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Pop superstar Ariana Grande was in attendance during the Stanley Cup Final Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers. She was accompanied by her partner, Ethan Slater.
Slater is known for his role as Spongebob Squarepants in “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical.” Ethan is also co-starring in Grande’s upcoming film “Wicked.”
The couple attended the first of the best of seven game series in Sunrise, Florida. Both Ethan and Ariana wore Panthers sweaters and were captured enjoying the game from a VIP suite.
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Fans were quick to react to it on social media. Some fans trolled them in the comments, calling Slater “Spongebob” and “polar bear.”
Following are some fan reactions from X/Twitter:
“SpongeBob is with her.”
“Polar bear in Arlington Texas,” wrote another fan.
“Whoa they got the live action SpongeBob too!” Commented another user.
Most fans were not happy to have Grande in the arena. The trolls kept coming in the comments section.
“Who cares,” wrote one user.
Meanwhile, some fans pointed out that Ariana Grande is a native of Florida, and she came to cheer on her home team. Some even posted childhood pictures of Grande in a Panthers sweater.
“For y'all who are wondering she's a native to the nearby area,” commented one user.
A young Ariana Grande was hit twice with high-flying pucks in Panthers games
When Ariana Grande was just five years old, she experienced an unusual double whammy while attending the Florida Panthers games. Grande's family were devoted Panthers fans and held season tickets behind the penalty boxes.
In January 1998, during a Panthers game, defenseman Gord Murphy took a shot that deflected over the glass and struck young Ariana on her right wrist. The Panthers later gifted pieces of souvenir hockey equipment to their young fan. NHL historian Mike Commito was the one to bring up the story, which the popstar acknowledged in one of her now-deleted tweets.
However, Ariana's misfortune with flying pucks wasn’t over. Nine months later, during the Panthers' home opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 9, 1998, Ariana was hit again, this time on her left wrist. The Sun-Sentinel reported that Ariana was the first fan to be hit by a puck at a Panthers game.
Nevertheless, Grande remains a Panthers faithful. Earlier this week, she showed her support for the team in an Instagram story. Araiana Grande shared a picture of herself with a friend at a recent Panthers game, captioning it with "Let's go Panthers."
The Florida Panthers have secured a 3-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Grande and all Panthers faithful will hope to watch their hometown team lift the Cup this time around.
