June 8, 1996: Before the Florida Panthers' home opener in 1995-96, Scott Mellanby killed a rat with his stick in the dressing room and then scored two goals. Goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck dubbed it a "rat trick," igniting a craze. When Ray Sheppard scored the franchise's first home goal in a Final in Game 3, Florida fans showered the Miami Arena ice with thousands of plastic rats. …...more
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