Panthers keeping close eye on Hurricane Milton ahead of Tuesday's planned Opening Night

It’s supposed to be a big week for the Florida Panthers, but Mother Nature could have other plans.

On Monday, the Panthers were supposed to receive their Stanley Cup Championship rings during a big, public ceremony at Amerant Bank Arena.

Thanks to the looming threat from Hurricane Milton, the Panthers decided the smart and safe thing to do was to cancel the event and provide refunds.

“As this event would take resources from first responders and service providers, we have made the tough decision to cancel our Champions Ring Ceremony out of an abundance of caution for the safety of all involved,” Panthers President and CEO Matt Caldwell said in a statement released by the team.

It’s a shame, because holding the ceremony at the arena and welcoming fans was the latest in a string of welcoming and inclusive moves by the team.

Florida was opening the building up to Cats fans, turning what can sometimes be a private affair into one that would have brought lasting memories for many more than just the people receiving rings.

Instead, the rings will be distributed privately, according to Caldwell.

As for Opening Night against the Boston Bruins, which is scheduled for Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Sunrise, the game is still happening.

The ring ceremony was much easier for the Panthers to call off, as it was just a team-centric thing that wasn’t impacting anyone on the outside, other than the aforementioned first responders.

Opening Night is an NHL game with a much higher and more complicated bar to reach for it to be postponed.

That isn’t to say it won’t be, depending on what happens with the storm, but that decision likely won’t come until at least Monday.

Stay tuned. 

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