight earnings, $23,180 from pay-per-view proceeds, and $20,830 from sponnsorships.dddddddddddd In turn, he spent $170,376 on the fighters training camps, living expenses and sparring partners, resulting in a loss of $85,818." Its a big investment that as of now, will not be financially recognized or rewarded. The contract, which was finalized in 2013, would have given Harvey and Fight Tribe Management a cut of Rouseys fight earnings, pay-per view earnings and other income from her entertainment endeavours outside of the octagon including modelling and acting. The CSAC has only ruled on the fighting portion of the contract and deffered ruling on the commercial issues to the California Superior Court. The battle wages on and its no surprise Harvey is left with a bitter taste in his mouth. “I am not a litigious person, but I never thought for a moment that once she made it to the top, Ronda would turn her back on us and refuse to honor her legal and moral obligations. After months of radio silence and without even giving me the courtesy of an explanation I was forced to go to court to compel Ronda to private arbitration per the terms of our agreement," he said. "Before that could be sorted out, Rondas legal team ran to the State Athletic Commission, demanded an expedited hearing and tried to get our entire agreement thrown out on a technicality. During our four-hour hearing last week, I finally heard Rondas side of the story. Frankly, its pathetic and Im not surprised the Commission chose not to include any of that in their written decision. The Commission did properly reject Rondas attempt to invalidate the entirety of our agreement, and I am very pleased with that aspect of their decision." "Our case against Ronda will now proceed. I am confident that when all the facts are presented to an impartial private arbitrator, Fight Tribe Managements contributions to Rondas career will be fully recognized and fairly rewarded.” ' ' '