SUNRISE, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning lost their first round matchup on Sunday in the 2024 NHL Playoffs against long-time rival, the Florida Panthers.
Following their victory, the Sunrise-based team's celebration featured several rodents joining them on the ice — rats.
Now don't be alarmed, for these are not real-life rats, but ones made out of rubber that have become synonymous with the team's goal celebrations.
In an article from the Hockey Writers, the Panthers' trend dates back to Oct. 8, 1995, when player Scott Mellanby reportedly saw a live rat in the locker room and took care of it with his hockey stick.
Later that evening, Mellanby scored two goals, which fellow player John Vanbiesbrouck dubbed a "rat trick."
The following night, a fan in the crowd threw a plastic rat onto the ice, which reportedly led to more being thrown on the playing surface when the team would make a goal for the rest of the season.
Eventually, the NHL team partnered with exterminator company Orkin to have men in exterminator uniforms pick up the plastic animals.
The Panthers would dub that year's season as the "Year of the Rat."
After a several-year hiatus from the tradition, the plastic rats would come back in 2012 during that year's playoffs. The rodents' return would also coincide with the Panthers' first-ever Southeast Division crown.
Rat flinging once again caught the hockey world's eye in 2016 when the team was given a delay of game penalty due to cleanup efforts halting the progress of a game. It's a rule the NHL added years ago and applies to all teams.
Fans are also regularly reminded to "hold on to their rats" until the end of the game in an effort to keep things on track.
The Bolts once again face the Panthers for Game 2 of the playoffs at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.