Tampa Bay Lightning fan puts Florida Panthers’ mascot in a HEADLOCK at the end of blowout 7-1 loss

The Florida Panthers are reportedly investigating an incident from Monday night whereby an opposing Tampa Bay Lightning fan attacked mascot Viktor E. Ratt at the end of a 7-1 Panthers win.

The incident happened in the final minutes of the game, with the fan pulling the mascot’s shirt over their eyes and briefly placing him in a headlock.

The skirmish may have resulted from the mascot taking the fan’s jersey and throwing it into the crowd. 

A handler made a feeble attempt at intervening, placing the mascot’s shirt back over their body, but the fan grabbed the mascot once again, putting their shirt over their eyes and waving his fists in the air.

The Lightning fan said ‘Go Bolts’ repeatedly, before multiple Panthers staffers stepped in to successfully diffuse the situation.

The Lightning fan attacked the Panthers’ mascot towards the end of the embarrassing loss

The incident involving mascot Viktor E. Ratt was reportedly not staged

The fan was unsurprisingly booed by Panthers supporters, and the team is said to be looking into the incident as well. 

Andy Slater of Fox Sports South reported the team was investigating the incident, noting the skirmish was not staged according to a team spokesperson.

Slater also said that ‘The mascot’s normal handler was off’ during the game and local police has not been contacted by the team.

The Panthers have 56 points (tied-fourth in the Eastern Conference) this season, while the Lightning are in third place with 66 points.