The Year of The Rat 🐀 😂 | The Point 

Saw the title and was initially confused because Marchand was eliminated in the first round this year.

I'm surprised his jersey hasn't been retired by the Panthers. He was a great player and leader for the Panthers.

I had a lot of fun as a 10 year old going to nearly every home game with 2-3 fake rats that year. Great memories. Miami Arena was a mad house.

I recall that year, time to repeat truth a slightly different ending

Love to see content on my favorite hockey club! LETS GO PANTHERS 🐀🐀🐀🐀

This is so ingrained in Panthers culture that our two mascots are: Stanley C. Panther & Victor E. Rat

Great short documentary. As a Panthers fan since their first sesson I will never forget that year and this year has felt a lot like it, just want to end it the way it should ended, with a Cup! GO PANTHERS!!! #TimeToHunt

The Cats eating Rats🐀 😂 Avs had to deal with those rats for a while, but Roy took 'em down! What a crazy story.

What a surprise. Thanks a lot for this. I really appreciate.

Someone threw a rat on the ice after the Panthers scored during Game 5 IN TORONTO of the series just yesterday I thought, "Huh that's an odd thing to throw, there must be a reason." Here I am sitting a little over 24 hours later discovering the origin of the rats being thrown on ice lol

As a lifelong Panthers fan, thank you. With that out of the way, I don't want to talk about "1996" as the Greatest Moment in Panthers history, I want that to be winning The Cup.

Viktor E. Rat is the Leagues best mascot 🫡🔥

I was a kid in Michigan but I had Florida panthers stickers on my helmet

I remember this so vividly as a 9 year old. It was such a special year and it was such a special team. I miss going to Panther games at the old Miami Arena. Here’s hoping we can get the Cup!

What awesome memories! I was 9 years old and the first NHL playoffs I watched and I got hooked. Thanks Mellanby for what you started!

GO CATS, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tonight we eliminate the biggest hockey market in the NHL, Toronto!

Now we’re the 2024 champs. We owe so much to those teams that came before. Thank you Scott. Thank you Beezer.

Great production! Great story! A young player who created a legacy for himself and a franchise.

Year of the rat 🐀

I literally had man tears when i saw the rats once again. Wow so much memories. Now we see the rats again. Go Cats!! SI SE PUEDE VIVA LOS GATOS

That was such a fun and exciting playoff run for the team and the fans. I'm sure we all expected the team to be at least competitive for a long time to come. Sadly poor ownership and management didn't let that happen. Thank you Vinny Viola for bringing this team back to relevance. Hockey is exciting in South Florida again.

Finally the Cats are Stanley Cup Champions.

Scotty, Straka, Dvorak, and Beezer kept hockey in Florida. It finally paid off, nearly 30 years later.

Lets go Panthers!!

Go Panthers! The Year of the Rat was legendary

Nostalgic watching this! Remember it vividly. I was 12 yrs old...good times.

Ill always be a bolts fan , but Id be lying if i said I wasn't excited for a Panthers Cup win.

Little did the guys at ESPN know, the Panthers were making another run to the Stanley Cup Final.

I hope the panthers won a Stanley cup

7:17 Actually, I think you said, and I quote… “No more rats.”

This definitely was one of my favorite early memories as a hockey fan, the Panthers & their improbable playoff run in 1996, people just could not believe what the Panthers were doing, not to mention the whole backstory of the rats being a huge part of the team's identity at the time.

Can’t believe ESPN did a halfway decent hockey segment.

I was wondering why i saw rats being thrown on the ice during there series against the leafs. It all makes sense now 😂😂

Pause at 1:57 Tell me how this team made the finals, so quickly?? I watched it live. I collected all of the hockey cards, starting in 86. And Even I have trouble placing a lot of these names. Being from Montreal, like Scott Mellanby :) we knew THAT was a solid pick. BEST PICK, John Van B. But did he Ever play for Vancouver? I do not remember that!?! Brian Skrudland, won the cup with us, in 86. Great leader. Florida's first captain, I beleive. The Stephane Richer, taken from Boston, Is actually a different player than the guy who scored 50 in a season, for Montreal and won a cup here and in New Jersey. Darren Puppa, okay back up, started with Buffalo. Mike Hough, Dave Lowry, Joe Cirella. Jesse Belanger. Good but not great. It shows you how the expansion drafts have changed. Back then, a team was supposed to suffer for many years, before even making the playoffs! See:: San Jose, Tampa Bay, Washington, Kansas City, Ottawa and many more; For great examples of awful teams. It was kind of fun for fans in established cities. We used to make bets on the next time San Jose, or Ottawa, would actually win a game! Lol Now we have teams making the finals, in their first year!?! WTF I know St. Louis made the finals, their first 3 years of existence. The only reason for that, division alignment. St. Louis' record in those 3 finals 0-12. The last loss, provided us with a Flying Bobby Orr and hockey's "greatest photo". Maybe a new team, will provide a new candidate, for greatest photo, goal or save. Only time can tell. Cheers from Montreal. P.S. Every name, team, moment and other piece of info, found in this document. Come straight from my memory. No googling here ;) My point! Don't quote me, without double checking first. :) We all make mistakes.

Matthew Tkachuk joins the Panthers and all of a sudden it's the year of the rat once again

Well… Florida… Y’all didn’t get it last year… so… How about this year?!

Scott Mellanby spent his entire pro career in the Show

The Beezer was one of my goalies

Matty Tkachuck is the new rat king

By the title, I thought this was gonna be about Brad Marchand

I remember I was 8 or 9 and my dad handed me a couple rates before before the game lol😊

Little they know welcome back to the cup panthers

No mention of the original, "Rat Man", Kenny Linesman? I undrstand this is a quick vid to give some background, for the fans, who were not yet. Way Back in 96! Google Ken Linesman for The O.G. Ratbuster :) Go Florida Go! From Montreal. As a kid I spent a lot of time at my Grandfather's fishing pier, on Daytona Beach, so Florida was always special to us. And to a lot of other Canadians ;) Like Mellanby said, " The freeze of Edmonton, to the Sunshine state! Where do I sign? :)

I was 13 years old. It was great then but honestly, I'm sick of hearing about 1996. I want to talk about winning a cup.

2023 The year of the rat We've come A LONG WAY.

I know it isn't the year of the rat anymore but I still want to see rats getting showered on the ice whenever they make it 😂 It should really be their thing! It's so cool

LETS GOOOO CATSS 🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀ESPN PANTHERS CONTENT??????

It’s not 1993.

Go cats!

LETS GO CATS These boys still got some more eating to do

St.Louis native Matthew TKACHUCK sending the cats to the finals last night made me watch this video.. praying Florida gets their first cup.-blues fan

The year of the rat is the history of the Panthers and wouldn't you know it. Marcy got beat by his own kind in 7.

Don't piss off Patrick...ever. Signed, A Montreal fan. Est. 1986

❤ year of the 🐀 poor rat

Big Cats kill Mice

I actually miss the old Miami Arena. Miami sports was best when the venues were mostly shitholes. The Orange Bowl was the best. An old run down building that I would give anything to have back. Especially over that abomination that's there now.

Year of hockey rat, I thought the Washington Commodes played football at the DC Swamp Eat Stadium. David

Wtf

im not buying mellanby story that the rat ran directly at him. i bet espn told him to say that so it didnt sound like he murdered a poor defenseless rat 🤣

You guys really do have a rat. His name is Gudas.

DC SWAMP RAT STADIUM, home of the "Washington Commodes", formerly the Washington Commanders. Bring your own toilet paper and remember to flush after each dump snd pisd. Suggestion, bring air freshener in emresoect to the ticket holder beside you. David

How fitting, Florida got a real life Rat in Tkachuk now