The tradition of throwing plastic rats onto the ice surface is a unique and beloved playoff superstition closely associated with the Florida Panthers franchise and their passionate fan base. This quirky tradition originated during the opening game of the 1995-96 NHL season when veteran player Scott Mellanby used his hockey stick to kill a rat in the locker room before scoring two goals that same night, prompting a teammate to playfully dub it a rat trick. Soon after, fans began bringing cheap plastic toy rats to home games and showering the ice with them whenever the Panthers scored a goal or won a major playoff series. Although the league and arena officials eventually instituted stricter cleanup rules and delay-of-game penalties for unauthorized objects thrown onto the playing surface during stoppages, the plastic rat remains a permanent, iconic symbol of Panthers playoff lore and team identity.