Horrible Boss, Usual Suspect, Panthers Fan

I am a fan of Kevin Spacey. The man is an amazing actor and has played a number of iconic roles in his time in Hollywood. He's blazing a path of glory on the smaller screen as his work in House of Cards has been recognized and praised. He's a star in commercials as the pitch man for E-Trade, and he's played a number of iconic characters as part of stage plays. Needless to say, there isn't much that Kevin Spacey hasn't done, but I have yet to see him support any hockey franchise in any capacity in a public manner. Sure, he might have a favorite teams for which he roots when he sits at home, but one franchise may have changed all that tonight.

The Florida Panthers have been wearing their "Spacey in Space" hoodie after every win. Each player of the game, as picked by the players in the Panthers dressing room, gets to wear the hoodie for that night in recognition for his efforts. It's a pretty big honour for the recipient, and the Panthers have guarded the meaning being the imagery on the front, namely Kevin Spacey's floating head against a background of space.

Several of the Panthers have reached out to Spacey via social media, and he seems pretty thrilled to be a part of the Cats' run to the playoffs. However, he gave everyone a thrill tonight by doing something no one expected.

Kevin Spacey showed up for the game against the Detroit Red Wings wearing a "Spacey in Space" hoodie and hiding behind a Kevin Spacey mask! I have to say that his support of the Panthers is pretty cool when he could have just brushed it off and went on with his life. To make things ever cooler for the players, he stopped by the dressing room after the game to visit with the Panthers players!

While the Red Wings won the game 5-3 on Kevin Spacey Night, the fans certainly came out in droves to support the southern Florida hockey team. According to the Panthers, the crowd tonight counted 20,817 people, a regular season franchise record for the Panthers! It's pretty incredible to think that one year ago, a ticket to the Panthers would let a fan sit anywhere he or she liked with all the empty seats. Jump ahead one year, and there's not an empty seat in the barn!

I'm a Panthers fan. I have three jerseys: a Rob Niedermayer, a Mathieu Biron, and a Todd Bertuzzi. I really want to see the Cats go on a run this season. Jaromir Jagr, Roberto Luongo, Sasha Barkov, Rielly Smith, Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad - there are so many reasons to like this team. In saying that, getting the support of Kevin Spacey is another pretty cool accomplishment in a season where no one thought the Cats had a legitimate chance when the regular season opened.

Verbal Kint. Frank Underwood. King Richard III. Dave Harken. Lex Luthor. Hopper. John Doe. All of these characters have had a major impact on movie, TV, and theatre fans. Add "Kevin Spacey, Panthers fan", and suddenly sports fans have a new appreciation for the two-time Academy Award winner.

I know I do. Keep being awesome, Kevin Spacey!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!