Cliff Brush Jr. is a lifelong resident of South Florida and a die-hard Florida Panthers fan.
With the team that hosts Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final Monday night, Brush knew he had to grit his teeth and pay for a spot on the glass at Amerant Bank Arena.
Brush didn’t go alone. Her internet-famous 80-pound Goldendoodle Brodie was there on her lap. And why wouldn’t it be? Brodie has accompanied Brush to a number of sporting events, including side of the field for the Knicks-Lakers match at Crypto.com Arena in January.
“‘Wherever I go, Brodie goes’ is usually one of my rules,” Brush said. “I have a much more pleasant and fun experience if he comes, and he prefers to be with me rather than alone at home.”
Even on a night as big as this one — the Panthers won the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship — the shaggy dog wearing noise-cancelling earmuffs still attracted plenty of attention. Fans came down to pose for photos and one of the Florida players knocked on a glass to say hello.
“The guy who was sitting next to us texted his daughter, ‘I’m sitting next to a dog,'” Brush said. “She said, ‘Is there any chance it’s Brodie?’ She’s at soccer camp and she FaceTimed us with like 10 of her friends and they were all freaking out.
Brush said the social media accounts he shares with Brodie have about 15 million followers across all platforms, so such encounters are not unusual for the two men.
“The people that were sitting behind us were an elderly couple who were sending their daughters a picture,” Brush said. “And their daughters said they followed us and loved us, so (the couple were) happy to be involved and happy that Brodie’s bun clouded their view a little.”
Brodie and Brush have attended several Panthers playoff games this year in a suite owned by Celsius Energy Drinks, a sponsor of the team and Goldendoodle, but this was Brodie’s first time in the front row. Brush said he was a very good boy.
“During the game, when the action was a little far away, he was more interested in the people behind us,” Brush said. “But as soon as we had action in front of our glass on our side of the ice, he was watching the puck come and go. It was really cute.
“And the whole arena counted down from 5 at the end of the match. Once the arena erupted, I bounced him up and down, cheering for the team, so he celebrated with everyone.
And even during the greatest moment in Panthers history, some fans were more interested in the dog.
“Once they won, everyone from the upper bowl rushed to the lower bowl aisles and we were stuck for probably 30 to 45 minutes,” Brush said. “All the players’ families were walking down the aisle literally right next to us, so there were tons of kids celebrating with their families on the ice but they were looking at Brodie and asking for pictures with Brodie on the other side . side of the glass. So we kind of celebrated with the families.