Tampa strip clubs remain undefeated. Facing a 3-0 series deficit to the Lightning, who are seeking a third consecutive Stanley Cup—several members of the top-seeded Florida Panthers, according to intel gathered by Pat Donovan and Aaron Jacobson of The Pat and Aaron Show on WDAE, spent their Sunday evening at a gentleman’s club in Tampa, reportedly staying out until the wee hours of the morning. The Panthers' season would end with a 2-0 loss the following night.
If true, it would obviously be a bad look for the Panthers, who, after posting the best record in hockey during the regular season (58-16-6), crashed and burned in the playoffs, bowing out to the defending champs in four games. Interim coach Andrew Brunette, known by his nickname “Bruno,” dismissed the alleged partying as pure fiction. However, Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 has it on good authority the Panthers were indeed out on the town Sunday night, confirming through his “strip club sources.”
Slater didn’t specify which particular establishment players visited Sunday night, though many on Twitter suspected it was Mons Venus, one of the more well-known adult entertainment venues in the country. Notably, Mons Venus does not serve alcohol to customers, though, according to Mike Ryan of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, the local hot spot is “not a place you go to if you don’t want to be recognized.”
The Lightning continue to be a thorn in Florida’s side, eliminating the Panthers in back-to-back seasons. Coming off their first series win in 26 years, the Panthers ran into a buzz saw in the Eastern Conference semis, losing all four games by a combined 13-3 margin. Among other failures, the Panthers fared disastrously on the man advantage, converting just one of their 31 powerplay opportunities throughout the playoffs (3.2 percent).
There’s no shame in being bested by Andrei Vasilevskiy, a Vezina Trophy recipient and the reigning Conn Smythe winner, awarded annually to the NHL’s top playoff performer. Still, after cruising to a franchise-record 122 points during the regular season, Panthers fans were understandably expecting better than a second-round exit.
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