Deal among teammates prompts NHL sweater swap
This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola¡¯s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
MIAMI -- Marlins teammates Jesús Luzardo and Declan Cronin are hockey fans, so when their teams met up in the National Hockey League¡¯s Eastern Conference Finals, they couldn¡¯t help but make a friendly wager.
Luzardo, who was raised in Parkland, Fla., is a Florida Panthers fan. Cronin, who is from Glen Ridge, N.J., is a New York Rangers fan.
Luzardo would have to wear a Rangers jersey if New York won. Cronin would have to wear a Panthers jersey if Florida won.
¡°He was a good sport about it,¡± Luzardo had told the Bally Sports Florida broadcast on Sunday. ¡°We'd have a little trash talk back and forth.¡±
The Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second consecutive season by winning the series, 4-2, on Saturday night. Cronin held up his end of the deal by showing up to the ballpark prior to Wednesday¡¯s game wearing Luzardo¡¯s No. 44 Panthers red home jersey.
¡°Luckily, I warned them ahead of time that they might see some pictures that don't really show who I am deep inside,¡± Cronin told MLB.com about what his family would think of the photos. ¡°I'm sure I'll get a decent amount of flack from my buddies.¡±
Cronin stands at 6-foot-4, four inches taller than Luzardo, so the sleeves were a bit short. But they were perfect for the hot and humid Miami weather.
¡°It was a little snug but pretty good fit, and it's a nice sweater,¡± Cronin said. ¡°A custom Jes¨²s Luzardo? If I'm going to wear one, it doesn't get much better than that.¡±
Will Cronin root for the Panthers, who are vying for their first Stanley Cup in franchise history? They begin a best-of-seven-series with the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena, which is about a 37-mile drive from loanDepot park in Sunrise, Fla.
¡°I don't know how that works,¡± Cronin said. ¡°Maybe they like win our fandom? I don't really feel like rooting for them. I think it'd be cool to see the Oilers win, to be honest. I just love [Connor] McDavid so much, and it's been since like '93 that a Canadian team won, which is also kind of funny if they didn't. It's all good. I just hope it's a good series.¡±