NHL championship rings feature diamonds galore, plus a rat

The Florida Panthers will raise the franchise’s first Stanley Cup banner on Tuesday night, and they now have their championship rings in hand.

Weather concerns about Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico led the Panthers to make Monday’s ring ceremony a private one instead of a public, but the team showed off the jewelry on social media.

The 15.6-carat rings, from Jostens, include loads of diamonds, plus depictions of the official WWE and NHL Stanley Cup championship belt, the state of Florida, palm trees and a rat.

The gem count: 554 diamonds, 16 princess-cut rubies, one round ruby, nine blue sapphires and 37 yellow sapphires.

The championship belt is featured because the Panthers are the first NHL team to be added to it.

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The rat is a Panthers tradition from the team’s 1995-96 season.

Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the old Miami Arena that season, then scored two goals that night in what a teammate labeled a ‘rat trick.’ Fans began throwing plastic rats on the ice after goals during the Panthers’ run to the 1996 Stanley Cup Final. Now, they throw rats on the ice after playoff victories.

The Panthers picked up 16 playoff wins for a championship that was 30 years in the making. Their four series last postseason – Tampa Bay Lightning (4-1), Boston Bruins (4-2), New York Rangers (4-2) and Edmonton Oilers (4-3) – are listed on the rings, and is the June 24, 2024, date of their Game 7 clincher.

The Panthers will host the Bruins in the NHL’s North American opening night. They have beaten the Bruins in the last two postseasons.