(My Sportsbook) - OK, so who took the under?

Mike Keenan's tenure as head coach of the Florida Panthers didn't even last two years, as he was relieved of his duties Sunday and replaced on an interim basis by general manager Rick Dudley.

The move ended a power struggle between Keenan and Dudley that had been evolving since the latter took his post in May 2002. The two both brought different philosophies to the table, and the power structure of the hockey operations department was extremely vague. While Dudley was the GM, Keenan didn't report directly to him as is the norm.

Instead, both men answered to majority owner Alan Cohen, who ultimately gave the go-ahead for the axe to fall.

"I wanted to be the guy that made it work with Mike," Dudley said at Sunday's news conference to announce the shakeup. "That's what I was hoping. I wanted it to work out. I wanted us to go on to great things. I wanted Mike and I to be sitting here after we won the Stanley Cup."

This continues Keenan's track record of not playing well with others, as he has not lasted in one city longer than three years since his tenure in Chicago. That gig ended 11 years, and five coaching jobs ago.

And since winning his Stanley Cup with the NY Rangers in 1994, Keenan can't claim that his teams have been very good either. During stops in St. Louis, Vancouver, Boston and Florida, Iron Mike has only finished above fourth -- in his division - once, and that was in his first year with the Blues (1994-95). A Keenan-coached club hasn't qualified for the playoffs since he took Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull and the Blues there in 1996.

As for the situation in Florida, the Panthers are and have been one of the youngest teams in the league, and Keenan's approach, while it's been said to have lightened up a tad, is still not suitable for most players in their teens and early 20s. Some on the Panthers' roster, which has an average age of 26, had trouble dealing with his stern ways and it directly affected their performance on the ice.

"Some guys were afraid to play their own game," captain Olli Jokinen told the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. "Mike is a tough coach. Sometimes he would challenge you. Maybe some young guys were not able to handle that."

On the other side, though, Keenan's brief stint in Boston is credited with helping Joe Thornton launch into a superstar strata, and it's likely no coincidence that Jokinen has turned into an All-Star under his guidance. In addition, Chris Pronger's development into a Hart and Norris Trophy winner was partially under Keenan's watch.

Perhaps that means only youngsters with strong personalities can flourish under him. So, if, hypothetically speaking, Jokinen and a blue-chipper like defenseman Jay Bouwmeester could shine but half the roster couldn't, a change was needed.

In the end, though, it was more so the tiff between Keenan and Dudley that led to divorce. The team's record could have been worse, and Keenan actually had the Cats playing at a respectable level in lengthy spurts last season. But, as with any team, company or entity in the real world, if those in power aren't on the same page, efficiency and legitimate growth is relatively impossible.