Fans in McDavid's hometown of Newmarket, Ont., show support for favourite son
NEWMARKET - With the Oilers in the Stanley Cup final again this year, the decision to bring back 'Connor McDavid Square' in the hometown of Edmonton's star forward was a no-brainer for Newmarket Mayor John Taylor.
The temporary renaming of the town's Riverwalk Commons area and viewing parties of the NHL championship series were quite popular last year. Local fans and McDavid supporters have been out in force again this spring.
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Globe and Mail
8 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Now with Panthers, Brad Marchand embraces team's rat-throwing tradition
There's a giant, gold-outlined rat emblazoned on the hat that dangles in Brad Marchand's locker. The scrappy NHL veteran has been likened to the tiny rodent for much of his career, notoriously known as 'The Rat' among hockey fans for his brash play. So when Marchand was traded from Boston to Florida back in March, it didn't take long for him to embrace Panthers fans' long-standing tradition of tossing plastic rats onto the ice after wins. 'I hope we get some rats thrown at us,' Marchand quipped at his locker on Sunday, before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. 'I just hope it's on the ice and not outside.' Marchand got his wish. After the Panthers routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 on Monday, those unmistakable grey pests rained down on the ice in a tradition that has lasted three decades. As they've done after most games this postseason, Marchand's teammates fired the rats at his legs before exiting the ice. For Marchand, getting the rats thrown at him is like a badge of honour – a tiny, symbolic moment that represents how the Panthers have been able to keep things lighthearted while going for their second straight championship. 'This group has a ton of fun,' Marchand said. 'It's an incredible environment to be a part of. In the room, on the ice, even just in the city, there's a lot of excitement around right now.' Rat-throwing tradition goes back 30 years Before their 1995-96 season opener, Panthers players were waiting to take the ice in a cramped, makeshift dressing room at the now-demolished Miami Arena when a large rat scampered in. 'Players were jumping on top of their stalls … big, tough hockey players,' said Billy Lindsay, Panthers left wing from their expansion season in 1993 to 1999, 'most of us were pretty scared of this big rat running around. We were ducking for cover everywhere.' Right wing Scott Mellanby then grabbed his stick and one-timed the rat into the wall. The rodent went flying across the dressing room. It died as soon as it hit the wall. Players later memorialized it by circling the small dent in the blood-stained wall and placing a rat statue there for the year. The Panthers went out and beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 that night. Mellanby scored a pair of goals with that same stick. 'Scott Mellanby didn't even have time to really tape his stick,' Lindsay said. 'So he's got a little rat and blood there on his stick and went out there and scored a couple of goals.' In his postgame news conference, goalie John Vanbiesbrouck noted that Mellanby had the NHL's first 'rat trick.' The incident was in the local paper the next day. About a week or so later, a toy rat hit the ice after a home game. The next game, there were a couple more. By the end of that season, which included Lindsay scoring the game-winning goal that clinched Florida's first-ever playoff series win, the rat throwing had become such a phenomenon that the team earned a sponsorship from the pest control company Orkin. 'And funny enough, it's still around today,' Lindsay said, 'which is quite strange.' 'It's a feeling you can't replicate' Sports traditions are ubiquitous. Some are sacred. Many are quirky. And they can include just about anything. There's the Lambeau Leap at Green Bay Packers games. The 'Gatorade Bath' after a win in the NFL. LeBron James' patented pregame chalk toss. Detroit Red Wings fans occasionally celebrate wins by throwing octopuses on the ice. The Nashville Predators have their catfish toss. For the Panthers, who at the time were in just their third season as an NHL franchise, the rat throwing – buoyed by the fact that Florida made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final that year – became the first real way they got the South Florida fans in a non-traditional hockey market to embrace their team. Colin Fox, 32, a Panthers fan from Boca Raton, Fla., said it's 'a thrill' to be a part of the rat throwing at the end of games. 'Even when they weren't very good, when they weren't on these hot streaks, there were still rats on the ice,' said Fox, who wore a throwback Mellanby jersey to Game 3 of the final. 'It's something that has persevered through the years.' For opposing teams, the rats are often a nuisance, Lindsay said, recalling how some goalies would hide in their net between goals to try and escape them. So many hit the ice after that initial season the NHL changed its rules to say such in-game celebrations could lead to penalties, though the league still allowed rats to be thrown after games. There's plenty of rat-themed memorabilia for sale at Panthers games, and the plastic rodents themselves can be purchased all over Miami. At gas stations. Party stores. Some fans order them online. The rats that Panthers fan JP Kirkpatrick, 23, tossed onto the ice after a game this season came from a fan sitting next to him who brought plenty of extras. 'It's a feeling you can't replicate,' said Kirkpatrick, an Orlando, Fla., native. 'It's something you can't get [anywhere else]. You've got to be there to get it. You can't watch it on TV. You can't get it in the parking lot. You've got to be out there, be in the seat. The fans, everybody there, it's electric.' No one from that 1995 Panthers group thought they'd be a part of creating a lasting, iconic symbol for the team, but as they look back on that moment amid all the Panthers' recent success, they're proud of what it's become. 'There's been enough people from back then to hang on to the tradition and pass it along,' Lindsay said. 'And now you get this unparalleled success where you get three Stanley Cup appearances in a row, you win a Stanley Cup championship, you're looking for a second. And that rat is just [still] going. 'It just makes me proud of what we started.'
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
What went wrong for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3?
Article content WATCH BELOW: On the latest episode of Oil Spills Postmedia's Rob Wong speaks with Edmonton Journal Oilers writer Gerry Moddejonge to talk about the Oilers Game 3 loss to the Florida Panthers, why the Panthers were able to get under Edmonton's skin and how confident he is in Stuart Skinner bouncing back.
Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Vancouver Sun
Ottawa Senators confident of continued improvement next season
It has been 40 days since the Ottawa Senators saw their season come to an untimely end in the Battle of Ontario. Though the Senators were eliminated from the National Hockey League playoffs by the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of the first-round series on May 1, the faithful cheered their heroes off the ice after experiencing the big dance for the first time since 2017. Fans were excited because they knew there were better days ahead, and, as fans returned to Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night for the second Season Ticket Holders spring members summit, the organization remained confident that would be the case. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'We're just getting started,' Dave Poulin, the Senators' senior vice-president of hockey operations, told the fans. 'This has been fun to grow with you.' This is a busy time of year for Steve Staios, the president of hockey operations and general manager, and the rest of the staff. With NHL free agency set to start July 1, the off-season is going to continue to ramp up after the club held its amateur and pro scouting meetings in the past three weeks. Poulin noted the Senators had heavy lifting to do before the NHL draft on June 28-29. He said the organization was studying the free-agent market and was also trying to determine which players on the current roster they wanted to keep. The Senators are in negotiations with forwards Claude Giroux, Nick Cousins and Adam Gaudette and goaltender Anton Forsberg. It's anybody's guess if any of those players will return, but Forsberg and Gaudette are doubtful. There will be make changes, but Poulin said the growth would have to come from the core. A lot of that will be about consistency from the likes of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Ridly Greig. 'We talked about the group learning in the playoffs and playing in the playoffs for the first time,' Poulin said. 'We have to carry that experience into the next year, and we have to increase our consistency, and we have to take our bandwidth to a higher level. 'When I talked about hockey players, when I was a coach, when I was a manager, as a player, they have a bandwidth, and we want them in that bandwidth, but we want them in the top end of that band, and you'll see some players that have huge highs, then huge lows, then huge highs, then huge lows, and as a group we have to get used to playing here on a more consistent basis that will eliminate the lows, increase the highs overall as a team, become more consistent.' Leeder said the club was able to grow its season ticket base by 1,000 thanks to the playoff run. It's believed the Senators had 7,500 season seats heading into last season, and they are striving to get closer to the 12,000 mark that would be around the NHL average. The Senators had 13 sellouts last season, and Brendan Du Vall, the club's head of ticketing, said he was confident the organization would have more than 20 sellouts next season. The club said it has had a 90-per-cent renewal rate for season tickets. 'We're still below where we need to be,' Leeder said. 'We're still below the league average, but we're making good progress. We'll see the benefits from the business side going into future years because we've been able to become a playoff team. 'We've got a team that we hope will be there regularly.' There wasn't much of an update on talks with the National Capital Commission to buy 10 acres of land to build a new rink at the LeBreton Flats site 10 minutes west of Parliament Hill. The two sides have said they'd like to have an agreement in place by the end of 2025. Leeder said those talks were ongoing. 'I can tell you that we're working hard with the NCC on the agreement; it's complicated. We are making progress,' Leeder said. 'We had a very productive meeting today that went well. 'I can tell the fans that we're committed to helping revitalize downtown, and we think a major event centre is a big part of that solution.' Leeder said that, since the Senators expected to be in their current home at Canadian Tire Centre for the foreseeable future, they will continue to make upgrades, including replacing old seats. The rink will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a game on Jan. 17. Originally named the Palladium, it opened on Jan. 15, 1996, with a concert by legendary Canadian rocker Bryan Adams. Leeder said the Senators tried to get Adams back on the same date 30 years later, but he was unable to make it work because he'll be on tour. He will play an anniversary concert in Ottawa on Oct. 4. bgarrioch@
