Florida Panthers Reportedly Fire Team Employee For Leaking New Rink Design

Earlier this week, the Florida Panthers unveiled a fancy new rink design with a center ice logo befitting their status as Stanley Cup champions.

It’s a sharp-looking new design with the return of the shield in the logo and a few other new additions.

“This year our shield finds its way back to center ice,” the Florida Panthers wrote on X (Twitter) alongside a photo of the new design that will be featured in Amerant Bank Arena this fall.

“And for the first time in franchise history, the circle is filled with red.

“The sun’s looking a little different in South Florida,” the description continued.

“The shield is placed over the sun’s rays inspired by the embossed pattern in the Stanley Cup.”

Unfortunately for the Florida Panthers organization, they were second when it came to revealing the new rink design.

David Rodriguez, host of FLA Cats Hockey Podcast, actually shared it first.

Whoops.

However, Rodriguez wasn’t actually the one who took the photo of the new Panthers ice. So he’s fine.

The same can’t be said for the person who did take the picture though.

According to Andy Slater of FOX Sports 640 South Florida, that photo was taken and shared by a Panthers employee. Or, well, a former Panthers employee.

“The employee who took this pic has been fired, multiple sources tell me,” Slater wrote on X in response to the leaked photo.

“The new center-ice logo… was leaked on social media before the Florida Panthers planned to unveil it.”

Numerous hockey fans thought firing the employee who took and shared the photo was a little bit harsh.

“Fired?!” one fan commented. “That seems kind of extreme…”

“It’s just a hockey rink chill the f— out panthers,” someone else wrote.

“They win one single cup in their entire pathetic existence and it goes right to their head,” another comment read.