SUNRISE, Fla. — Miami’s boys of summer were treated to a taste of winter Sunday as Marlins pitchers Tom Koehler, Mat Latos and Steve Cishek spent the afternoon as honored guests of the Florida Panthers as part of the team’s annual Ayudan Week.

Started in 2009, Ayudan Week is a team-organized community outreach event that consists of former Marlins players, Marlins executives and front-office staff visiting multiple schools, little leagues, hospitals, museums, foundations, as well as local businesses and restaurants.

Upon their arrival to the BB&T Center, Marlins players were given a plethora of Panthers gear and goodies, including custom jerseys bearing their names and numbers. From there, they received a tour of Florida’s locker room and met with several Panthers players, including tough-guy Shawn Thornton.

For Cishek, who admittedly rooted for the Boston Bruins before backing the Panthers, meeting Thorton, a former Bruins mainstay, left the 28-year-old pitcher a little starstruck.

"It was pretty cool to meet him and hang out in the locker room," Cishek said. "I know a lot of diehard Bruins fans who love Shawn Thornton because he’d go out there as an enforcer and beat everyone up. It was really cool getting to meet him and see what his daily grind is like, just like we have to go through."

Having already attended several Panthers games earlier this season, Cishek said it’s players like Thornton, as well as the game’s breakneck pace, that draws him to the rink.

"It’s just non-stop action," Cishek said. "Barely any whistles or stoppage, they just go at it. Of course, there’s nothing like a hockey fight. You can’t throw down in any other sport like you can in hockey. That experience is just so much fun to watch. It’s just the intensity of the game and when a goal is scored, it’s like a party for the home team."

After their locker room meet and greet, Miami’s pitching trio joined in on the pregame festivities outside the arena where Cishek battled Koehler in a game of NHL 15 as fans looked on.

"Unfortunately I was the Blues," Cishek said. "It just happened to work out that way, but I ended up beating him. Hopefully that’s not an indication of what’s going to happen tonight."

From there, Cishek and the Marlins headed into the arena and on to center ice where the trio dropped the ceremonial first puck before the Panthers faced the St. Louis Blues.

Unfortunately for Cishek, his pregame simulation came true as St. Louis defeated Florida 2-1 in a shootout.

Thornton, however, earned a new fan after his second-period fight with St. Louis forward Ryan Reaves.

Shawn Thornton @ThorntonFDN just moved up my list of favorite Hockey players. — Tom Koehler (@TKREFRESH22) February 15, 2015

After the final buzzer had sounded, all three pitchers returned to the ice to take a few slap shots of their own.

Luckily for Marlins fans, it didn’t look like any of the three will be bolting for the NHL anytime soon.

You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.