Cats & Coffee: NHL Player Gaming Challenge; Classic Victories in 1996

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!

With the NHL still on pause, the action is heading online.

In coordination with ESL Gaming, the league will soon be hosting its first-ever NHL Player Gaming Challenge. The event will feature players representing all 31 of the league's clubs, including Jonathan Huberdeau picking up his controller and going to work for the Panthers.

Beginning April 30, players will compete in a series of one-time matchups of NHL 20 over a four-week span. The games will air on Thursdays and Saturdays, with Los Angeles Kings TV play-by-play announcer Alex Faust calling the action. New matchups will be released weekly.

NBC Sports will air the first series of games, including Calgary vs. Ottawa and Columbus vs. Winnipeg, beginning at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN on Thursday. However, all matches will also be streamed on the NHL's social platforms: Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and NHL.com.

In addition to putting the tournament together, the NHL Foundation and Electronic Arts will donate a combined $100,000 in support of the CDC Foundation's COVID-19 relief efforts.

"Over the past several weeks, the NHL, its Clubs and player community have been very active with gaming initiatives in an effort to connect with fans while social distancing - such as charity tournaments, simulated games and nightly streams," said Chris Golier, NHL Vice President of Business Development and Innovation.

"The NHL Player Gaming Challenge presented by Honda will take gaming to another level. We know how competitive our players are, and coupled with the interaction between players, these series of competitions will be extremely fun to watch."

Stay tuned to @FlaPanthers on Twitter to follow along with Huberdeau throughout the event.

CLASSIC REWINDS

As far as classic Panthers games go, they don't get much better than this.

After showcasing the first two games of the unforgettable series last week, FOX Sports Florida will be re-airing the Panthers' incredible wins over the Penguins in Games 6 and 7 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Final this week in continuation of the network's "Panthers Rewind" series.

Down 3-2 in the series, the Panthers clawed back to force a decisive Game 7 in Pittsburgh in which John Vanbiesbrouck put on a performance for the ages, stopping 39 of 40 shots to lead Florida to the Stanley Cup Final just three seasons after the organization had entered the NHL.

Simply put, these are two exhilarating games you don't want to miss.

The full schedule for upcoming "Panthers Rewinds" is as follows:

April 30, 7 PM: Game 6 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Pittsburgh.

May 3, 7:30 PM: Game 7 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Pittsburgh.

During each broadcast, a few surprises are also to be expected on social media, so make sure to stay tuned to @FlaPanthers and @FOXPanthers on Twitter throughout the classic contests. Also, keep an eye out for new digital episodes of "Inside the Panthers: At Home" each week.

The latest episode featuring Panthers forward Noel Acciari can be found below!

TONINATO'S CHECK-IN

With no rebounds to clean up, Dominic Toninato has been focused on cleaning his house.

As part of the ongoing "Cats Check-In" series, the Panthers forward recently chatted with FloridaPanthers.com to share what he's been up to while under quarantine, including the endless hours he continues to invest in getting his new home ready to go up in Minnesota.

"We're mainly just kind of getting stuff organized, setting up the garage," Toninato said. "Like I said, there's a lot of yardwork. We're trying to get the best lawn in the neighborhood."

"It's just little things. This is the first house we've ever had together. There's a lot of things you don't realize you need until you need them. We're doing a lot of things like that."

A first-time homeowner, Toninato admits that it's nice to finally have a place to hang his hat.

"It's awesome," he said. "I've been in apartments and a lot of hotels. I've really spent a lot of time in hotels the last couple years. It's just finally nice to have a home base and a spot where you can kind of leave your stuff. Just having room to move around, that's the best part."

To see what else Toninato has been up to, check out the full interview HERE.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Joining the Junior Achievement of South Florida's "Recipe for Success" podcast, Panthers President & CEO Matt Caldwell recently enlightened listeners on how the organization has managed to successfully traverse the uncharted waters of working while under quarantine.

"We've really been able to adapt very quickly," Caldwell said of the changing times.

Founded in 1959, Junior Achievement of South Florida has helped more than 1,000,000 students by providing education on financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness.

Junior Achievement of South Florida was honored by the Florida Panthers Foundation as a Community Champion during the 2018-19 season. Presented by Moss Construction and the Moss Foundation, the Community Champions Grant Program is committed to donating $5 million over five seasons to local non-profits.

Caldwell's full interview can be found in the YouTube video below.

Watch: Youtube Video

MATHESON THE MIDDLEMAN

Mike Matheson has been working the phones since the NHL began its current pause.

As the NHLPA representative for the Panthers, the smooth-skating defenseman has become one of the primary sources of information for his teammates as they patiently await a return to work, passing along whatever updates he hears from the powers that be through texts and calls.

In a recent interview with the NHLPA's website, he detailed this role, as well as his new routine.

"PA-wise, my job is to be on the calls, take notes, relay it back to the team, and get their thoughts on it, then relay it back to the NHLPA," Matheson said. "In that sense, my job is being the middleman. We've been watching to see what the Canadian and U.S. governments do, in terms of coming out of the quarantine, when that might be able to happen."

For the full interview, click HERE.

FINS UP!

The Miami Dolphins entered last week's NFL Draft with more picks than any other team.

But before they made any of their selections -- including snagging Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick -- Panthers coach Joel Quenneville wished the team luck.

And given how Tagavailoa fell right into their lap, I'd say luck was certainly on their side!

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

What have Frank Vatrano and Josh Brown been up to since the NHL went on pause?

Find out during the latest installment of "Chats with the Cats," presented by DEX Imaging.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

TERRITORY TALK

On the latest episode of the Territory Talk podcast, Jonathan Huberdeau calls into the show to talk about his new routine while under quarantine up in Canada. When did he become a cat person? What's he been watching? Who does hang out with on XBOX? Tune in to find out!

Territory Talk: Florida Panthers Podcast

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COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

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In the latest entry of the "Taking Off" series presented by JetBlue, forward Logan Hutsko talks about chasing a championship and his decision to return to Boston College for his senior season. 

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The Panthers cruised to victory over the Penguins in Game 1 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Final. 

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What happens when Keith Yandle crashes a Zoom call? Find out here! 

-- Need something to do on Monday night? Spend some time with Jonathan Huberdeau.

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Stu Barnes led the charge for the Panthers in Game 3 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Final. 

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Re-live some great Panthers wins from the 2019-20 season on 560 WQAM. 

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Did know you can watch old episode of "Inside the Panthers" on demand?

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Check out BB&T Center's official COVID-19 Guide.

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Find treasures from Florida's past in the Panthers Virtual Vault, presented by Baptist Health.