The Rat Trick: The Legend of the Florida Panthers’ Rodent Tradition (ENCORE)

ESPN Daily

ESPN

Sports

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2023

⏱️ 36 minutes

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Summary

After stealing the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Florida Panthers return home tonight for Game 3. The Panthers have a real shot at closing out one of the title favorites, and returning to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in almost 30 years. And we’re reminded of one of the most unusual traditions in all of sports, one that originated in that first Stanley Cup run so many years ago: throwing rats onto the ice. It’s a hair-raising tradition that dates back to the ‘95-’96 season, when a Cinderella-esque Panthers team made the Stanley Cup Final in just their third year of existence. Emily Kaplan explains how the Panthers’ rat throwing tradition started, if it may or may not have contributed to the team’s long misfortunes…and the ways in which this generation’s Panthers are trying to write their own tale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Just a few weeks ago, the Florida Panthers were facing elimination, down three to one in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to the Boston Bruins,
0:13.0	who, by the way, had the best regular season record ever in NHL history.
0:18.0	But now, they're in the Eastern Conference final, up two games to none, against the
0:23.7	Carolina Hurricanes.
0:25.4	And they have a pretty decent shot at winning the whole thing.
0:29.0	And it reminds me of a story that was told on this podcast a year ago, when Emily Kaplan told
0:34.7	Pablo Tori about the Panthers resurgence and the revival of one of the most hair-raising traditions in all of sports.
0:42.6	So, with the Panthers hosting Game 3 tonight in Sunrise, Florida,
0:46.7	we decided to bring that story back for you to enjoy once again.
0:51.6	I'm Israel Gutierrez. It's Monday, May 22nd.
0:55.5	This is ESPN Daily.
0:59.9	Emily Kaplan, do you have a hockey nickname?
1:02.6	What do they call you?
1:03.9	So, Pablo, if we were going to go with the formula,
1:05.9	I guess I'd be capper.
1:07.0	I've heard that at the rank before.
1:09.0	C. See? That could be it as well.
1:11.1	Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:12.4	ZY is a very classic surname here in hockey.
1:17.0	Yeah, all right, cabsey.
1:18.2	So I'm here to talk to you about a reporting trip that you recently made to a guy that I had no idea about.
1:26.9	This guy named Scott Mellonby.
	...

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