Stanley Cup champions didn't get to show off their new look on their own time
A Florida Panthers employee reportedly got the boot after a picture of the team’s new center-ice logo leaked on social media.
David Rodriguez, the host of the "FLA Cats Hockey Podcast," posted a picture of what he believed was the new center-ice logo heading into the 2024-2025 NHL season. He asked his followers, "This real?" after revealing the new rink design.
It turns out the picture that Rodriguez got was in fact the rink at Amerant Bank Arena for the new year as the team made it official with a post of its own.
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A general view of the ice surface displaying the new name of the arena and the 30th anniversary logo prior to the preseason game between the Florida Panthers and the Nashville Predators at the Amerant Bank Arena on September 25, 2023, in Sunrise, Florida. (Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
"Center ice fit for the Champs," the Panthers, the team that won the Stanley Cup earlier this year, posted on social media.
"This year our shield finds its way back to center ice," the post continued. "And for the first time in franchise history, the circle is filled with red.
"The sun’s looking a little different in South Florida. The shield is placed over sun rays inspired by the embossed pattern in the Stanley Cup."
The employee who took this pic has been fired, multiple sources tell me.
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) August 28, 2024
The new center-ice logo, as seen below, was leaked on social media before the Florida Panthers planned to unveil it. https://t.co/bCr9EnvfYb
The Panthers’ post came around an hour after Rodriguez showed his following, and it reportedly cost a team employee their job.
The Florida Panthers' 30th anniversary logo (Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
Talk show host and reporter Andy Slater had "multiple sources" tell him that "the employee who took this pic has been fired."
Florida found its redemption in the Stanley Cup last season after previously being beaten by the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2022-2023 campaign.
The Panthers made it harder on themselves as they had a 3-0 lead against the Edmonton Oilers before needing a Game 7 to figure out the champion.
The Florida Panthers logo (Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
But the loyal Panthers fans at Amerant Bank Arena were not disappointed as Florida beat Edmonton in Game 7 and the team’s first-ever Stanley Cup was lifted at home.
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
