'They're shooting rats as hard as they can': Paul Maurice cracks up over Panthers aiming rats at Brad Marchand
And the best part? Their head coach Paul Maurice is not only on board, he's cracking up over the chaos.
The Panthers are literally launching plastic rats at Brad Marchand and it's become a full-blown thing
It's not just tradition anymore. Florida's playoff celebrations have taken on a whole new level of chaos and the Bruins' Brad Marchand is right in the splash zone. After every win, Panthers players have been tossing (read: sniping) plastic rats in his direction during the postgame scene. And they're not doing it gently either.
'They're shooting them as hard as they can,'
head coach Paul Maurice told reporters.
'They're not flipping them... it's funny as hell.'
That's not just approval, that's encouragement. And in a series that's already dripping with tension, it's the perfect sprinkle of petty that fans are eating up.
From locker room legend to playoff weapon, the rats are having a moment
The Panthers' rat obsession isn't just some weird playoff gimmick, it's NHL history. It all started during the 1995–96 season when Panthers forward Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the locker room before a game, literally slapped it with his stick.
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That same night, he scored two goals using the 'rat stick,' and teammates started calling it a 'Rat Trick.' The story took off like wildfire.
Fans went all in. They started bringing rubber rats to home games, chucking them onto the ice after every goal. It became Florida's signature move, a chaotic, rodent-filled celebration that defined their Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final that year.
The NHL eventually had to tweak the rules to prevent delays (rats are only allowed after wins now), but the tradition stuck. And in the 2024–25 playoffs? It's made a full-blown comeback with a spicy twist.
Also read -
Brendan Shanahan steps down after 11 seasons with the Maple Leafs: What's next for the franchise legend?
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