Hubbry Logo
Rat trickRat trickMain
Open search
Rat trick
Community hub
Rat trick
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Rat trick
Rat trick
Rat trick
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

The rat trick was a celebration performed by fans of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL) during their 1995–96 season, in which plastic rats were thrown onto the ice to celebrate goals. The term, a play on hat trick, was coined by Panthers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck after teammate Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the locker room prior to the team's home opener with his stick, then scored two goals with the same stick. By the time the Panthers reached the 1996 playoffs, thousands of rats hit the ice after every Panthers goal, resulting in an off-season rule change by the NHL that allowed for referees to penalize the home team if fans disrupted the game by throwing objects onto the ice.

Origin

[edit]

The 1995–96 season was the third in the NHL for the Panthers, who had been awarded as an expansion franchise in 1992. The team was composed of journeymen veterans and rookies and led by all-star goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck.[1] As the team prepared for its home opener against the Calgary Flames on October 8, 1995, a rat entered the dressing room, startling several players. Scott Mellanby reacted by whacking the rat and making it fly across the locker room with his hockey stick, killing it. He then went out and scored two goals in a 4–3 victory over the Flames, leading the Panthers to their first win of the season.[2] Vanbiesbrouck described the incident to reporters after the game, stating that while Mellanby failed to score a hat trick (three goals in one game), he did manage a "rat trick".[2]

During the next game, a fan threw a plastic rat onto the ice following a Panthers goal. The following game, a few more rats hit the ice.[1] Eventually, over 100 rats were tossed to the ice following Panthers goals,[3] as the Panthers emerged as a top team in the league by mid-November.[2] Eventually, Florida finished the regular season in third place in the Atlantic Division,[4] and qualified for the playoffs for the first time.[5]

Additionally, this Panthers' playoff appearance coincided with the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac. This led fans to believe that the Panthers would have great luck in the playoffs.

1996 Stanley Cup playoffs

[edit]

In the first round of the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins in five games, then the Philadelphia Flyers in six games, to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Then, they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games to win the Prince of Wales Trophy as the rat-tossing craze reached its peak as 3,000 rats rained onto the ice following goals.[3] While officially frowning on the practice of throwing rats, the team nonetheless brought on Orkin as a sponsor and employed a crew of 40 rink attendants dressed up as exterminators to clear the ice after each Florida goal.[1]

The "year of the rat" in south Florida reached a fever pitch as the Panthers made their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. Area supermarkets sold "rat cakes" (cupcakes with rats drawn in icing), while baseball's Florida Marlins showed the Panthers' game seven victory against the Penguins, in Pittsburgh, on the Jumbotron between innings on June 1 and had the Panthers' arena announcer on hand to announce when the team scored a goal.[1] The Panthers, who had sold out only 15 of 41 home games during the regular season, sold out their first two playoff games against Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in seven minutes.[3] They were set to face the Colorado Avalanche in the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals.

In Game 1, a 3–1 Colorado victory, Colorado fans responded by throwing rat traps onto the ice in Denver following Avalanche goals.[6] Colorado won Game 2 8–1 to lead the series 2–0 as the teams returned to Miami for Games 3 and 4. In the first period of Game 3, Colorado goaltender Patrick Roy famously refused to duck under his net, as other goalies had, to hide from the barrage of rats after Rob Niedermayer's goal at 11:19 put the Panthers up 2–1. During the intermission, Roy promised his teammates that there would be "no more rats". True to his word, Roy did not surrender another goal in that series as the Avalanche came back to win Game 3 3–2 in regulation time, then shut out the Panthers 1–0 in triple overtime in Game 4 to sweep the series and win Colorado's first Stanley Cup.[7]

Legacy

[edit]

Directly as a result of the rat trick craze, the NHL amended its rules prior to the 1996–97 season to prevent a recurrence of this phenomenon and delays to the game that followed. Per the rule, if fans throw debris onto the ice, the referee can have the public address announcer warn the fans to stop. After a warning, the referee can then issue a delay of game penalty to the home team.[8] The league, however, created a special exemption for articles "thrown onto the ice following a special occasion", specifically excluding the traditional tossing of hats onto the ice following a hat trick goal from subjection to the penalty.[9]

The Panthers held a "Year of the Rat" alumni reunion in 2007 to celebrate the 1996 team and raise money for the Florida Panthers Foundation. As part of the event, the Panthers sold plastic rats for fans to toss onto the ice during the exhibition game, which saw the participation of at least nineteen members of the 1996 team.[10] Mellanby, who retired in 2007, was always remembered for spawning the rat trick. "It became the motto of our team that season. When I played in the all-star game, a kid came up to me and said, 'You're the rat guy.' He didn't even know my name; he just knew I killed the rat."[11]

With the Panthers' success in the 2011–12 NHL season, fans revived the rat tossing by throwing plastic rats onto the ice following home victories. On April 15, 2012, the Florida Panthers threw plastic rats on the ice after a 4–2 playoff victory over the New Jersey Devils. It was the first playoff victory for the Panthers since 1997. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, fans threw hundreds of rats onto the ice, making it the most since the run to the Cup.[12] After victories at the BankAtlantic Center, workers would pick up the rats and return them to the Pantherland gift shop for resale. The Panthers organization alleged that Devils fans bought rats at Pantherland to throw them prematurely in an attempt to spur a penalty against the Panthers. Unwilling to assume the risk, the team decided to discontinue sales of toy rats at Pantherland. It remains unknown whether any other measures would be applied to discourage rat-throwing.[13]

In early 2013, sales of plastic rats resumed at Pantherland. As the Panthers neared the playoffs in March 2016, rats again started to appear on home ice, sometimes after Panther goals and more abundantly after home wins. Twenty years since the fateful playoff run, several members of the 1995–96 team returned to South Florida to be honored on March 12, 2016, including John Vanbiesbrouck, Brian Skrudland and Scott Mellanby.[14]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Rat trick

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The rat trick is a distinctive fan tradition of the Florida Panthers, a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL), where supporters throw plastic rats onto the rink after the team scores a goal or secures a win, symbolizing good luck and team spirit. This ritual originated on October 8, 1995, during the Panthers' home opener at Miami Arena against the Calgary Flames, when forward Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the locker room with his hockey stick before the game and subsequently scored two goals using the same stick. Goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck jokingly dubbed Mellanby's performance a "rat trick," a playful twist on the term "hat trick" for three goals, which quickly caught on among players and fans. The tradition exploded in popularity during the 1995–96 season, as Panthers fans began hurling rubber rats onto the ice after every goal, turning games into chaotic celebrations that required cleanup assistance from pest control company Orkin, which became an official sponsor. This fervor contributed to the team's unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Finals that year, their first playoff appearance since joining the NHL in 1993, and cemented the rat as a quirky mascot of fan devotion despite the NHL's later rules limiting such object-throwing during active play to avoid delays. Over the decades, the rat trick has evolved into a broader cultural emblem for the franchise, with plastic rats sold at arenas, featured in merchandise, and occasionally revived during playoff successes, such as the 2012 postseason, the team's 2023 and 2024 Stanley Cup Final appearances, and the 2025 playoffs. Though modern iterations often involve cheers or symbolic gestures rather than widespread tossing to comply with league regulations, the 2025 playoffs saw an evolution where teammates playfully shot plastic rats at forward Brad Marchand—nicknamed "the rat" for his agitator style—after wins, embracing the tradition internally.

Origins

The 1995 Locker Room Incident

The , established as an NHL expansion team in 1993, were still in their formative years by the 1995–96 season, seeking to build a distinct identity in the non-traditional hockey market of . The franchise had entered the league alongside of Anaheim, marking the first expansion since 1979, and faced challenges in cultivating a passionate fanbase amid the region's warmer climate and lack of deep hockey roots. On October 8, 1995, prior to the Panthers' season-opening home game against the at , an unexpected intruder disrupted the locker room preparations. A live scurried across the floor, prompting forward to grab his and swiftly dispatch the against the wall, killing it instantly. This spontaneous act occurred in the aging , a venue originally built for and concerts rather than hockey, where such pests were not uncommon due to its subtropical location. That evening, Mellanby channeled the incident into a standout performance, scoring two goals in the Panthers' 4-3 victory over using the same stick. His teammates, including goaltender , jokingly attributed the success to the "rat luck," dubbing Mellanby's brace a " trick"—a playful twist on the traditional . The following game, the team's equipment staff procured a dead from a trap and placed it in the locker room as a superstitious , initiating an internal where players requested its presence before subsequent contests to invoke similar fortune. This marked the birth of the Panthers' private team , fostering camaraderie amid their ongoing quest for a winning culture. This internal practice would later evolve into broader fan participation during the season.

Early Fan Adoption

The transition from the private locker room superstition to a public fan tradition occurred early in the 1995–96 season, inspired by widespread media coverage of the October 8, 1995, incident. On October 13, 1995, during a home game against the at , fan Scott Celli threw the first plastic rat onto the ice after a Panthers goal, directly referencing the story as a good-luck . Panthers forward , whose slapshot had dispatched the original rat, publicly acknowledged the fan's action in post-game comments and embraced it as an extension of the team's lucky ritual, encouraging supporters to keep the tradition alive after future goals. This endorsement helped propel the rapid spread: two rats were thrown during the next home game against the on October 15, 1995, and by October 17, additional fans joined in, marking the beginning of dozens tossed per goal in subsequent early-season contests. In response, the Panthers organization quickly capitalized on the enthusiasm by introducing official plastic rats for sale at the arena, making it easier for fans to participate without sourcing toys from local stores like Toys "R" Us or . Goaltender further popularized the phenomenon by coining the term "rat trick" as a playful nod to the "hat trick." Examples of the growing momentum included increased rat throws after goals by forwards like in home games during October and November, fostering a visible ritual that built excitement ahead of the playoffs.

The 1995–96 Season and Playoffs

Emergence During the

The -throwing , initially sparked by a few fans in early 1995–96 home games, quickly evolved into a staple celebration at following each Panthers . What began as isolated incidents—such as a single tossed after a in one of the season's opening —escalated rapidly, with 16 rats appearing in the subsequent game and numbers climbing to 50 shortly thereafter. By mid-season, fans were routinely hurling over 100 rats per home , transforming the ritual into a near-constant occurrence that reflected the growing fervor of South Florida's hockey audience. Enthusiastic supporters began stockpiling affordable toy rats from local stores, ensuring a steady supply for games and turning the practice into a communal spectacle. This surge in fan participation coincided closely with the Panthers' on-ice resurgence, which amplified the tradition's enthusiasm. The team posted a 41–31–10 regular-season record, accumulating 92 points to secure fourth place in the Eastern Conference and their first playoff berth since entering the NHL in 1993. After 20 games, stood at 14–5–1, a hot start that mirrored the ritual's intensification and helped forge a deeper bond between players and supporters. The improved performance, marked by gritty defensive play and timely scoring, fueled the ritual's momentum, with crowds sometimes exceeding 200 rats per night as victories mounted and playoff hopes solidified. At , the influx of plastic rodents created significant logistical hurdles for staff, who deployed up to 40 "exterminators" equipped with shovels to clear the ice after goals, often causing delays of several minutes per incident. These cleanup efforts disrupted game flow but were initially met with amusement rather than frustration from arena personnel. The NHL viewed the phenomenon as a harmless novelty during the regular season, offering tacit tolerance without imposing penalties, which allowed the tradition to flourish unchecked until the postseason. Players and coaches warmly embraced the ritual, integrating it into the team's self-image as a tenacious "rat pack" known for its scrappy, underdog spirit. Forward , whose locker-room rat kill ignited the craze, reflected fondly on its role in team morale, noting during a 2016 anniversary event that it created "great memories of that and of that team." Coach highlighted its celebratory value, stating, "Every time I see a rat come over the boards, that means we scored," underscoring how the tradition symbolized scoring success. Goaltender emphasized its fan connection, saying, "I think whenever you can develop a direct relationship with the fans, it’s something you savor for the rest of your life." This adoption reinforced the Panthers' gritty identity, with the dressing room even rechristened "The Rats Nest" and rat-themed apparel becoming a team staple.

Peak in the Stanley Cup Playoffs

The , entering the as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference after a 41-31-10 regular season, mounted a surprising run by defeating opponents in succession. They first eliminated the fifth-seeded in five games, then upset the top-seeded in six games during the conference semifinals, and finally overcame the second-seeded in a dramatic seven-game Eastern Conference Final. This improbable journey culminated in a Final matchup against the dominant, first-seeded , whom the Panthers fell to in a four-game sweep. The rat-throwing tradition, built on a foundation from the , exploded in intensity during the , with fans hurling thousands of plastic rats onto the after key goals, often causing substantial delays as arena staff cleared the surface. Notable instances included Game 1 of the first round against the Bruins on April 17, 1996, where rats showered the following Florida's three quick goals in the opening period, and multiple games in the Eastern Conference Final against , where the volume of amplified the chaotic celebrations. These outbursts frequently halted play for up to 20 minutes, turning victories into spectacles that tested the patience of officials and opponents alike. One of the most iconic moments came in of the conference semifinals against the Flyers on May 14, , dubbed "Rat Night" by fans and media after the Panthers' 4-1 home victory clinched the series. Over 3,000 rats descended onto the ice following the goals, creating a surreal scene that drew widespread national attention and solidified the tradition as a playoff . Coverage from outlets like highlighted how the frenzy captured the imagination of a hockey-starved audience, blending whimsy with the high stakes of the postseason. In the Stanley Cup Final, the tradition persisted but was tempered by the series' location; subdued in for Games 1 and 2 due to away-ice norms, it revived with fervor during the Miami home games (Games 3 and 4), where fans unleashed volleys of rats despite the Panthers' losses in both contests. This emotional outpouring from supporters underscored the run's transformative impact on the franchise's fanbase, even as the sweep ended their Cinderella story.

Legacy and Continuation

Post-1996 Tradition Evolution

Following the zenith of the rat tradition during the , the NHL implemented a rule change for the 1996–97 season, introducing delay-of-game penalties for teams whose fans threw objects onto the ice during active play to curb game delays caused by cleanup. In response, the organization discouraged in-game rat throws at their arena to comply with the league's regulations, effectively banning the practice during matches starting that season. To adapt while preserving the spirit of the celebration, Panthers fans shifted their tradition to tossing plastic rats onto the ice only after home wins, once the game had concluded and no penalty could be assessed. The team supported this evolution by continuing to sell commemorative plastic rats as official merchandise, which fans purchased and saved for post-game moments. Later efforts included alumni-led sales in , where the rodents were marketed to raise funds for the Florida Panthers Foundation during a reunion event honoring the 1996 team. Despite the restrictions, the tradition persisted intermittently through sporadic fan throws during home playoff games in the late and , often in limited numbers to evade enforcement. A notable revival occurred during the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the , including after a 3–0 home win in Game 5 that temporarily put the Panthers up 3–2 in the series (though they ultimately lost 4–3). As the Panthers endured extended playoff droughts in the intervening years, the physical act of throwing rats diminished, yet the "Rat Pack" moniker for the 1995–96 team and the "Year of the Rat" theme remained embedded in franchise lore, symbolizing resilience and fan loyalty through merchandise, retrospectives, and historical references.

Revivals in Recent Playoffs

The rat tradition experienced a notable resurgence during the Florida Panthers' 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs run, as fans revived the practice of throwing plastic rats onto the ice following series-clinching victories. This included significant displays after the Panthers' sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, where supporters littered the rink with the toys to celebrate the advancement. The NHL permitted these post-game tosses without the strict penalties once applied to mid-game interruptions, enabling the custom to contribute to the electric atmosphere without excessive delays. The tradition reached new heights in the 2024 playoffs, coinciding with the Panthers' journey to their first championship. Fans unleashed volleys of plastic rats after home wins against the in the first round, the in the second round, the in the Eastern Conference Final, and the in the Final. The climax came in Game 7 on June 24, 2024, when hundreds of rats rained down on the ice as the Panthers defeated the Oilers 2-1 to claim the Cup, evoking the fervor of the 1996 playoffs that inspired the revival. The tradition continued into the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, with fans throwing plastic rats after home wins, notably against the , where the tosses symbolically targeted Bruins forward , embracing his "rat" in a playful taunt. This revival further highlighted the ongoing cultural significance of the practice in energizing the fanbase during the Panthers' postseason efforts. Modern implementations at include dedicated preparations such as rapid-response cleanup crews equipped to remove the debris efficiently, minimizing disruptions to post-game ceremonies. The Panthers organization has actively embraced and promoted the custom, with players like praising its role in energizing the crowd via posts and interviews, while forward highlighted its ties to team history in discussions about fan engagement. During the 2024 championship, the rat throws symbolized profound fan unity, transforming the Panthers' long-awaited triumph into a collective that bonded supporters inside and outside the . Celebrations extended beyond the rink, with crowds gathering nearby to mimic and revel in the victory, underscoring its enduring place in the franchise's identity.

Cultural Impact

Comparisons to Other Fan Traditions

The rat trick bears resemblance to other National Hockey League (NHL) fan traditions centered on throwing objects onto the ice to celebrate goals or victories, with the ' "octopus throw" serving as the most prominent parallel. Originating on , 1952, during a playoff game against the , the practice began when brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano, fish market owners, hurled a live onto the rink at Olympia Stadium; its eight tentacles symbolized the eight wins needed to secure the in the league's pre-expansion era, when playoffs consisted of two best-of-seven series. Unlike the rat trick's impromptu superstition-driven roots tied to a single locker room incident and the Florida Panthers' 1995–96 underdog narrative, the octopus tradition was deliberately symbolic of triumph and has endured as an iconic, multi-generational , often involving prepared, frozen specimens to minimize disruption. Additional NHL throwing customs highlight varied symbolism and origins, further contrasting the rat trick's gritty, ephemeral flair. Nashville Predators fans adopted the "catfish toss" in 1999, starting with a fan catapulting a dead catfish onto the ice during a game against the Red Wings as a humorous rival to the , implying Detroit's play "stank"; this has become a staple in playoffs, thrown after wins to evoke Southern flair and defiance. Similarly, supporters initiated rubber flamingo throws during their debut, aiming to celebrate goals with imagery tied to the city's identity, drawing from broader object-throwing traditions rather than a specific event like the Panthers' rat incident. In contrast to these, the ' "Towel Power," originating in 1982 when coach waved a white towel on a in mock surrender during a playoff game against the to protest officiating, which fans adopted by waving towels, offering a non-littering alternative that emphasizes visual solidarity over physical projection onto the playing surface. These hockey-specific rituals underscore the sport's tolerance for rink-littering as a form of passionate expression, yet they invite league interventions due to delays in play; the NHL effectively banned rat throws after the 1996 playoffs, citing the time needed to remove hundreds of plastic rodents, which had turned celebrations into multi-minute interruptions— a fate less severely enforced for the octopus, despite similar issues. The rat trick's uniqueness lies in its short-lived peak during one transformative season, fostering an explosive, chaotic energy absent in more institutionalized traditions, while amplifying hockey's superstition-laden culture without the premeditated iconography of peers like the octopus. Extending beyond the NHL, the rat trick echoes object-throwing customs in other sports, though with distinct risks tied to hockey's enclosed ice surface. In , fans routinely return balls hit by visiting players—a retaliatory toss rather than celebratory mass hurling—serving as a territorial without broadly halting play, unlike the rat-induced stoppages. Soccer offers looser parallels in occasional pitch invasions or streamer tosses by supporters, but these are often spontaneous disruptions met with ejections and fines, lacking the NHL's semi-sanctioned object-specificity and emphasizing crowd chaos over symbolic detritus. Overall, the rat trick exemplifies hockey's blend of whimsy and peril in fan engagement, where the potential for litter and delay tempers its infectious appeal compared to less invasive traditions across sports.

Media and Broader Influence

The rat trick garnered significant national media attention during the Florida Panthers' 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs run, portraying the tradition as a quirky emblem of the team's improbable success in a non-traditional hockey market. Outlets like Sports Illustrated highlighted the frenzy in articles such as "Rat Pack," detailing how the phenomenon turned Miami into a hotbed of hockey enthusiasm, with fans purchasing over $55,000 worth of plastic rats and the story captivating audiences far beyond the sport. ESPN and The New York Times also covered the "Year of the Rat" extensively, framing it as a whimsical American sports narrative that amplified the NHL's visibility in Sun Belt regions like Florida, where the expansion franchise's underdog story drew unprecedented local interest. The tradition permeated through merchandise and as a symbol of fervent, in . Plastic rats became instant collectibles, sold at arenas and spawning T-shirts, posters, and team-branded items that celebrated the Panthers' magical season, with the NHL eventually banning on-ice throws due to delays but allowing sales to continue. While direct parodies in or television remain limited, the rat trick's playful absurdity positioned it as an enduring icon of hockey's eccentric side, evoking the enthusiastic chaos of fan-driven rituals in broader entertainment narratives. Over time, the rat trick has influenced fan rituals across by exemplifying how foster community identity, as noted in analyses of quirky traditions like Detroit's octopus throws. In sports sociology, it serves as a for how regional anomalies build bonding and cultural attachment; a 2008 University of Tennessee dissertation, "Creation of an Ice Hockey Tradition in the South," examines the rat ritual's role in establishing 's foothold in non-traditional areas through shared superstition and collective participation. In recent years, the tradition has echoed in digital spaces, particularly during the 2024 playoffs, where videos of fans hurling rats onto the ice went viral on platforms like and , reigniting memes and discussions of the Panthers' heritage. Charitably, the 2007 "Year of the Rat" alumni reunion leveraged the symbol by selling plastic rats to benefit the Foundation, raising funds while honoring the 1996 team's legacy.

References

  1. https://thehockeywriters.com/florida-panthers-and-the-history-of-the-rats/
  2. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/37826923/florida-panthers-fans-throw-rats-tradition-playoffs-goals
  3. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4600136/2023/06/11/panthers-nhl-stanley-cup-final-rats/
  4. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2025/06/09/panthers-fans-throw-plastic-rats-home-wins/84091262007/
  5. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/45303640/2025-stanley-cup-florida-panthers-brad-marchand-plastic-rats
  6. https://www.nhl.com/news/brad-marchand-embracing-new-rat-tradition-with-florida
  7. https://www.flapanthersvault.com/collection/panthers-are-born/
  8. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/sports-and-leisure/florida-panthers
  9. https://www.nhl.com/news/florida-panthers-rats-tradition-follows-team-to-stanley-cup-final
  10. https://www.flapanthersvault.com/collection/all-things-rat/
  11. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2024/06/03/florida-panthers-rat-throwing-tradition-didnt-you-ever-want-to-be-the-first-to-do-something/
  12. http://thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-year-of-rat-1995-96-florida.html
  13. https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/FLA/1996.html
  14. https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/12/sports/hockey-a-rats-to-riches-tale.html
  15. https://www.nhl.com/schedule/playoff-series/1996/series-o/panthers-vs-avalanche
  16. https://vault.si.com/vault/1996/06/10/rat-pack-floridas-unlikely-run-to-the-cup-finals-has-miami-giddy-over-hockeyand-rabid-over-rodents
  17. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1996/04/18/panthers-win-playoff-opener/df887240-5ae7-445b-a231-a1a16758b820/
  18. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-05-28-sp-9205-story.html
  19. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1996/may/15/rats-panthers-eliminate-flyers/
  20. https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nhl/florida-panthers/article69369757.html
  21. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/15110568/nhl-rats-back-florida-panthers-better-worse
  22. https://www.espn.com/nhl/game/_/gameId/400259143/devils-panthers
  23. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1347341528780832/posts/2743244199190551/
  24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puxm4KLAFbM
  25. https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2018/06/14/detroit-red-wings-octopus-throwing-tradition/703148002/
  26. https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nhl/predators/2019/04/08/predators-throw-catfish-tradition-nhl-playoffs/3402179002/
  27. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/golden-knights-fans-throw-flamingos-vegas-victory-tradition/efppollvijvvt1mbvuh6itox
  28. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39965230/nhl-playoffs-2024-stanley-cup-quirky-traditions-teams-catfish-knights-rats
  29. https://www.purehockey.com/c/weird-and-hilarious-things-hockey-fans-throw-onto-the-ice
  30. https://www.[espn.com](/page/ESPN.com)/nhl/story/_/id/37826923/florida-panthers-fans-throw-rats-tradition-playoffs-goals
  31. https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/37714552
  32. https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/26/sports/nhl-playoffs-panthers-enjoying-the-year-of-the-rat.html
  33. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1478386-25-weirdest-superstitions-and-rituals-in-sports
  34. https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1413&context=utk_graddiss
  35. https://nationalpost.com/news/florida-panthers-tradition-of-throwing-victory-rats-on-ice-linked-to-a-canadian
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.