SUNRISE, Fla. – It’s always a good time when worlds collide.
With spring training on the horizon, Griffin Conine and Xavier Edwards of the Miami Marlins stopped by Amerant Bank Arena to show their support for the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
After a dominant first period against the Chicago Blackhawks, they certainly liked what they saw.
“It’s always cool to come out and support the team,” said Conine, an up-and-coming player with Miami and the son of Marlins legend Jeff Conine. “They’ve been dominating this game so far, so it’s been fun. Shots are like 24-3. It’s been fun to watch. A lot of good energy.”
While Conine lives just a few miles away from the rink, hockey is still new to Edwards.
As you’d expect, it’s easy to become a fan.
“It’s been more of a recent occurrence,” said Edwards, a rising star in South Florida who broke out with a .328 average and .820 OPS over 70 games with the Marlins last season. “I’ve been to a few games the last couple years. It's a lot of fun. It’s a high-energy game.”
As fellow athletes, both players expressed their respect for the Panthers.
“There’s an argument that baseball is the hardest sport, but hockey blows it out of the water,” Conine said. “It’s all the different factors that go into it -- being really well conditioned, the hand-eye [coordination], the physicality of it. It’s a really exciting sport.”
In less than a year, it’ll be the Marlins hosting the Panthers.
Playing their first-ever outdoor game, the Panthers will head even farther south to host the New York Rangers for the 2026 NHL Winter Classic at loanDepot Park on Jan. 2, 2026.
“It’s going to be amazing,” Edwards said. “For us, it’ll be sick. A beautiful stadium. Bringing hockey down there will be huge for fans. For us to be a part of it as players, to come down to our home field and see a different sport being played, is going to be a sick experience.”
For more information on the Winter Classic, click HERE.
