The Florida Panthers know that all good things must come to an end eventually.
Not just their season, in which the team finished with a franchise-best 103 points and earned just their second playoff berth in the last 16 years, but also their delightful post-game tradition of handing out a Kevin Spacey sweatshirt to the “hero” of the game.
According to Panthers forward Shawn Thornton, the “Spacey in Space” blue hoodie is being retired now that the Panthers have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Since Aleksander Barkov got to wear the sweatshirt after a two-goal performance against the Montreal Canadiens at the end of December, the quirky Panthers tradition has exploded in popularity, with the team selling replicas of the sweater at the BB&T Center.
Kevin Spacey himself got in on the action, attending a game while fans were given masks of his face.
No matter the root cause of Spacey’s connection with the franchise, “Spacey in Space” was a fun, original, tradition that was just one part of an exciting season for the upstart Panthers, who have plenty to look forward to with a young core led by Barkov, Aaron Ekblad and Jonathan Huberdeau.
As for the original hoodie? Thornton said that he might auction it off, with the proceeds going to the Shawn Thornton Foundation, which raises funds to fight Parkinson’s disease and cancer.