Panthers sign Canadian singer Michael Buble -- for a cancer fund-raising cause
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers have signed Canadian singer Michael Buble — for a good cause.
Buble, a five-time Grammy-winning pop icon from Burnaby, B.C., has signed on to be part of the team's fundraising efforts for the American Cancer Society. The 'Panthers on the Prowl' initiative combines art and philanthropy to support cancer research and patient services, and donors get the chance to sponsor life-sized panther sculptures that will be placed around South Florida.
The program is the brainchild of Panthers hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito and his wife Julie Zito.
''Panthers on the Prowl' is a creative and really cool and uplifting way to demonstrate and show our support for those people that are suffering, so we can generate the much-needed funding to keep this fight going," Buble said. "Cancer touches all of us, my family, friends, yours, neighbors, everyone. I joined my buddy Bill Zito and the Florida Panthers and all of our NHL hockey community because I want to be part of the solution.'
The program formally launched in March and has been backed by famed artist Romero Britto along with NFL players — and South Florida natives — Nick Bosa and Joey Bosa, among others.
Julie Zito is a cancer survivor, Bill Zito lost his mother and sister to cancer, and the Zito family recently lost a close friend to cancer as well. The couple got the inspiration for the artwork element of the initiative from the Cows on Parade public art project in Chicago; donors to the Panthers' project can decorate their panther statuette in any way they'd like.
The team is hoping to raise at least $1 million.
'It's in all of our families and all of our friendships," said Zito, who joined the Panthers in 2020. "It makes me more determined not to achieve a goal for the goal's sake, but to achieve a goal to bring people together.'
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
Ex-Panthers WR Diontae Johnson admits Browns were only team to contact him this offseason
Ex-Panthers WR Diontae Johnson admits Browns were only team to contact him this offseason A former Carolina Panthers wide receiver may be on his last chance in the NFL. Diontae Johnson, now a member of the Cleveland Browns, chatted with reporters from the site of his new team's mandatory minicamp on Wednesday. The 28-year-old and one-time Pro Bowler talked about trying to move on from a tumultuous 2024 season, one where he picked up four different stints with three different teams. "Everybody's gonna have their opinions," stated Johnson, who also admitted that the Browns were the only team to contact him this offseason. "At the end of the day, I'm the only one in that room that really know what be going on. They're entitled to their own opinion. I can only go off of what I know and try to go off of what I put out there, my best effort. Last year's last year, I'm trying to change that narrative and move the right way and keep going." Johnson's campaign began with the Panthers, who acquired him in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the start of the new league year. Then Johnson, despite leading the team in every major receiving stat through eight weeks, was shipped away to the Baltimore Ravens in a deal involving a late-round draft pick swap. The Panthers didn't disclose exactly why they cut ties with Johnson, but their reasoning may have become evident during his stay in Baltimore. After refusing to enter a Week 13 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Johnson was suspended and eventually waived by the Ravens. He'd then wind up with the Houston Texans right ahead of their playoff run. Johnson's run there, however, was cut short—as the Texans parted ways with him after he made a scene in the locker room following the team's wild-card round win over the Los Angeles Chargers. His season essentially came to an end when he was claimed by the Ravens a day later. Baltimore, who had no intentions of actually playing Johnson for the remainder of their postseason appearance, picked him up in an effort to improve their compensatory draft pick formula . . . and maybe to stick it to the disgruntled pass catcher. So, after all of that, perhaps Johnson was lucky to have even one team show interest in him. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
Hamilton Spectator
30 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Panthers can move to the verge of winning the Stanley Cup again if they beat the Oilers in Game 4
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Leading the Stanley Cup Final 2-1, the Florida Panthers can move to the verge of a second consecutive championship if they beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 at home Thursday night. The Panthers were upbeat and relaxed at their final full practice before the potential swing game, with players downplaying the gravity of the situation. 'I feel like every game's so big during this time,' center Anton Lundell said Wednesday. 'The stakes gets higher. Everybody wants to win. But we both know for both teams it's a big game, and we want to be good.' They were more than good in Game 3, routing the Oilers 6-1 to take control of a series that looked evenly matched after a bunch of overtime hockey and a split in Edmonton. 'Usually you get teams' best after that, I think especially with the players they have in the room, how competitive they are, they're going to look to bounce back,' said Brad Marchand , who is tied with teammate Sam Bennett for the most goals in the final with four apiece. 'When you have that kind of leadership, they normally lead the way, those top guys. That's a dangerous combination. We have to make sure that we bring our best.' The Panthers are nearing full strength at a time of year usually known for players gutting through injuries, with Paul Maurice saying Sam Reinhart is back healthy and Matthew Tkachuk looks like he is rounding into form. The Oilers are missing Zach Hyman because of his playoff-ending wrist injury , and fellow top-line forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is dealing with something that is keeping him off the ice for practices and making him a game-time decision. That discrepancy could make a difference in their Cup final rematch. One thing that is the same is Florida locking in and normalizing pressure situations like this. 'Our approach, it's pretty similar the entire playoffs,' said Bennett, who leads all scorers this postseason with 14 goals. 'Whether it's Game 1 or Game 7, we play the same style. We play just as hard. We're not sitting back, so we really are not going to be changing anything in this next game or any other games to come.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
Washington Post
35 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Panthers can move to the verge of winning the Stanley Cup again if they beat the Oilers in Game 4
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Leading the Stanley Cup Final 2-1, the Florida Panthers can move to the verge of a second consecutive championship if they beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 at home Thursday night. The Panthers were upbeat and relaxed at their final full practice before the potential swing game, with players downplaying the gravity of the situation.
