The relationship between the Florida Panthers and actor Kevin Spacey is one of the oddest, yet most delightful stories of the season.
What began with the adoption of the "Spacey in Space" hoodie as the reward given to the player of the game came to a head Saturday when the Oscar-winning thespian revealed himself to a record-setting and raucous BB&T Center crowd.
It leads us to wonder what other teams could adopt a random celebrity as their own. Here are five suggestions, all from the world of Netflix in keeping with Spacey's hugely popular role as Frank Underwood on "House of Cards."
Taylor Schilling - Philadelphia Flyers
The star of "Orange Is The New Black" is without question a Flyers fan in waiting.
Yes, Schilling was born in Boston, and plays a character named Piper Chapman, who, prior to being sentenced to 15 months in prison, ran an artisanal bath soap business in Brooklyn.
This doesn't exactly reek of Flyers' fandom, but above and beyond the obvious color scheme tie-in, the increasingly tough on-screen persona developed by Schilling hearkens back to the days of the Broad Street Bullies in Philadelphia.
This might be the boost needed to propel the Flyers into the playoffs.
Kyle Chandler - New York Rangers
Only weeks ago, Chandler - of "Friday Night Lights" fame - could very well have been hitched to Carolina or Vancouver, but the New York Rangers are currently the best fit for his services as a result of brothers Eric Staal and Marc Staal teaming up on Broadway.
Chandler - a Buffalo native - plays John Rayburn on "Bloodline," a local sheriff who's also tasked with upholding the family name as brother Danny runs wild and finds himself in hot water.
We won't spoil anything here, but hopefully Chandler could inspire the Staal brothers to put aside any sibling rivalries - or any lingering resentment from an injurious hit levied by Eric on Marc in 2011 - and work towards mutual success as opposed to, well, a darker alternative.
Elden Henson - Anaheim Ducks
At present, Henson is living large as a co-star on the wildly popular "Daredevil" series. But prior to being known for his role as Foggy Nelson, Henson made a name for himself by playing Fulton Reed, a key player in Disney's "Mighty Ducks" trilogy.
The Mighty Ducks nickname, of course, carried over to the NHL with the inception of an NHL franchise in Anaheim in 1993. This year's Ducks are mighty, and could certainly use the grit demonstrated by Henson as a hockey player and the smarts Henson displays as a lawyer in Hell's Kitchen.
Plus, he could be shown on the scoreboard and lead the crowd in a chant of "quack, quack, quack."
Jason Bateman - Edmonton Oilers
As Michael Bluth in "Arrested Development," Bateman plays the one son who had no choice but to keep a wealthy family together after they lost everything.
The term "arrested development" was used as a title for the show in reference to the Bluth's collective failures in terms of basic grow and development. In NHL terms, that's a perfect metaphor for the Edmonton Oilers, who are somehow in the running to "win" a fifth first overall draft pick in the past seven years.
The Oilers haven't played a single playoff game since Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final, and there's no guarantee they'll get back to that level as early as next season.
No one's going to top that.
Ellie Kemper - Toronto Maple Leafs
In "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," Kemper - who plays the titular character - emerges from an underground bunker after 15 years in captivity and, brimming with positivity, decides to restart her life in New York.
A similar emergence is beginning in Toronto, where the Maple Leafs teardown and rebuild is beginning to show glimpses of hope for a brighter future.
Yes, there will likely still be moments of pain ahead, and not everything will go as smoothly as planned, but the fan base is accepting of the process and willing to keep an expectant smile regardless.
Also, Kemper would remind Leafs fans that sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from crying along the way.
