DQ Ice Cream: the Key For Florida Panthers Success

The Florida Panthers have been rocking. Heading into Monday night's Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final, Florida is on the verge of another sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes. If they were to do so, the team would reach its third straight Stanley Cup Final. The last team to do that under normal circumstances was the New York Islanders of the early 1980s.

'Normal' is emphasized because, yes, Tampa Bay made three straight championship series from 2020 to 2022. But let's be real, the first two runs to the Final were during the Covid-19 shortened years. So, they haven't done it through the full grind of an 82-game slate, multiple times. This is something to be appreciated by the fans. However, the team itself is enjoying its ride as well.

Anyone who has followed this team over recent seasons will know the locker room is saturated with intriguing and engaging personalities. From the Nintendo 64-loving Nate Schmidt to the head coach with an amazing dry sense of humor, Paul Maurice. This squad is one of the most lovable teams not just in hockey but in all of sports.

This current version of the Panthers has a unique blend of fun and seriousness. These guys are always willing to participate in the local community. They are also willing to drop the mittens and get dirty if needed. Nobody has qualms sticking up for each other, and after every win, they can be found goofing off, giving amazing one-liners to the press, and just having a good old time.

One of the team's latest acts of childish-like innocence is shooting plastic rats at recently acquired Brad Marchand. Marchand always pretends to get hurt when a guy shoots one at him. Mostly, it's team captain Aleksander Barkov.

Even the franchise's social media team has kicked it up a notch, releasing 'brainrot' videos after big victories.

They've even come out with fitting memes for moments during their season. For instance, take this meme the admin team made after Game 4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round.

As you can see, this team is colorful. It's a breath of fresh air and a far cry from where things used to be. It's easy to forget, but the Florida Panthers are historically one of pro sports 'have-not' clubs. Before 2023, the franchise only saw one Stanley Cup Final appearance in its first 28 seasons of existence.

Fortunately, the skies have brightened, and this team's entertaining mix of characters only adds to the happiness and charm for all Panther fans across the world. Recently, the squad found another way to get on the airwaves that isn't related to the play on the ice. A few days ago, it was revealed by B/R Open Ice that players on the team took a little trip for a nice frozen dessert.

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final was played on this past Thursday night. The afternoon before, on Wednesday, there was a picture taken of several members of the team eating Dairy Queen ice cream in Raleigh. Take a look at the video below featuring NHL content creator Mike Bartner. The trip to grab some delicious Blizzards was fueled by Marchand himself.

Defenseman Niko Mikkola was asked about this by Florida Panthers senior digital content manager Jameson Olive. The enormous native of Finland gave some perspective as to why this is important, not just a funny scene picked up on by social media.

It's important for players and coaches to get away from their occupation as much as possible. When given the time at the right moments, players need to chill out and relax. Being a professional athlete or coach is a stressful and physically demanding job, a position that most people, whether it's media or fans, don't fully understand.

Still, it is charming that a group of grown men, who are viewed as tough, hard-nosed hockey players, would be seen being and acting like normal people. That can only do wonders, as many more will gravitate towards the team on a much higher level. It helps fans identify and relate to those who are commonly viewed as superheroes. Naturally, this has been one of the main topics of conversation about the team.

While the trip to DQ in Raleigh was funny, there was also an underlying and subliminal message that was sent to the fans in Game 2. The ice cream eating frenzy might have worked and given the team a boost. In the second game of this playoff series, Florida continued their merciless domination of the Hurricanes.

Florida dominated. Game 2 was never a contest. Superstar blueliner Gustav Forsling set the tone by scoring his first goal of the postseason, 1:17 into the game. Matthew Tkachuk would add to the score in the second period. Sam Bennett would score the next two, one on the man-advantage. In the third, longtime captain Aleksander Barkov lit the lamp as well.

By night's end, the Panthers skated back to the locker room with a 5-0 shutout of the Hurricanes. The Cats made Carolina look like a junior varsity team more than an NHL opponent in a big playoff contest. However, the fun didn't stop there. Florida returned to Sunrise for Game 3, looking to grab a stranglehold on the series.

The stakes couldn't have been higher. Win, and they would've gotten a commanding 3-0 lead. In front of the sellout crowd inside Amerant Bank Arena, the aforementioned Mikkola opened up the scoring in the first period. The Cats held onto the slim lead until the 14:51 mark of the second period. Thanks to an ill-advised delay-of-game penalty taken by Gustav Forsling, Carolina's Logan Stankoven tied the game at one with a power-play tally.

Most of the time, the atmosphere inside a team's locker room during a knotted postseason game would be serious. Everyone would be stone-faced. No laughs would be heard. Maybe, even some loud vocal messages would be said to get the team mentally prepared for the final 20 minutes of regulation time. Well, that's every team except for these guys. During the second-period intermission, the 'rat man' was caught on camera doing this.

Yes, the 37-year-old winger was eating a DQ Blizzard in the locker room of a playoff game, for the second time in four days. This surely has been the first time that the hockey world has seen this play out. Sometimes modern technology is a good thing. Without the cameras, this amazing and hilarious moment would have just been a rumor.

The greatest thing about all of this is that it seemed to give a spark, again. In the third period, the hosting Panthers turned Amerant Bank Arena into a frenzy. Jesper Boqvist, another goal from Mikkola, back-to-back tallies from Aleksander Barkov, and yes, Brad Marchand himself, all lit the lamp. Florida scored five goals in nine minutes to turn the competitive contest into a laugher.

The Cats once again used a single-period scoring barrage to win a playoff game. 'The Little Ball Of Hate' was asked about the ice cream eating session immediately following the contest. So Brad, what flavor were you munching on?

Some players didn't even know about the whole ordeal. Carter Verhaeghe was laughing about it when asked at his press conference with Jonah Gadjovich on Sunday morning. Skip to the 5:35 mark of the video below to see Verhaeghe's amusement at his teammate casually eating Dairy Queen ice cream in the dressing room during the second intermission.

Even coach Paul Maurice's answer about the little event seemed as if he didn't know much about it either. He did specify that he does like cherry-flavored ice cream. That's an interesting and neat choice.

Maybe this is how things should be. For a team looking to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, they need every small ounce of lenience they can get. From now on, there should be no rules against the enjoyment of a sweet and delicious treat inside the locker room. Give them all the sugar they want. It might give them a rush of energy to lay their next big body check and score another game-changing goal. Florida will look to complete their ECF sweep on Monday night.