MILAN — A South Florida mother-daughter duo is experiencing the 2026 Winter Games in Milan through a unique lens that connects them to both the Florida Panthers hockey team and Team USA figure skating.

Mia Venezia, originally from Boca Raton and now a student living in Milan, trained at the Panthers Figure Skating Club at the Panthers IceDen — the same facility where the NHL Panthers once practiced. Her connection to the games runs deeper than geography.

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“It’s cool. … I’m a Panther. I used to skate at the Panthers’ IceDen, so it’s cool to feel like the Panthers are here,” Venezia said.

Figure skater Andrew Torgashev, who represents Team USA in Milan, also trains at the Panthers IceDen. But Venezia’s connection to Torgashev is more personal — his father was her coach in South Florida. That’s why Mia’s mother, Debbie, booked a flight to Italy, which has become like a family.

“We wanted to be here to support him and support Team USA any way we could,” Debbie said.

The Panthers IceDen has been a training ground for both hockey and figure skating athletes. Venezia recalled sharing the ice with the NHL team during their practice sessions.

“Sometimes I’d be like on the ice, and they would have to cross through our ice,” she said.

Torgashev made his Olympic debut earlier this week and is scheduled to compete again on Friday.

Meanwhile, 10 Florida Panthers hockey players are representing their respective countries in the Winter Games.

For Venezia, watching it unfold in her current home city while supporting athletes connected to her South Florida roots creates a surreal experience.

“Coupled with my coach and his son and also the Panthers and being a Panther myself, it’s like such a surreal feeling,” she said.

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