Rats to riches: Ex-Canucks star Ed Jovanovski punched Panthers’ ticket past first round in ’96 Cup run

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Ed Jovanovski played a rollicking rookie role in a rats-to-riches drama that became south Florida folklore with a remarkable run to the Stanley Cup final in 1996.

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However, when reminded that it’s been 26 years since the perplexing Panthers — often dripping in drama with 17 coaches, 11 general managers, five owners and too many sour seasons — finally advanced to the second round of these playoffs, he had to pause.

“It’s pretty amazing, actually, when you think about it. It never really crossed my mind,” the former Panthers defenseman, and current club broadcaster, said Monday from his home in Boca Raton, Fla. “There was a stretch when they weren’t even close to making the playoffs, but they’ve also had good teams.

“Losing in six (first round) games to Tampa last year was an excellent series and that sting kind of remained with the guys. And what they did through this regular season was pretty special. But coming into these playoffs, we didn’t know what to expect.

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“They’re under pressure and didn’t haven’t the greatest first round but found a way to get by Washington (six games). The nerves were there. This is a weight off their shoulders to get back to playing their style of hockey and free it up a bit.”

The Presidents’ Trophy winners open against the defending league champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday and are well equipped and motivated to make this a memorable post-season.

The last time the Panthers cleared the first playoff hurdle was that drive to the 1996 final that ended in being swept by the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche. The cast of characters that got the third-year franchise to its first second season included the raw and rambunctious Jovanovski, who took on all comers, made no apologies for his Jovocop bravado, and finished third in Calder Trophy voting.

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The former Vancouver Canucks defenseman concluded a 19-year career with three teams in 2014 by accumulating more penalty minutes (1,491) than games (1,204). He also hit double digits in goals in six seasons and was a hit with fans and teammates.

A lasting snapshot was the hype that started in the 1995-96 home opener at the Miami Arena. It was an outdated haven for raucous fans and rodents and a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames took it to another level.

Scott Mellanby spotted a pre-game rat in the room and it succumbed to the winger’s one-timer slapshot for permanent removal.

“I was in the room somewhere, but I think it (rat) was in the training room — I didn’t actually witness it,” Jovanovski said, with a chuckle, of the rat attack.

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Mellanby had two goals that night and goalie John Vanbiesbrouck dubbed it a “rat trick.” The next home game a fan tossed a plastic rat on the ice. It grew to hundreds and thousands when the Panthers advanced to the playoffs.

The NHL responded with an off-season rule allowing referees to penalize teams for delaying a game by fans tossing objects on the ice.

In that 1996 post-season run, the Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins in five games, stunned the Philadelphia Flyers in six and needed seven games to dispatch the Pittsburgh Penguins. But in the end, they were running on smokes and outscored 15-4.

However, they did push the Avs to triple overtime before dropping Game 4 by a 1-0 count on an Uwe Kruppe goal from the point. And Jovanovski tried to push motivational buttons.

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In the third period of Game 2, the Panthers were being pounded on the scoreboard 7-1, but they weren’t going to get run out of the rink. And it was Jovanovski, who had already fought Keith Tkachuk, Darren McCarty, Keith Primeau and Shane Churla in the regular season, who went looking for trouble. And he got it from Warren Rychel.

“At that point, you’re not really looking at who is wearing the sweater,” recalled Jovanovski. “You’re coming in for a teammate, or you have no choice to do anything but fight. Rychel is from my hometown (Windsor, Ont.) and I remember that I ran a couple of guys in Colorado.

“And I see that (Marc) Crawford actually threw him (Rychel) out on the ice, so I’m like: ‘This guy isn’t going to jump his hometown kid?’ Sure enough, the puck drops and he comes right after me — a 19 year old fighting a 28 year old.

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“I was always that guy who needed to stick up for myself or a teammate. I didn’t feel like I needed to, because every team had that kind of guy, but it was just something from junior that I carried over.”

Jovanovski has maintained interest in the Canucks. He’s buoyed by the second-half surge this season — 32-15-10 — under coach Bruce Boudreau and he sees similarities in Vancouver with how Florida was built.

It starts with draft and development. And from 2011 to 2014, the Panthers laid a franchise foundation with the additions of high first-round picks in Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad.

By comparison, the Canucks landed first-rounders from 2013 to 2018 in Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes.

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“You have to be patient with Barkov, Ekblad and Huberdeau and let them get into their own (rhythm) and added pieces around them,” said Jovanovski. “I think they’ve got a pretty good grip on that there (Vancouver).”

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