When I was approached by The Athletic to be part of an expansion into Miami, the opportunity to be part of such an impressive collection of talented writers caught me off guard.

Joining former teammates and friends from my not-so-recent past was also extremely appealing.

So was the opportunity to be able to write the stories subscribers of The Athletic are used to reading.

To write them about a team I know pretty well — the Florida Panthers — sounded like fun.

Then there was the whole thing about coming home.

Sold.

After a year in Ohio, I’m headed back to South Florida.

The Athletic Miami sure has a nice ring to it.

I was born and raised in South Florida. Went to Gratigny Elementary and Thomas Jefferson Junior High in Miami, then Cooper City High School in Broward.

As a senior, I met former Miami Herald writer Jim Martz while bagging groceries at the Pembroke Lakes Publix, and Martz gave me a job at the Herald compiling high school stats.

I spent 28 years at the Herald. The experiences and friends I made there will be with me forever.

Yet last October, I left the Herald for the Columbus Dispatch to cover the Blue Jackets.

I worked for and with some great people in Columbus, and leaving central Ohio was not an easy decision. I will always be thankful for the year I spent there.

But South Florida is home. I missed my family something fierce. My friends as well.

So, I’m on my way back.

As this hits The Athletic’s platforms, I should be driving southbound on I-75 in a moving van with Broward County in my sights.

When I get home, I’ll be reunited with a number of old friends.

The Athletic not only brought on Jorge Rojas, my former sports editor at the Herald, but it also hired 1 Herald Plaza alums Manny Navarro (Hurricanes) and Andre Fernandez (Marlins).

Old pals from the South Florida SunSentinel are also part of our growing team as Chris Perkins (Dolphins) and Shandel Richardson (Heat) will give those teams strong coverage.

I’m also excited about working with Dolphins columnist Orlando Alzugaray after countless visits on his radio show.

Believe me, we have got Miami covered.

By subscribing to The Athletic, not only do you get coverage of your South Florida and state teams — we’re covering the Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Gator and Seminole squads as well — but also top stories from The Athletic’s ever-expanding universe.

Have a favorite team outside of the Sunshine State?

Chances are we’re covering them.

As for me, I’m back to covering the Panthers — a team I covered for the Herald as a beat writer since 2004.

I took a year off to cover the Jackets, yet thanks to NHL TV, the Panthers were never too far away.

The Panthers made an incredible run toward the postseason last year, falling a single point shy.

This is an exciting young team that deserves proper coverage.

Fans will get that coverage right here.

The Panthers have perhaps their most compelling team since their rubber rat-fueled run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996.

Florida celebrates its 25th anniversary season this year. It should be fun.

See you at training camp. Hockey season starts fresh this week.

Hope my old SunPass still has some money on it.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, try The Athletic free for a week and get 30% off with this link: theathletic.com/miaexpansion

(Photo of Roberto Luongo, left, and Mike Matheson by Bob DeChiara / USA TODAY Sports)