For one night in South Florida, Amherst Street was a long way from College Hill — but Brown alumni had a presence on the ice nonetheless.
Sam Lafferty and Garnet Hathaway both dressed for the Florida Panthers in their 2026 home opener against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, October 10, marking a rare moment when two Bears skated together at the NHL level on the same team. The Panthers fell 4-1, but the alumni storyline was hard to miss.
Lafferty's Panthers Chapter Begins
The bigger news heading into the game was Lafferty's debut. The Providence product stepped in as Florida's fourth-line center for the home opener — a role that suits his identity as a reliable, two-way forward who can eat minutes and win puck battles without needing to light up a scoresheet. Breaking into a Panthers lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups is no small ask, and Lafferty's assignment to center the fourth line signals the coaching staff's trust in his defensive zone awareness and face-off competency out of the gate.
Hathaway Holds Down the Wing
Hathaway, who has carved out a long NHL career as a physical winger willing to do the league's dirtiest work, remained in his familiar spot on Florida's right wing. A veteran of multiple playoff runs with multiple franchises, Hathaway provides exactly the kind of sandpaper presence a defending champion needs to protect its younger contributors. Having him and Lafferty on the same line — two Ivy League products, two hard-working defensive forwards — gives the Panthers' bottom six a distinctly Brown flavor.
The Bigger Picture
The Panthers' 4-1 loss to Minnesota doesn't erase the significance of the moment. Florida is still a championship-caliber roster, and both Lafferty and Hathaway figure to be meaningful contributors in their respective roles as the season unfolds. For Brown fans, it's a genuine rarity: two Bears not just in the NHL simultaneously, but wearing the same jersey in a meaningful regular-season game.
Max Willman, the third active Brown alumni currently on an NHL roster, is with the New Jersey Devils but had no notable activity reported during this period.
The Panthers' home schedule rolls on. Brown alumni will be watching — and so will the rest of the league.
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