From the Annals of Hockey History: 1996 - The Year of the Rat

Currently drinking: Moosehead Lager

I am often asked some form of the question: “Why do you love hockey so much?” as if there is one absolute answer. I find myself only able to answer with, “everything.” Given that most people are unsatisfied with such a horribly vague answer (even if it is the absolute truth), they tend to follow up with some form of, “Well, what first got you so interested?”

This one I can answer.

That’s not to say that this question does not have multiple answers; by all means, it does. Different things got me into playing than got me into watching, and different things got me interested in different levels of watching. But the most vivid memory that I have of something that got me truly interested in NHL hockey as a whole, and caused me to follow the sport with what many call an unhealthy obsession, was definitely one of hockey history’s strangest chapters, which can only be remembered as “The Year of the Rat.”

The name is appropriate. The phenomenon lasted only one season, and according to the Chinese Zodiac, 1996 was indeed the year of the rat. 1996 was also a very exciting season for the NHL as a whole. The previous season had been shortened due to a lockout, and fans were hungry for a historic season. They got one. The Detroit Redwings set records that year for most wins (62) and points (131) in a single season, which have yet to be broken, even now that ties no longer exist (a true indication of how incredible this feat actually is). For the first time ever, Wayne Gretzky had an impending free agency coming up in the summer. The league was beginning its southern expansion. The Quebec Nordiques were playing their first season in Colorado as the Avalanche. The old incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets would play their final season before moving to Phoenix in the summer. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were in their third year of play, and were as popular as ever, thanks to the release of the final movie in the legendary trilogy of the same name that very year. Both Florida franchises would taste their first playoff action ever that spring, and the Devils would gain the dubious honor of becoming the first team in modern NHL history to miss the playoffs as the reigning Stanley Cup champions. All of this stood as a testament to the developing parity in league competition and growth of the NHL. It was a very exciting time to be a hockey fan, especially a new one that was only seven years old.

Let’s focus on one of those Florida teams, the Panthers. The Panthers joined the league for the 1993-94 season along with Anaheim. In only their third year of existence, the Panthers made the playoffs as the 4^th seed in a tremendously powerful Eastern Conference (seriously, the Devils had a better record as a ninth place team than the fourth seed in the West that year). I followed hockey very loosely during the regular season, and really began watching during the playoffs. My naïveté actually gave me an advantage over some of the TV analysts. I remember every single one of them writing off the Panthers because they were “outmatched” in a strong Eastern conference. I remember being very confused. The season was 82 games long, and they finished fourth place. That’s good enough for home ice. Why would a 5^th place team be favored over a 4^th place team? An 82 game season that spans 7 months doesn’t leave room for accidents.

Well, it wasn’t hard to pick my team. Everyone loves an underdog, especially when they are seven years old (even if that underdog has home ice advantage). And there it was, the professionals were counting on Boston to finish off Florida in either 4 or 5 games, and I had Florida winning, simply because they were a higher seed. Guess what? The seven year old was correct. I watched Florida come out on home ice against Boston in game one of that series, and then…this happened:

Florida scores 3 goals in less than 90 seconds

Now, 3 goals in under 90 seconds is always impressive. Being correct as a seven-year old was also quite satisfying. But what was with the rats? It had to be one of the most bizarre things I had ever seen. In fact, it still is. But why ask questions? All I needed to understand was that when Florida scored a goal on home ice, the rink would turn into a storm of plastic rats. I was hooked. I made sure not to miss any Florida playoff games that spring, especially not home games.

Sure enough, after watching multiple games, I eventually learned the back-story of the “rat attack.” Apparently at some point before their opener that season, a rat had gotten into the Panthers’ locker room. Scott Mellanby was having absolutely none of that, and reportedly picked up his stick and blasted the poor little rodent into the wall. He proceeded to score two goals in a Panthers' victory that night. Goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck quipped that it was a "rat-trick." This apparent non-story became a huge hit, and the “rat attack” was born. And wouldn’t you know it? The “underdog” Panthers easily disposed of the Bruins in five games, only to meet with the first seed Flyers in the second round.

Sure enough, no analyst gave Florida a chance. The East was supposed to be a three team duel between heavyweights Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and the New York Rangers. The Panthers were just that fourth team that was there because they needed a fourth team to fill the bracket. The Flyers were supposed to absolutely obliterate the young Panthers, and all the focus was on the New York/Pittsburgh series, supposedly for the right to play the Flyers. Well, that naïve seven-year old was too hypnotized by the rat attack to care, and so were the Panther faithful. More importantly, so was the team. The Panthers again stunned the hockey world, and toppled the East’s best team in a tough, but entertaining, six game series. Once again, the seven-year old was correct. This team of seemingly anonymous players was out-performing teams laden with superstar players. The Panthers’ blue-collar hockey (appropriately from the South) was being supported by the incredible play of John Vanbiesbrouck in goal (He also has one of the top 5 paintjobs on his mask of all time. It’s a classic.).

Next up was the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins had scored a total of 362 goals that season, which was by far the most of any team that season. Pittsburgh’s star duo of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr had finished 1^st and 2^nd overall in scoring. Once again, guess who the people on the TV picked to win this series? Once again, guess who the seven-year old picked, and once again, guess who was right? This video pretty much sums up the rat-attack in a nutshell (apologies for the AWFUL audio):

Lowry scores and the fans throw...rats?

The Panthers went into the igloo for game 7 against that Pittsburgh team, one of the best teams the league ever saw take the ice. They allowed just one goal, winning the game 3-1, and winning the series.

I really wish I could be using this paragraph to tell you about how Florida once again defied the predictions, and defeated Colorado to win the Stanley Cup in just their 3^rd season of existence. I wish I could say that the team was able to reward the loud, passionate, and still relatively naïve (but very tan) fans by bringing the Stanley Cup to Miami, but the truth of the story is that this team simply ran out of gas, and lost the finals in 4 straight games. That’s not to say that they didn’t go down without a fight. The 4^th and final game was decided in triple overtime. It ended 1-0 in favor of Colorado. Yes, both teams had played almost six periods without scoring. I stayed up and watched this game. It is still, to date, the second best game I have ever seen, and I will gladly sit through all 5+ periods of scoreless hockey again with anyone who claims that low-scoring games aren’t exciting before I sit through a sloppy 6-5 game of roller hockey on ice. This may sound crazy, but ugly 6-5 games are all too common, while a triple overtime, cup-clinching playoff game in which Patrick Roy stops 63 of 63 shots, and John Vanbiesbrouck stops 55 of 56 shots will likely never happen again.

Looking back, I realize that the 1996 Florida Panthers were everything that I like to see in a hockey team. They were not flashy, but they worked harder than any team in the league, and that’s what drew me to them. They are a standing testament to the old hockey lesson that hard work can trump talent, and that year, the rat-attack proved it.

Uwe Krupp winning the cup.

After Uwe Krupp ended the miracle run of the young Panthers in that amazing game, the fans appropriately showered the ice with rats for the last time, as closure (see the above video). That offseason, the NHL very quickly added a rule to prevent fans from littering the ice (with the exception of the hat-trick, of course). At the time, I was sad, but if you have been watching the videos, you can clearly understand why the league didn’t want to be dealing with rats all of the time.

And so, one of hockey’s most short-lived, but memorable traditions was dead. Appropriately enough, the Panthers have not won a playoff series (in fact, they have only won one playoff game) since that 1996 run. They have not been in the playoffs since 2000. Some would say that maybe the rat attack shouldn’t have been exterminated. As much as I loved it, and as important as it was to me, I would still have to disagree. The fact that it was only for one season made it seem like magic to a seven-year old, and while after 11 years of playoff drought, the Panthers could use a little magic, I feel it just as important to let the 1996 Florida Panthers keep their identity as it is for the 2012 Panthers to find their own. A team that possessed that kind of passion and tradition among its fan base in only three years of existence deserves better than 11 years without seeing the playoffs. The fact that I know enough about hockey to write this article, I owe significantly to the 1996 Panthers.

I’m going to go ahead and predict that the Panthers will win the 2020 Stanley Cup. While 8 years may seem like a long time for a team that hasn’t even seen playoffs since 2000, anyone familiar with the Chinese zodiac will know that it would only be appropriate.