Jaromir Jagr can't stop fans of the Florida Panthers from hurling rats onto the ice to celebrate goals. In fact, he doesn't really mind the rubber rodents. But he does take issue with the two-minute delay-of-game penalties that come with the display.
After Thursday's game - a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils - the ageless one urged the NHL to step in and prevent officials from punishing the team for their fans' excitement before another incident costs them valuable points, or worse, hurts them in the playoffs.
"I don't think we should get two minutes for that," Jagr began his postgame scrum. "The league should do something about it. If they are going to give us a penalty every time somebody throw a rat, whoever we play in playoffs is going to hire some guys to throw the rats, and get a power play all game."
The fans were warned on multiple occasions not to throw the rats, which were handed out to commemorate the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996.
But Jagr doesn't blame them.
"We're trying to sell the game. You (shouldn't) get penalized for selling the game. It doesn't make sense to me. It shouldn't be like that."
The Panthers successfully killed two minor penalties as a result of rats littering the ice after their second and third goals, which helped them move two points clear of the Tampa Bay Lightning atop the Pacific Division.
