A Tampa Bay Lightning fan puts the Florida Panthers mascot in a HEADLOCK at the end of a 7-1 loss
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Shocking moment A Tampa Bay Lightning fan puts Florida Panthers mascot in a headlock late in 7-1 loss… and the team is now ‘investigating’ the ugly incident
The Florida Panthers are reportedly investigating an incident Monday night in which a Tampa Bay Lightning fan attacked mascot Viktor E. Ratt at the end of a 7-1 Panthers victory.
The incident occurred in the final minutes of the game, with the fan pulling the mascot’s jersey over his eyes and briefly placing him in a headlock.
The skirmish may have resulted from the mascot grabbing the fan’s jersey and throwing it into the crowd.
A handler made a feeble attempt to intervene, pulling the mascot’s shirt over his body, but the fan grabbed the mascot once more, pulling the shirt over his eyes and shaking his fists in the air.
The Lightning fan said “Go Bolts” repeatedly, before several Panthers staff members stepped in to successfully defuse the situation.
The Lightning fan attacked the Panthers mascot towards the end of the embarrassing loss.
The incident involving the mascot Viktor E. Ratt was reportedly not staged.
Unsurprisingly, the fan was booed by Panthers supporters, and the team is said to be investigating the incident as well.
Fox Sports South’s Andy Slater reported that the team was investigating the incident, noting that the skirmish was not organized according to a team spokesperson.
Slater also said that “the normal handler for the mascot was turned off” during the game and that the team has not contacted local law enforcement.
The Panthers have 56 points (tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference) this season, while the Lightning sit third with 66 points.