Marc Staal spilled the beans when it came to the Florida Panthers newest postgame tradition of chewing on a bone following playoff wins.
It was believed to be a rawhide chew, the kind one would buy for their dog at Petco.
Staal said it is not.
“It’s not a dog bone,” Staal told E.J. Hradek of NHL Network during the team’s media day at T-Mobile Arena on Friday afternoon.
“It’s from a t-bone. Long story short, one of our trainers ate this massive piece of steak and it had a bone in it. He finished the whole thing and he was hurting afterward. We just took the bone and now it is for hard work, the best player who is grinding because he was grinding eating that piece of meat. Now it’s ‘the bone.’
“All I know is it’s in someone’s hand after a win. You have to chew on it”
The bone, which Eric Staal says is soaked in peroxide and is carried around in its own case, has taken on a life of its own since being spotted during the ESPN docuseries Quest For The Cup.
In one episode, Eric Staal was seen gnawing on it following a win; in another, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky gave it to Marc Staal.
“It kind of came organically as the playoff run has gone along,” Eric Staal said. “This group is so great because those things kind of comes together. It is great to be able to celebrate a win with your teammates and this is just added to the group. You hope for four more of handing out that bone and go on from there as we move into the Final.”
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