It's the official Florida Panthers NHL yarmulke! Mazel tov!

Yahoo! Sports

Wed Dec 01 04:28pm EST

It's the official Florida Panthers NHL yarmulke! Mazel tov!

The Florida Panthers are scheduled to have their Hanukkah Celebration during next Tuesday's home game against the Colorado Avalanche, and they're calling it "the biggest Hanukkah party in South Florida." Having been to South Florida, we'd say that's up for debate ...

What isn't disputable: That this is simply one of the greatest fan giveaways in recent NHL history:

It's the official Florida Panthers yarmulke, which will be handed out to all ticket-buyers at the game.

Actually, make that before the game. And if you smell what the Rabbi's cookin', this means we're three goals from one Florida Panthers player away from a yarmulke trick.

Your next obvious question: Say you're lucky enough to snag a Florida Panthers yarmulke, and want to get it autographed like so many other hockey keepsakes; is that kosher?

From a Seattle P-I story on a man with 32 yarmulkes signed by celebrities (including Barack Obama and David Lee Roth!) comes our answer:

Rabbi Simon Benzaquen of the Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation assures us it's not [taboo].
"It's not that it has any holiness in it. A person wears it for prayers; a person wears it when he eats at the table," Benzaquen said. Then he added, wryly, "I suppose it depends what you write, of course."

There you have it: An official green light to have Darcy Hordichuk (notes) sign your yarmulke. We think the most famous entry in our Gary Bettman Art Contest said it best.

Thanks to the Panthers for the image, and Happy Hanukkah to the Puck Daddy readers celebrating today.