[Ed. Note: Some lists chronicle the best in hockey. Others the worst. Others the most memorable or greatest or essential. What Puck Daddy’s 2016 Summer Series seeks to do is capture those indefinable, quirky, oddities that occur every season. Moments that defy prediction or, in some cases, logical explanation. Welcome to WEIRD NHL.]

By: Todd Little, co-managing editor at Litter Box Cats

1. Scott Mellanby turns a new kind of trick

Before the Panthers’ 1995-96 home-opener against Calgary, Florida forward Scott Mellanby added to the standard hat trick (and the Gordie Howe version) by ripping an unlucky rat across the dressing room and, using the same stick, subsequently bagging two goals in a 4-3 win over the Flames.

After the game, goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck dubbed the feat a “rat trick” and before long, crazed fans were pelting the Miami Arena ice with plastic rodents following Panthers goals. The Cats rode the Year of the Rat frenzy all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, knocking off Boston, Philadelphia and heavily-favored Pittsburgh along the way, before they were finally vanquished by the Colorado Avalanche.

Robert Mayer/USA Today Sports More

The tradition of Florida fans chucking plastic rats on the ice persists to this day, although now the rodents rain down after wins instead of goals.

2. 9-1-1! We have a goaltending emergency!

On March 3, 2015, the Panthers were playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in a routine, late-season affair at the BB&T Center. The Cats sat just two points out of a playoff spot at the time and were looking to pick up a much-needed win, while the lowly Buds were simply playing out the string.

Starter Roberto Luongo was dinged while stopping one of the 16 shots he faced in the first period and headed to a nearby hospital to get a CT scan after finishing the frame with a 1-0 lead. Al Montoya took over in net and he too was injured early in the third period.

A bizarre scene unfolded as the Panthers scrambled to answer the age-old question: now what?

Fourth-line center Derek MacKenzie was sent to the dressing room by coach Gerard Gallant to don the pads while the front office worked on inking goalie coach, and former NHLer, Robb Tallas to an emergency contact.

Montoya gutted it out and stayed in the game with the freshly-signed Tallas now on the bench as the backup.

Eventually, the courageous Montoya was taken out of the game a few minutes after surrendering what turned out to be the game-winning goal to Peter Holland, but his replacement wasn’t Tallas – it was Luongo, who after his hearing his number two man was hurt, got in his car and sped back to the arena to relieve his injured comrade.

Luongo turned aside three more shots, but his teammates couldn’t find the equalizer and the Leafs ended up posting their first road win of calendar year 2015.

Veteran keeper Dan Ellis would come up from AHL San Antonio to make the next seven starts. The journeyman performed heroically, but the Cats were only able to post a 3-3-1 record before Luongo returned to action; costing the team momentum, which contributed to yet another playoff miss for Florida.

3. The Keenan Shuffle

It’s not very often that a coach quits on his team, and ends up getting a promotion six months later, but oddly enough, that’s what happened in the strange case of The Keenan Shuffle.

“Iron Mike” Keenan was hired by Panthers owner Alan Cohen in December 2000 to right the ship after a 6-15-2-3 start cost Duane Sutter the head coaching gig. Keenan pulled much goalie and racked up a whole 45 wins in 153 games as the Cats bench boss before resigning his post 15 games into the 2003-04 campaign.

Via Reuters (2001) More

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