Rat Trick - Legacy

Legacy

Directly as a result of the rat trick craze, the NHL amended its rules prior to the 1996–97 season to prevent a recurrence of this phenomenon and delays to the game that followed. It declared that if fans threw debris onto the ice, the referee can have the public address announcer warn the fans to stop. After a warning, the referee can then issue a delay of game penalty to the home team. The league, however, created a special exemption for articles "thrown onto the ice following a special occasion", specifically excluding the traditional tossing of hats onto the ice following a hat trick goal from being subject to the penalty.

The Panthers held a "Year of the Rat" alumni reunion in 2007 to celebrate the 1996 team and raise money for the Florida Panthers Foundation. As part of the event, the Panthers sold plastic rats for fans to toss onto the ice during the exhibition game, which saw the participation of at least 19 members of the 1996 team. Mellanby, who retired in 2007, was always remembered for spawning the rat trick. "It became the motto of our team that season. When I played in the all-star game, a kid came up to me and said, 'You're the rat guy.' He didn't even know my name; he just knew I killed the rat."

With the recent Panther success in the 2011–12 NHL season, fans have revived the "rat tossing" by celebrating each home victory by throwing plastic rats onto the ice. On April 15, 2012, the Florida Panthers threw plastic rats on the ice after a 4-2 playoff victory over the New Jersey Devils. It was the first playoff victory for the Panthers since 1997. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, fans threw hundreds of rats onto the ice, making it the most since the run to the cup. After victories at the Bankatlantic Center, workers would pick up the rats and return them to the Pantherland gift shop for resale. The Panthers organization alleged that Devils fans bought rats at Pantherland to throw them prematurely in an attempt to spur a penalty against the Panthers. Unwilling to assume the risk, the team decided to discontinue sales of toy rats at Pantherland. It remains unknown whether any other measures would be applied to discourage rat-throwing.

As of March 3, 2013, sales of plastic rats have resumed at Pantherland.