Why do Florida Panthers fans throw toy rats on the ice after wins?
Why do Florida Panthers fans throw toy rats on the ice after wins?
Every sports team has their own traditions. Many times, those traditions take the form of a victory song, like the Edmonton Oilers with "Pink Pony Club" for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Florida Panthers, however, have rats as their victory tradition.
Thankfully, these ones are made of plastic and are often seen thrown onto the ice after a Panthers' win. So, how did the Panthers' tradition of throwing rats onto the ice after wins begin? Let's dig in!
How did the Panthers' rat throwing tradition come to be?
Before the Panthers' 1995 home opener, a rat entered the team's dressing room. Forward Scott Mellanby killed the rat by hitting it with his stick, then proceeded to score two goals with the same one used to take care of the pest. After that, the "rat trick" was born!Ever since, Panthers fans have adopted the rats as a tradition by tossing plastic facsimiles onto the ice.
Why do Panthers fans throw rats on the ice now?
To celebrate! Fans have plastic rats to throw onto the ice after a victory, which there have been plenty of in recent times for the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
During the Panthers' 1996 Stanley Cup Final run, fans would toss rats after every single goal, resulting in thousands of the plastic toys hitting the ice at a time. The NHL eventually created a rule to stop fans from tossing rats after every goal, so Panthers fans now celebrate wins with plastic rodents descending from the rafters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
11 minutes ago
- USA Today
Panthers draft video shows how much they valued selecting Tetairoa McMillan
Panthers draft video shows how much they valued selecting Tetairoa McMillan Poring over the recent spate of team-produced, behind-the-scenes looks at the 2025 NFL Draft has been quite informative. The most recent edition of the Carolina Panthers' in-house "Panthers Blueprint" showed how close the team was to making a blockbuster trade while on the clock in April. The Panthers were set on taking Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 pick, but the Los Angeles Rams were also very interested in McMillian. Los Angeles offered the No. 26 overall pick, a 2026 second-round pick, and two other picks. Based on the video and the comments from Panthers VP Brandt Tilis, the deal was a near-match for the common NFL draft trade charts. As noted earlier in the piece, the Panthers worked on the assumption that the player they wanted at No. 8 would not be available even if they tried to trade back up. GM Dan Morgan said of trading out, "It has to be above and beyond. We're not just going to give it away." That was true in this case, and they stood pat and took their guy in McMillan. As soon as the Rams rejected Tilis' counteroffer, Morgan immediately drafted McMillan. Overall, the entire episode is one of the most revelatory in terms of showing the Panthers' thought process behind deciding on McMillan as their guy and also how much they weighed other options, including the potential trade offer from the Rams. Morgan's smiling admission that his favorite part of the draft is "seeing if your predictions (for when players will be drafted) are as good as you thought." Mock drafters everywhere can feel that kinship with the Panthers GM. More: Tetairoa McMillan's pro day workout validates his Arizona game tape
San Francisco Chronicle
14 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Stanley Cup Final shifts to South Florida for Game 3 after the Panthers and Oilers split in Edmonton
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Back in the same locker room that was the scene of Connor McDavid's profanity-laced outburst and the tearful ending to his first Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers hope they can avoid the same result this time around. Their next chance to take that step comes Monday night in Game 3 of their final rematch against the Florida Panthers, with play shifting to Sunrise after the teams split in Edmonton. The Oilers practiced in the shadow of the Panthers' championship banner and, afterwards, players stood in the same room McDavid did his post-Game 7 interview at the most disappointing moment of his NHL career. 'I think no matter how much time passes, it'll always be on your mind (when) you get that close,' coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'We're at a new stage of our season or our path, and we're just focused on what we need to do right now.' The Panthers won three of their four home games in the final last year, including the first two on the way to going up 3-0 in the series. The Oilers took Games 4 and 6 in Edmonton and Game 5 at Florida before their gut-wrenching loss in Game 7. This is also not their first trip back. They got that out of the way Feb. 27 and are very familiar with the arena thanks to last June. 'Absolutely, there's a comfort level in that, and there's a benefit in that,' forward Connor Brown said. 'You kind of know what to expect, you've been here and so you learn from experience, too. To be able to kind of have had to earn that experience last year, I think we'll benefit from it this year.' The Panthers went 27-12-2 at home during the regular season and 4-3 during the playoffs. 'It's never bad being in your own bed, have a nice home-cooked meal," Florida's Sam Reinhart said. 'I mean, once the puck drops, you might use the crowd a little bit. You might have that little extra energy. But at this time, it's the two best teams that are left standing. Once that puck drops, it's going to be a real battle regardless.' ___
Fox Sports
19 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Stanley Cup Final shifts to South Florida for Game 3 after the Panthers and Oilers split in Edmonton
Associated Press SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Back in the same locker room that was the scene of Connor McDavid's profanity-laced outburst and the tearful ending to his first Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers hope they can avoid the same result this time around. Their next chance to take that step comes Monday night in Game 3 of their final rematch against the Florida Panthers, with play shifting to Sunrise after the teams split in Edmonton. The Oilers practiced in the shadow of the Panthers' championship banner and, afterwards, players stood in the same room McDavid did his post-Game 7 interview at the most disappointing moment of his NHL career. 'I think no matter how much time passes, it'll always be on your mind (when) you get that close,' coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'We're at a new stage of our season or our path, and we're just focused on what we need to do right now.' The Panthers won three of their four home games in the final last year, including the first two on the way to going up 3-0 in the series. The Oilers took Games 4 and 6 in Edmonton and Game 5 at Florida before their gut-wrenching loss in Game 7. This is also not their first trip back. They got that out of the way Feb. 27 and are very familiar with the arena thanks to last June. 'Absolutely, there's a comfort level in that, and there's a benefit in that,' forward Connor Brown said. 'You kind of know what to expect, you've been here and so you learn from experience, too. To be able to kind of have had to earn that experience last year, I think we'll benefit from it this year.' The Panthers went 27-12-2 at home during the regular season and 4-3 during the playoffs. 'It's never bad being in your own bed, have a nice home-cooked meal," Florida's Sam Reinhart said. 'I mean, once the puck drops, you might use the crowd a little bit. You might have that little extra energy. But at this time, it's the two best teams that are left standing. Once that puck drops, it's going to be a real battle regardless.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and recommended
