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Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Things got chippy in the Stanley Cup Final late in Game 3 when the Florida Panthers were well on their way to blowing out the Edmonton Oilers.
Brawls ensued, Darnell Nurse and Jonah Gadjovich dropped the gloves, and eight guys got sent to the showers early with misconduct penalties.
“When we get into garbage time, those things happen, and I don’t mind when those things happen,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “It’s what good teams do: fight your way out of the rink. I don’t mind that in garbage time.”
Long before garbage time, Florida took it to Edmonton, with the defending champions dictating their style of play and knocking their opponents off kilter to take a 2-1 series lead with a 6-1 laugher. If more of that continues in Game 4 on Thursday night, it’s advantage Panthers because they thrive on making other teams feel uncomfortable.
“We played our game, our style, stuck up for each other when we needed to,” Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. “If you have to take a punch, take a punch. If you have to take a cross-check, take a cross-check – a spear, a slash, whatever the case is, you’ve got to take it.”
It should not be surprising that tensions boiled over given the lopsided score in the 10th game in the Cup final between these two teams over the past year. The Oilers and Panthers have grown a healthy distaste for each other with all that familiarity.
With that comes plenty of hits, shoves and jabs that lead to slashes, punches and gear strewn all over the ice. The 140 combined penalty minutes in Game 3 were the most in a final since Game 4 between Montreal and Calgary in 1986.
“The game’s over with 11 minutes left,” Oilers star Leon Draisaitl said Tuesday after practice. “Then all hell breaks loose. It’s a UFC fight.”
The penalties that mattered to the result came early. The Oilers were not shy about criticizing the officiating and the Panthers for allegedly influencing it. Goaltender Stuart Skinner said, “Some guys are flaking and going down trying to cause penalties,” and Evander Kane questioned some of the calls.
“There seems to be a little bit more attention on our group,” said Kane, who took two minor penalties in the first period alone. “They seem to get away with it more than we do. It’s tough to find the line.”
Toeing that line is what the Panthers do best, and it is a recipe that has them in the final for a third consecutive year under coach Paul Maurice, who credited Tkachuk for having “a little bit more impact on the tenacity of the team than the guy who wears a suit behind the bench and never takes a shift.”
Florida’s roster is full of truculence with talent to match. Sam Bennett delivered a big, open-ice hit that led to his breakaway and playoff-leading 14th goal, and finishing checks on John Klingberg has hampered the veteran defenseman’s play in the series compared to the first three rounds.
“That’s part of their DNA, that’s what they do,” Draisaitl said. “It’s an emotional time. It’s two teams that want to win, two teams of doing it their own way, but I don’t think anybody is going crazy here. They’re good at what they do.”
Maurice did not buy into the idea that Game 3 was the Panthers showing what they can do at their best. The opener went to overtime and Florida needed double OT to win Game 2.
“I think the first two games are indicative of what Game 4 is going to look like,” Maurice said. “We’re not going to look at (Game 3) and say, ‘That’s the way it should look if we play our game.’”
The Oilers certainly look at it as the opposite, discombobulated and nothing resembling the group that had gone 12-2 since a couple of losses to open the first round. They’ve dropped two in a row for the first time since.
“We just got to play our game,” Nurse said. “We got guys that can do all that kind of stuff. But is that our game? So I think we just got to stick to play the way that we play. We’re such a good hockey team when we just play hockey, and we just got to do that.”
Marchand embraces rat-throwing tradition
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – There’s a giant, gold-outlined rat emblazoned on the hat that dangles in Brad Marchand’s locker.
The scrappy NHL veteran has been likened to the tiny rodent for much of his career, notoriously known as “The Rat” among hockey fans for his brash play.
So when Marchand was traded from Boston to Florida back in March, it didn’t take long for him to embrace Panthers fans’ longstanding tradition of tossing plastic rats onto the ice after wins.
“I hope we get some rats thrown at us,” Marchand quipped at his locker on Sunday, before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. “I just hope it’s on the ice and not outside.”
Marchand got his wish. After the Panthers routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 on Monday, those unmistakable gray pests rained down on the ice in a tradition that has lasted three decades. As they’ve done after most games this postseason, Marchand’s teammates fired the rats at his legs before exiting the ice.
For Marchand, getting the rats thrown at him is like a badge of honor – a tiny, symbolic moment that represents how the Panthers have been able to keep things lighthearted while going for their second straight championship.
“This group has a ton of fun,” Marchand said. “It’s an incredible environment to be a part of. In the room, on the ice, even just in the city, there’s a lot of excitement around right now.”
The rat-throwing tradition goes back 30 years
Before their 1995-96 season opener, Panthers players were waiting to take the ice in a cramped, makeshift dressing room at the now-demolished Miami Arena when a large rat scampered in.
“Players were jumping on top of their stalls … big, tough hockey players,” said Billy Lindsay, Panthers left wing from their expansion season in 1993 to 1999, “most of us were pretty scared of this big rat running around. We were ducking for cover everywhere.”
Right wing Scott Mellanby then grabbed his stick and one-timed the rat into the wall. The rodent went flying across the dressing room. It died as soon as it hit the wall. Players later memorialized it by circling the small dent in the blood-stained wall and placing a rat statue there for the year.
The Panthers went out and beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 that night. Mellanby scored a pair of goals with that same stick.
“Scott Mellanby didn’t even have time to really tape his stick,” Lindsay said. “So he’s got a little rat and blood there on his stick and went out there and scored a couple of goals.”
In his postgame news conference, goalie John Vanbiesbrouck noted that Mellanby had the NHL’s first “rat trick.”
The incident was in the local paper the next day. About a week or so later, a toy rat hit the ice after a home game. The next game, there were a couple more. By the end of that season, which included Lindsay scoring the game-winning goal that clinched Florida’s first ever playoff series win, the rat throwing had become such a phenomenon that the team earned a sponsorship from the pest control company Orkin.
“And funny enough, it’s still around today,” Lindsay said, “which is quite strange.”
‘It’s a feeling you can’t replicate’
Sports traditions are ubiquitous. Some are sacred. Many are quirky. And they can include just about anything. There’s the Lambeau Leap at Green Bay Packers games. The “Gatorade Bath” after a win in the NFL. LeBron James’ patented pregame chalk toss. Detroit Red Wings fans occasionally celebrate wins by throwing octopuses on the ice. The Nashville Predators have their catfish toss.
For the Panthers, who at the time were in just their third season as an NHL franchise, the rat throwing – buoyed by the fact that Florida made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final that year – became the first real way they got the South Florida fans in a non-traditional hockey market to embrace their team.
Colin Fox, 32, a Panthers fan from Boca Raton, Florida, said it’s “a thrill” to be a part of the rat throwing at the end of games.
“Even when they weren’t very good, when they weren’t on these hot streaks, there were still rats on the ice,” said Fox, who wore a throwback Mellanby jersey to Game 3 of the final. “It’s something that has persevered through the years.”
For opposing teams, the rats are often a nuisance, Lindsay said, recalling how some goalies would hide in their net between goals to try and escape them. So many hit the ice after that initial season the NHL changed its rules to say such in-game celebrations could lead to penalties, though the league still allowed rats to be thrown after games.
There’s plenty of rat-themed memorabilia for sale at Panthers games, and the plastic rodents themselves can be purchased all over Miami. At gas stations. Party stores. Some fans order them online.
The rats that Panthers fan JP Kirkpatrick, 23, tossed onto the ice after a game this season came from a fan sitting next to him who brought plenty of extras.
“It’s a feeling you can’t replicate,” said Kirkpatrick, an Orlando, Florida, native. “It’s something you can’t get (anywhere else). You’ve got to be there to get it. You can’t watch it on TV. You can’t get it in the parking lot. You’ve got to be out there, be in the seat. The fans, everybody there, it’s electric.”
No one from that 1995 Panthers group thought they’d be a part of creating a lasting, iconic symbol for the team, but as they look back on that moment amid all the Panthers’ recent success, they’re proud of what it’s become.
“There’s been enough people from back then to hang on to the tradition and pass it along,” Lindsay said. “And now you get this unparalleled success where you get three Stanley Cup appearances in a row, you win a Stanley Cup championship, you’re looking for a second. And that rat is just (still) going.
“It just makes me proud of what we started.”
Hutson earns Calder Trophy; Kasper 10th
New York – Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson won the 2024-25 Calder Trophy on Tuesday as the NHL’s rookie of the year.
Hutson led rookies in scoring with six goals and 60 assists in his inaugural NHL season as the Canadiens made a surprise return to the playoffs this season.
His 60 assists matched Larry Murphy (1980-81) for the most by a rookie defenseman, while his 66 points trailed only Murphy, Brian Leetch (1988-89) and Gary Suter (1985-86) for the most by a rookie blueliner.
Hutson was the first-place selection on 165 of the 191 ballots cast by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf was second in voting, followed by San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini.
Red Wings forward Marco Kasper finished 10th in voting with seven fifth-place votes.
The 21-year-old Kasper had 37 points (19 goals and 18 assists) in 77 games with Detroit this year and he led Austria to the quarterfinals at the world championships for the first time since 1994 with seven points (four goals, three assists) in eight games.
“You talk about 200-foot player, I would put him on our team in that category,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said toward the end of the season. “He plays our zone, the neutral zone and offensive zone, and he can play east-west or north-south. He’s a 200-foot player and they are very valuable.”
University of Michigan forward Mackie Samoskevich finished 11th with two fifth-place votes.
Sturm has seen the passion of Boston fans
Boston – Marco Sturm got his first taste of the passionate Bruins fans when he was traded to Boston for No. 1 overall draft pick – and soon-to-be NHL MVP – Joe Thornton.
“I mean, it wasn’t my fault, right?” the former Bruins forward told chuckling reporters on Tuesday at a news conference to introduce him as the team’s coach. “I got here, and it was difficult. I’m not going to lie. You read the paper or social media or even you go on the street, people will let you know, right?
“But also it pushes you. And I saw it in the positive way,” Sturm said. “I’ve got such good memories here. And I know the fans, as soon as they feel that there’s something good happening here, they will support you. I know that. It kind of goes the other way, too. But I don’t want to talk about that. I want to look forward.”
A three-time Olympian and first-round draft pick who played five of his 14 NHL seasons for the Bruins, Sturm led Germany to a silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and spent the next six years in the Los Angeles Kings organization, the last three as head coach of its AHL affiliate.
The 46-year-old former left wing replaces Joe Sacco, who finished the season as the interim coach after Jim Montgomery was fired in November. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said that as the team tries to rebuild after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016 it was important to have a coach “who understands our fan base and values the same things – of being incredibly hard out each and every night.”
The Bruins marked the occasion with a news conference in their offices overlooking Causeway Street and the TD Garden. Former captain Patrice Bergeron, who assisted on Sturm’s overtime game-winner in the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park, was in the front row as a show of support. German chocolate cupcakes – a nod to the new coach’s heritage – were served.
Sturm said he never considered coaching while he played, but he started working with his own kids before getting the job as head coach and general manager of the German national team in 2015.
“And that’s where I really realized, ‘This is actually me,’” he said. “And that’s where I have passion. That’s where I’m good at. And then to go after that.”
He put his plans for family time on hold and spent six years living in Los Angeles, away from his wife and children.
“I was chasing my dream,” Sturm said, adding that the children, who are now 19 and 21, missed Boston since moving away. “My kids grew up there. They always wanted to come back. And here I am. Now they get their wish.”
Sturm said he wouldn’t have taken just any opening, but the Bruins presented a team that has strong goaltending in Jeremy Swayman and a solid core led by defenseman Charlie McAvoy and forward David Pastrnak that could push for the playoffs if it stays healthy. Boston also stockpiled draft picks and young talent from the midseason trade deadline purge that shipped off several veterans – including Brad Marchand, the only remaining member of their 2011 Stanley Cup championship roster.
After posting 100-plus points in six straight non-pandemic-shortened seasons – including a Presidents’ Trophy in 2023, when they set NHL records of 65 wins and 135 points – the Bruins finished with 76 points this season; only three teams were worse.
“Every job – it doesn’t matter if you’re in Boston or not – will be a challenge. But it’s a good challenge. I love challenges,” Sturm said. “I know the expectations here. I know how it is. But as long as I’m putting my work and preparation in, I know I will be in good shape.”
Women’s hockey grows in Pacific Northwest
Seattle – Elly Garcia-Dudek can’t help but gaze out toward the ice during hockey practices at the Kraken Community Iceplex.
The 12-year-old Garcia-Dudek is a big fan of women’s national team stars like Hilary Knight, who starred for the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women’s Hockey League last season. Pretty soon, Garcia-Dudek – who started playing through the Seattle Kraken’s Learn to Play program – won’t have to look across the country for role models like Knight.
The PWHL is expanding to Vancouver and to Seattle next season, which was music to Garcia-Dudek’s ears. She and her family are Kraken fans and have already put down deposits for PWHL Seattle season tickets. Luckily for Garcia-Dudek, Knight has agreed to play in Seattle.
“It’s really inspiring and cool to watch them play because it’s different from the men’s game because women aren’t used to playing with contact, but they get to with the PWHL, which is really cool to watch,” Garcia-Dudek said. “It inspires me personally like, ‘Oh, I can be one of them when I grow up.’”
Seattle’s lineup should feature plenty of offense from the outset, especially with Knight – a four-time Olympian and PWHL MVP finalist last season – on the scene.
“Hilary is a superstar in every way, right?” Seattle GM Meghan Turner said of Knight after the PWHL expansion draft. “Like she plays the way she plays, the way she carries herself in the locker room, the way that she carries herself outside the rink. She’s just really got at all.”
The Pacific Northwest expansion will give the PWHL eight teams and its first two west of Minnesota. The moves are expected to spur even more interest across the region in hockey, which has steadily grown especially in Seattle since the arrival of the Kraken in 2021.
Pacific Northwest hockey
When Martin Hlinka began his tenure as director of the Kraken Youth Hockey Association in April 2021, they had just 72 players across six teams. The KYHA now has 39 boys and girls teams, including a 14U Jr Kraken team that Garcia-Dudek will play on this year. Hlinka credits this growth in large part to the Kraken’s presence.
“The growth was great because more kids watch games on TV or in person,” Hlinka said, “and they have a better interest and they’re excited to be part of it.”
The expectation on Hlinka’s end is that the addition of PWHL Seattle will only further increase Seattle’s intrigue in hockey at the youth level. The sport has already taken sizable steps forward, though, over the last few decades.
Since 2014-15, there’s been an increase of 1,744 more youth hockey players in Washington. And since 2021-22, when the Kraken began play, an additional 268 kids have started playing in the state.
The growth has been observed by Julia Takatsuka, a goalie coordinator for the Jr Kraken who grew up playing hockey in the Seattle suburb of Lynnwood. When she was a kid, Takatsuka said, she had to travel to Canada every weekend for tournaments, and that practice rinks were relatively spartan compared to the Iceplex, which boasts three rinks and was built in September 2021.
“I would have loved to train at a place like (KCI) where we have all of the actual things we need,” Takatsuka said. “I was a goalie, so we need pegs to hold the nets down. I didn’t have that. We have that now. We have ice that has real creases for the goalies. Didn’t have that growing up, either.”
The Seattle area requires more work and time to become a women’s hockey hotbed, though. As Hlinka pointed out, there is only so much ice time to go around, and there aren’t nearly as many rinks in Seattle as there are in cities like Vancouver or Toronto.
Seeds for growth
Still, there’s clear evidence women’s hockey has already grown in Seattle.
The women’s club hockey team at the University of Washington played its inaugural season in 2021. This has allowed Regan Thomas, a West Seattle native and student at Washington, to continue playing the sport she adores. It wasn’t until she went to boarding school in New Hampshire that Thomas even became aware she could play hockey.
Soccer was Thomas’ sport of choice as a kid, and she had quite the role model in Megan Rapinoe, the national team standout who starred for Seattle Reign FC for a decade. Though Thomas wishes Seattle could have had a pro women’s hockey team when she was a kid, such won’t be the case for countless young girls in the Pacific Northwest moving forward.
“I think having those role models is incredibly important,” Thomas said. “I find myself even now like ‘Ugh, I wish this was around 10 years ago.’ Because not that I would have ever made it, but just kind of the dream of making it – you figure out how to push yourself harder.”
Lindsay Skogmo’s son, Oliver, already has plenty of role models whenever he shows up to KCI for practice with the 8-and-under Jr Kraken team. When Skogmo was recently at her son’s school, she heard rumblings from girls about how hockey wasn’t for them.
Skogmo hopes pro women’s hockey in Seattle will inspire young girls like Garcia-Dudek to keep dreaming big.
“I feel like in this world right now, in our country, a lot of females feel like it’s not going good for us, or it’s going against us,” Skogmo said. “So, for us to be able to get a professional female team here really gives a lot of girl power.”
Stanley Cup Finals
(Panthers lead 2-1)
Game 1: Edmonton 4-3 (OT)
Game 2: Florida 5-4 (2OT)
Game 3: Florida 6-1
Game 4: Thursday, June 12 at Florida, 8
Game 5: Saturday, June 14 at Edmonton, 8
x-Game 6: Tuesday, June 17 at Florida, 8
x-Game 7: Friday, June 20 at Edmonton, 8
x-If necessary
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