Panthers HC Paul Maurice makes hilarious admission on team's unique post-win tradition of firing rats at Brad Marchand

The Florida Panthers have a funny new tradition involving Brad Marchand after their wins. Marchand, who joined the team at the trade deadline, is known as "The Rat." Fans have thrown plastic rats on the ice after Panthers’ home wins for years. Now, the players are throwing these rats at Marchand during celebrations.

The tradition started in the 1995-96 season when captain Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the locker room with his stick before a game. He went ahead to score two goals with that same stick. Goalie John Vanbiesbrouck called it a "rat trick." After that, fans began throwing plastic rats on the ice after wins.

After a Thursday win against the Carolina Hurricanes, some rats even appeared on the ice during a road game. Panthers coach Paul Maurice found the tradition very funny. He said players throw the rats at Marchand “as hard as they can,” not just gently.

"They're shooting them as hard as they can. They're not flipping them. It's funny as hell," he said.

Marchand has been important in the playoffs, scoring three goals and 12 points in 14 games. In the regular season, he had two goals and four points in 10 games for the Panthers. The team got him from Boston in exchange for a draft pick.

At 37, Marchand is playing his 16th NHL season. He hopes to win his second Stanley Cup this year. His teammates’ rat-throwing shows how much they enjoy having him on the team.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice gives update on Sam Reinhart’s injury during playoffs

The Florida Panthers lead 2-0 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals. Sam Reinhart left Game 2 with a lower-body injury. He was hurt after a hard hit from Sebastian Aho.

“We’ll get him looked at tomorrow. So, Saturday I’ll have something (an update) for you,” Maurice said on Thursday, via NHL.com.

Reinhart is important for Florida, playing with stars Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand. Both Tkachuk and Marchand have had injuries but are still playing at a high level.

Losing Reinhart could make things harder for the team. In Game 2, Sam Bennett scored two goals and had an assist. Carter Verhaeghe and Tkachuk also helped a lot. Florida will hope Reinhart can return, but for now, his status is unclear.