Cats & Coffee: Big Day at Doctors Hospital; Territory Teammates Winner

Good morning and welcome to "Cats & Coffee," a weekly segment, presented by Koffee Kult, in which we serve up an exciting look at what's on deck for your Florida Panthers. Like our friends at Koffee Kult, this forecast serves up only the best -- so sit back, sip and enjoy our latest brew of news, notes and information.
In these stressful times, lunch breaks have become crucial for healthcare workers.
With that in the mind, the Florida Panthers decided to put on a little party for the local heroes at Baptist Health South Florida's Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables last week, surprising the large staff with an upbeat mid-day party that included more than 1,200 boxed lunches to grab and go.

"We wanted to do something kind for the hardworking employees at Baptist Health South Florida," Panthers Senior Vice President Shawn Thornton said. "Throughout 2020, these frontline workers have been serving our community in their roles during our community's hardships. We want to thank them in any way we can and remind them that their efforts have not gone unnoticed."
Of course, Stanley C. Panther was also on hand - or should we say "on paw" -- at the event to snap a few photos with the doctors and nurses. Additionally, many members of the Panthers staff wrote personalized letters of appreciation that were handed out to workers at the hospital.
"It's really exciting to have the Panthers here today," said Diane Amado-Tate, the Chief Nursing Officer at Doctors Hospital. "It's great that the nurses and hospital staff could come down and catch a quick lunch and get an opportunity to step a way a little bit from the front line.
"We've been extremely busy with this second wave of COVID-19. We are still busy. Although the numbers are going down a bit in the community, we're still seeing a lot of high-acuity patients in the hospital. I've been extremely impressed with our staff during this time."
Stay tuned for an upcoming in-depth story and video from this event at FloridaPanthers.com.

TERRITORY TEAMMATES WINNER

After receiving more than 100 submissions, occupational therapist John Mandile was recently announced as the winner of the Florida Panthers Foundation's "Territory Teammates" contest.
In these unprecedented times, the overall goal of the contest was to give fans a chance to shine a well-deserved spotlight on a wide variety of local heroes from around South Florida that have gone above and beyond to serve, help and inspire others throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once the five finalists were chosen, more than 1,000 ballots were cast to choose the winner.
"We want to thank all of our nominated heroes and especially our five finalists for their incredible work in South Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic," Panthers Senior Director of the Florida Panthers Foundation & Community Relations John Colombo said. "As the Panthers Foundation, we hope that sharing these stories and bringing light to the good that is being done in our community can bring a smile to our Panthers family and encourage kindness throughout Panthers Territory."

An occupational therapist for over 16 years in Delray Beach, Mandile helped connect patients with loved ones after their visitation was either cut or drastically limited during the pandemic. In many cases, he also filled the void himself by spending countless hours keeping patients company.
"First, we were the teachers, the therapists and the healers…and now we're the teachers, the therapists, the healers and the family," Mandile said. "We're the family of these people. We have to be there for them and give them comfort, support, and encouragement."
As the winner of the "Territory Teammates" contest, Mandile was surprised at his home by the ROAR Corps and Stanley C. Panther, who presented him with a mountain of prizes, including a custom Panthers jersey, gift basket and four Club Lexus tickets to be used for a future game.
To read about other local heroes, click HERE.

STAY SAFE AND LOOK SHARP

Masks aren't just for goalies!
With the release of their new "Stay Safe" T-shirts, the Panthers are hoping to not only spread the word about good health practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also raise funds for the Florida Panthers Foundation's efforts to assist the local community in these difficult times.
All proceeds generated from sales of these mask-themed shirts will benefit the Foundation.
To make a purchase, please follow the link in the tweet below.

FALL GUYS IN FLORIDA

Like the rest of the world, we've got Fall Guys fever!
Inspired by the hottest video game on the market, we here at the Panthers decided to create two of our own costume concepts for the battle royale's adorable bean-shaped protagonists. The only question now is to pick which one is better -- home jersey or nacho tot? You decide!

If you'd like to play some Fall Guys with us in the future, follow us at
Twitch.tv/FlaPanthers
.

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

The season finale of "Panthers Uncaged" is here!

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

Tweet from @UltimateHCM: We are so thankful to have partnered with @makeawishsfla and @FlaPanthers to surprise wish kid Maverick with a Dinosaur themed parade outside his home! Check out the video here https://t.co/vcWAlyO6HB #WishesAreWaiting
Tweet from @StanleyCPanther: Do you live too far away for me to do one of my visits but still would love to see me? I will make a personalized video for you! Order yours at https://t.co/uEeOSoCQQV pic.twitter.com/sMEamofL51

TERRITORY TALK

On the latest episode of the Territory Talk podcast, original Panther and current broadcaster Bill Lindsay joins the show for a long conversation about the organization's past, present and future.
Territory Talk: Florida Panthers Podcast
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COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

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Vaulted: It was the shift that wouldn't end for Stephen Weiss.
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The "Get in and Give Back" campaign was a success.
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The Panthers will select 12th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft.
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The Panthers recently announced a three-year partnership with Bump 50:50. 
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The Panthers are now on Twitch!