Panthers Fans Like A Pack Of Rats Anything Dealing With Nhl Team Devoured

The Florida Panthers’ success means more than just civic pride. It also means dollars for merchants as some of hockey’s newest fans look for ways to feed their mania as the Panthers head to the Stanley Cup finals.

“I’ve never seen so many Panthers fans in my whole life,” said Pam Dunn, manager of The Sports Authority in North Miami. “We are definitely selling the goods. It is very busy. Everybody is coming in asking for Panthers stuff.”

Florida advanced Saturday to the Stanley Cup finals against Colorado with a win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sunday, Dunn’s store sold the first batch of 300 Eastern Conference champion T-shirts within hours.

A second batch arrived Monday and half were gone by mid-afternoon.

“Everybody is so excited that a 3-year-old club has taken the challenge and is going for it,” Dunn said.

Nancy Millan of Miami said she just saw her first game a couple weeks ago and is awaiting her Panthers jersey with wing Scott Mellanby’s name on the back. “I saw one game and I was hooked,” she said.

Businesses throughout South Florida - from the company that provides the food at the Miami Arena to local neighborhood ice rinks - say the Panthers’ run at the Stanley Cup has increased business.

But the companies really cleaning up are the novelty stores, which sell the plastic rats fans throw onto the ice after every Panthers goal.

It’s a ritual that stems back to when Mellanby killed a rat in October just as Florida was beginning its unbelievable season.

“I would say the owner has almost depleted the country’s rat supply,” said Jerry Sturdefant, assistant manager of Annie’s Costumes and Magic in Plantation. “We haven’t advertised the rats. Nothing special. It’s just a word-of-mouth thing.”

With the first game of the best-of-seven series tonight in Colorado, Annie’s has ordered 1,500 faux rodents. The plethora of rats come in all shapes and sizes, with prices ranging from 99 cents to $329 designer rats.

“The most popular model is a $1.79 12-inch rat,” said Sturdefant.

Of course, successfully panning for gold in the polluted Miami river would be easier than landing Panthers tickets in Miami. So where are these rats being hurled?

“People are taking them to night clubs and to bars,” said Sturdefant. “Some are painting jerseys on them. It’s become a phenomena.”