The NHL All-Star Weekend hits South Florida this weekend, but there’s one notable snub. Viktor E. Rat, the hometown Florida Panthers’ alternate mascot, will not be appearing and the fans are UPSET. Because Viktor E. Rat represents more than a costume…he is the personification of one of the most unusual traditions in all of sports: throwing rats onto the ice. It’s a hair-raising tradition that dates back to the ‘95-’96 season, when a Cinderella-esque Panthers team made the Stanley Cup Final in just their third year of existence. Emily Kaplan explains how the Panthers’ rat throwing tradition started, if it may or may not have contributed to the team’s long misfortunes…and the ways in which this generation’s Panthers are trying to write their own tale.

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