The rat trick was a celebration popularized by fans of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL) during their 1995–96 season and trip to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals. The term, a play on hat trick, was coined by Panthers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck after teammate Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the locker room prior to the team's home opener with his stick, then scored two goals with the same stick. Fans immediately picked up on the idea and began throwing plastic rats on the ice to celebrate goals. By the time the Panthers reached the 1996 playoffs, thousands of rats hit the ice after every Panthers goal, resulting in an off-season rule change by the NHL that allowed for referees to penalize the home team if fans disrupt the game by throwing objects onto the ice.
Read more about Rat Trick: Origin, 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Legacy, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words rat and/or trick:
“Everybody gets pinched but you did it right. You told them nothing and they got nothing. You learned the two greatest things in life: Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.”
—Nicholas Pileggi, U.S. screenwriter, and Martin Scorsese. Jimmy Conway (Robert DeNiro)
“It is not possible either to trick or escape the mind of Zeus.”
—Hesiod (c. 8th century B.C.)