As Major League Baseball’s regular season comes to a close we get closer to the start of hockey season. During one of their last home series the Miami Marlins are paying tribute to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers when they host “Panthers Night” on September 6th. The Marlins will be playing against their divisional rivals the Philadelphia Phillies.
The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown out by a yet to be named “Panthers guest” while both Panthers mascots will be in attendance. The real star of the show will be that game’s giveaway item. Fans who purchase a special event ticket (this isn’t a “free giveaway to all fans” type of promotion) will get a special Panthers and Marlins combination jersey.
Not gonna lie, this Marlins giveaway for Panthers night on September 6th is nice. You have to buy a specific package for that night to get the jersey. pic.twitter.com/EToL6z1oP8
— Will Manso (@WillManso) August 27, 2024
The pictures of the jersey show that the jersey will be a replica of the current Panthers home jersey, being red with a white strip outlined in gold going through the middle. In place of the current Panthers “shield” logo with be the current Marlins logo, a Marlin swimming around a large “M” in dark colors. The red accents on the current Marlins logo fit very well with the Panthers red, but the “Miami blue” outline of the current logo will be replaced with the Panthers gold that outlines the white stripe.
The current Panthers shield logo will be featured on both shoulders, where a player’s number is usually featured. The only thing that would have made this jersey better is if the Panthers original 1990’s era logo made an appearance. The Marlins themselves had a very memorable 1990’s era logo. If they found a way to incorporate both on this jersey it would be a must have for every sports collector.
No word yet on if the Stanley Cup itself will be in attendance. Matthew Tkachuk recently threw out the first pitch at his hometown St. Louis Cardinals baseball game where he was joined by fellow 2024 sports champion Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. The cup didn’t make the trip, with Tkachuk representing with a WWE style championship belt with the cup logo instead. Considering Tkachuk’s baseball loyalty is apparently still with the Cardinals, we’ll guess he’s not the special “Panthers guest” for September 6th.
The Florida Panthers were the last Miami/South Florida area sports team to win their first championship when they won the Stanley Cup earlier this summer. The Marlins won the 1997 and 2003 World Series. The Miami Dolphins won Super Bowls VII and VIII. The Miami Heat of the NBA won championships in 2006, 2011 and 2012. The Panthers and Heat even shared trips to their respective league finals last season, with both ending in losing efforts.
The Panthers and Marlins have some common history together. Both entered their respective leagues at same time, with the Marlins in 1993 and the Panthers during the 1993-1994 season. The original owner of both teams was Waste Management and Blockbuster business owner Wayne Huizenga. The Panthers even retired a number in his honor.