SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers often show up to work in costume. Until further notice, they are wearing dresses.
Let’s explain: The Stanley Cup champion Panthers received personalized bathrobes for their two-game trip to Finland last week, a gift from the team. They showed up to both games wearing their dresses. They won both matches.
And since hockey footage is never wasted, dresses are always in style. All Panthers players showed up to the arena Thursday wearing their robes – which remain undefeated. Florida beat Nashville 6-2.
“I think we’re going to hold on until our luck runs out,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said.
So, will the dresses be worn again when the Panthers return to the ice on Saturday?
“There’s a really good chance,” Tkachuk said.
The Panthers came up with the spontaneous idea to wear the dress – a nod to Finnish sauna culture – to games in Tampere last week. The defending Stanley Cup champions decided during their morning practice Thursday to keep the new tradition alive, with captain Aleksander Barkov sending a message to the team chat group saying to wear the dress to work.
“You have to be superstitious at some point, right?,” Barkov said. “As long as it works for us, we will continue on this path.”
Obviously, some were skeptical and thought they were being played a prank. Aaron Ekblad was only convinced after Tkachuk took a photo of him wearing his dress in his car on the way to the arena.
“Everyone thought we were playing a prank on them,” Tkachuk said. “I tell you what, it’s the most comfortable thing ever. It’s nice and we have fun with it. We are a very professional team when it comes to work. We come to the rink and we work. But it’s such a long year. You have to have fun. »
Panthers general manager and president of hockey operations Bill Zito said the idea for the dress actually started with Lucy Tallas, the wife of Florida goalie coach Robb Tallas.
“We have to take real credit — it was Lucy’s idea,” Zito said earlier this week.
Florida coach Paul Maurice loves anything that brings a team together, and the robe era for the Panthers seems to be something they all enjoy.
“They are the best who have nothing to do with anything other than the players,” Maurice said. “These are the best things that happen. It took courage to walk into an NHL rink in a dress and I think it allowed them to start on time.
Maurice also bought a dress in Finland. But he will arrive at work Saturday in a suit, as he did Thursday.
“No one – no one – needs to see this,” Maurice said. “These good people pay far too much money to be subjected to these nightmares. »
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