With the NHL playoffs under way and the Florida Panthers a major player in them for the first time in ages, hockey is back in the spotlight in South Florida.
Third-seeded Florida holds a 2-1 series lead over the sixth-seeded New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Panthers' early success — particularly their thrilling come-from-behind victory Tuesday night — has everyone seeing red.
Well, almost everyone.
Following Florida’s 4-3 road victory in Game 3, one Miami local TV affiliate, WSVN, aired a story recapping the Panthers’ rally from three goals down, the largest comeback in franchise playoff history. And who could blame them?
Even in a town where the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins usually take center stage, the area’s NHL team bouncing back for a playoff victory after falling behind 3-0 in the first six minutes of the game is certainly something to celebrate.
Problem is, the station used the wrong Panthers logo in their package — and not just the wrong Florida Panthers logo, either. The FOX affiliate used the logo for Miami-based Florida International University alongside a Devils insignia and the headline, “Panthers Pounce.”
Oops.
Obviously, the slip-up was unintentional. And in the station’s defense, this kind of thing happens from time to time in TV. (The safe bet is that the station had two graphics saved under the same or similar names and simply queued up the wrong one.)
But to utilize an FIU Panthers logo — one that, to make an embarrassing goof-up even worse, has the school’s name displayed prominently within the design — in a Florida Panthers package certainly does nothing to dispel the stereotype that Floridians don’t know their hockey.
The station will get a chance to make amends for its error, however. The Panthers and the Devils will clash in Game 4 of the series Thursday night in Newark, NJ. With a victory, the Panthers would have a series-clinching opportunity Saturday in Sunrise, Fla.
