Panthers troll Lightning, Leafs, and Canes with hidden message.

The Florida Panthers have fully embraced their role as the villains of the National Hockey League in recent years and that applies both to their activities on the ice as well as off of it.

Ahead of Game 3 the Panthers made the decision to send a little jab at the opponents they have overcome along their path to the Stanley Cup Final, but did so in a very cleverly disguised way that is likely to escape the eyes of at least some fans. From what I can tell the hidden message was first discovered by TSN's Mark Masters who published a picture of the Panthers new rally towel for Game 3 on social media.

The image on the towel is that of a large rat made up to look like something of a knight going into battle, with a hockey helmet in lieu of a real helmet and a hockey stick replacing what would be his weapon. He also can be seen carrying a shield which of course is covered with the Florida Panthers own crest.

Spoiler warning: If you want to try to find the hidden images for yourself skip ahead to the photograph.

Hidden within the image however are also the three logos of the opponents they've beaten along the way, with the Toronto Maple Leafs logo disguised in the black fur of the rat's ear, the Tampa Bay Lightning logo along the rat's left leg and Carolina Hurricanes logo carefully hidden away at the butt-end of his stick.

A pretty clever way to poke a little fun at your opponents on the part of the Panthers, one that I have no doubt their fans will thoroughly enjoy. As for the opposing teams and fan bases who are on the wrong end of the joke, this will only serve as more fuel for the fire when it comes time for revenge next season.

Here you can look at a full shot of the image thanks to this photo from Mark Masters: