Stanley Drinking Cup: Here's the Unofficial Panthers Championship Drinking Game

The last two games of the Stanley Cup Final have given Florida Panthers fans more than enough reasons to drink.

After going up 3-0 in the series against the Edmonton Oilers, the Panthers dropped two games in a row and must face the Oilers on their home ice in Canada Friday night. For Panthers fans from West Palm Beach to the Florida Keys, it's been a nerve-wracking saga watching their team struggle to close out its first Stanley Cup.

In the interest of keeping spirits high and the mood light as the cats vie to seal the deal tonight at Rogers Place, we've put together a tip-top drinking game to play while watching the Final.

The rules are simple: Take a swig of your preferred beverage whenever you spot one of the cues below. See Matthew Tkachuk bite his mouthguard? Drink up. Did head coach Paul Maurice drop an f-bomb during a pep talk? Have another.

Provided you aren't driving a Zamboni or any other vehicle this evening, the game will provide a proper diversion as you navigate the anxiety of watching the Panthers try to fight off the Oilers.

Here are your libation triggers:

Panthers GM Bill Zito threw a water bottle after McDavid scored the ENG 😳 pic.twitter.com/3xMAEvtLdI

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 19, 2024

Bill Zito Flips His Shit

No one can accuse Panthers General Manager Bill Zito of being emotionally uninvested in his team.

After the Panthers dropped game 5 to the Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise this week, Zito blew a fuse and chucked a water bottle across the box seats. The angry reaction came after Connor McDavid, heir apparent to the Oilers' Wayne Gretzky legacy, scored an empty-net goal to close out the match despite an insane diving move by Matthew Tkachuk to block the puck.

If you see Zito lose his cool, take one sip for yourself and another for the Panthers GM.

Alberta has been rat free since 1950...not anymore. pic.twitter.com/weStYv7Xdt

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 14, 2024

Panthers Fans Sneak in a Rat Toss

Panthers fans' tradition of throwing rubber rats onto the ice after a goal originated in the mid-1990s when forward Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the locker room with his hockey stick.

Though the tradition is largely limited to the Panthers' home stadium, we're banking on a rogue fan having the chutzpah to toss a rodent (presumably fake) on the ice in Edmonton enemy territory.

Supposedly, the Canadian province of Alberta has been free of rats for 70 years. Tonight, that streak might come to an abrupt end.

Verhaeghe Goal or Tkachuk Assist

We're already fairly deep into the list and getting concerned that the drink cues are too sparse. So, here's one that's more likely to get the juice flowing. 

Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk have played a pivotal role in propelling the Panthers to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final, leading the team in postseason goals and assists, respectively.

If you see Verhaeghe score a goal or Matthew Tkachuk log an assist, swig away.

This is about as close as this list will get to a surefire drinking prompt.

Paul Maurice Potty Mouth

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is not afraid of sounding a bit coarse when rallying the team on the bench. He's known to let the profanity fly in the process of lighting a fire under the Panthers' asses.

Maurice made an epic, f-bomb-lined plea for the team to step up when the Beantown crew was trouncing them on the shot count in Game 6 of the second-round series against the Boston Bruins. It was not a matter of getting angry, Maurice said, but being matter of fact.

"I don't know the exact words of the message," Maurice said. "I wasn't mad at them. I understood what they were going through. I just thought they needed some profanity in their life, and I brought some. I don't excel in a lot of things in life, but fuck me, am I good at that?"

If you see or hear Maurice getting heated, take a sip.

Oilers Play Gretzky Clip

The Oilers dominated the NHL when Wayne Gretzky led their roster in the mid-1980s. He helped the team to four consecutive Stanley Cup Finals in one of the league's last true dynasties.

Edmonton longs for those glory days, and fans' hunger for another championship has only grown since the team last hoisted the Cup in 1990.

Keep your eyes peeled for clips of the Great One on the Rogers Place arena big screen.

Win or lose, give Connor McDavid the Conn Smythe. Unreal. pic.twitter.com/USXzpAmi6a

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) June 19, 2024

McDavid Splits Defenders

Woe be upon the sports commentator who underestimates Connor McDavid.

Ahead of Game 6, McDavid has pulled within five of Wayne Gretzky's all-time playoff points record, lining up eight goals and 34 assists in the 2024 postseason.

McDavid's keen puck-handling and skating skills are an undeniable threat. If you see McDavid glide through Panthers defenders to secure an assist or goal, drink up.

Tkachuk Hanging Mouthguard

Yes, it's a thing.

Both Matthew Tkachuk and his brother Brady, winger for the Ottawa Senators, are known to chomp on their mouthguard while it's hanging from their jaws. Frankly, it's probably a less problematic habit than Panthers fans biting their nails in anticipation of the Stanley Cup Final results.

If you see Tkachuk biting down on his mouthguard, you know it's game time, and time for a drink.

Bonus: Oilers Fans Freak Out Over Loss

Canadians' reputation for being relatively mild-mannered and polite goes out the window when their teams are competing in a championship hockey game.

In Edmonton, Oilers fans set fires, pushed over phone booths, and looted stores when the team qualified for the Stanley Cup in 2006. You read that right: hammered Canadian fans destroyed their own city after winning a playoff game.

Nobody's rooting for mayhem in Edmonton, but we don't mind taking a drink at Oilers fans' expense. If the Panthers win the Cup, and the Oilers crowd are crowing about it, have a final gulp in celebration.