Rats! What’s a Miami Heat-loving Florida Panthers fan — and vice versa — to do that week?
As the NBA’s Heat and the NHL’s Panthers have been set to start the subsequent spherical of their respective playoffs, the NHL on Monday revealed a Panthers schedule almost similar to the one beforehand introduced for the Heat.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” stated Raymond Gil, a Heat fan from Deerfield Beach, who often watches video games at his native Duffy’s Sports Grill. “Now I have to share TVs with Panthers’ fans? It’s cool, but the flow and the vibe, totally different.”
Gil could discover his seat already taken, because the Panthers begin earlier.
The Panthers schedule within the best-of-seven playoffs consists of video games at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, then 1:30 p.m. Sunday and seven p.m. Monday in Tampa Bay. Should they be required, there could be video games May 25, 27 and 29 at instances TBD.
The Heat play at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at FTX Arena in Miami, then 8:30 p.m. Saturday and Monday in Boston. If that collection extends past 4 video games, in addition they could be held May 25, 27 and 29 at instances TBD.
After weeks of anticipation over these playoffs, the belief {that a} fan of each groups could not be capable to watch them stay and uninterrupted for a lot of video games is a buzzkill.
Mauricio Cardenal, a Panthers season ticket holder for the reason that crew’s magical 1995-96 Stanley Cup run made tossing rubber rats on the ice a factor, has held season tickets to the Miami Heat simply as lengthy. Cardenal stated he would have tried to attend video games for each groups.
“It just sucks. The last couple of weeks of the [Heat and Panthers] playoffs, it’s been every other night, and it’s given the fan base down here a great opportunity. They could shift from one sport to the other, from one team to the other, and stay excited,” stated Cardenal, 49, of Coral Gables. “Now it’s, ‘Alright, I have to decide, one or the other.’”
Adding to the frustration, that is the primary time the Heat and Panthers have superior this far within the playoffs on the identical time, every is also a high seed and every is going through a bitter rival — Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics, Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning.
Chrissy Parente, Florida Panthers company communications supervisor, stated the schedule is a product of a “complex puzzle” of broadcast rights and constructing commitments among the many eight groups left within the NHL playoffs.
“Obviously for Florida fans, this is unfortunate,” Parente stated. “The Panthers management and NHL have been in touch regarding scheduling.”
Cardenal isn’t positive what his plan is but for residence video games on the Heat’s FTX Arena and the Panthers’ FLA Live Arena, saying he could alternate between the 2 groups. Watching highway video games at residence, he plans to comply with the Panthers recreation till the top, then swap to the Heat.
“The Comeback Cats, they’re fun to watch, they’re never out of it,” he stated, then admitted, “I’m more nervous about the Panthers than I am the Heat.”
The schedule has created a novel scenario for South Florida bars and eating places attempting to arrange watch events that cater to every fan base.
“This is why we were built,” stated Joe Webb, president of Duffy’s Sports Grill. Each of the restaurant group’s 33 places from Kendall to Jupiter has lots of of seats and dozens of big-screen TVs masking the partitions. “We’re so excited about this. We go as Florida sports go.”
Webb stated particular person eating places will prepare TV viewing in accordance with the viewers.
“We might have all hockey fans in one section and all Heat fans in another section, or we might have a mix. Remember, some people come to watch Chive TV,” he stated, laughing.
The Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park is an official Florida Panthers bar. It has a taproom at FLA Live Arena and hosts road-game watch events which were standing-room-only in style because the crew has navigated the season into the playoffs.
The brewery and Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale are internet hosting a free, household pleasant Panthers watch social gathering at Esplanade Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale for the crew’s recreation at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, stated advertising director John Linn.
But the brewery additionally has a enterprise partnership with the Miami Heat, Linn stated.
“Isn’t it crazy? Somebody needs to move one of these series,” he stated, laughing.
A typical Panthers watch social gathering on the Funky Buddha consists of 4 giant projector screens, sound on, along with the smaller TVs over the bar. Linn stated “some” shall be tuned to the Heat recreation whereas the Panthers are on.
A signature of the watch events are free servings of the brewery’s Panthers-themed Gloves Off IPA after a win to anybody in Panthers’ gear. Linn wouldn’t commit to a different free beer for somebody carrying a Jimmy Butler shirt beneath an Aaron Ekblad jersey if each groups win.
“I can’t endorse a double dip, but it would be a great day in the taproom,” he stated.
Staff author Ben Crandell will be reached at [email protected].
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Source: www.bostonherald.com