Wayne Gretzky, Martina Navratilova, Michael Bublé, Dustin Johnson, and the Miami Heat helped create the artworks, revealed hours before the Winter Classic at LoanDepot Park.
Celebrity names, paint — and a charity goal
The Florida Panthers added some high-wattage names to their latest initiative: Wayne Gretzky, Martina Navratilova, Michael Bublé, Dustin Johnson, and the Miami Heat. Their tools, though, weren’t skates or clubs — they were paint and creativity.
Hours before the Panthers faced the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic outdoor game at the Miami Marlins’ ballpark, the team revealed roughly two dozen life-sized panther sculptures. Each statue features a different design and is now headed to auction as part of a fundraising push that organizers hope will generate $1 million for cancer research.
How the sculptures were made — from Augusta to Braille
The statues reflect the personalities of the contributors. Gretzky’s panther incorporates a nod to his career numbers, while Johnson’s features imagery tied to Augusta National. Bublé’s sculpture includes rhinestone braille, and the Heat commissioned two statues that incorporate elements associated with the NBA franchise.
Artist Romero Britto also painted a sculpture. Navratilova took a different approach: rather than painting by hand, she dipped tennis balls in paint and served them into the panther, creating a colorful, polka-dot-like burst across the statue.
Zito: “Of course,” was the answer
Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said getting so many prominent figures to participate was both surprising and meaningful.
“To be able to have the privilege to reach out and make those contacts and have those folks say, ‘Of course,’ what a gift that was,” Zito said. “It’s just so neat.”
Zito said the campaign has already generated about $700,000.
More Than 100 Firefighters Battle Five-Alarm Blaze at Denver Construction Site
A personal reason behind “Panthers on the Prowl.”
The fundraising concept — called “Panthers on the Prowl” — draws inspiration from Chicago’s “Cows on Parade” public-art project. Zito and his wife, Julie, are co-chairs of the effort. Julie is a breast cancer survivor, and Zito said he has lost multiple relatives to the disease.
“It was my wife Julie’s idea,” Zito said. “And we lived in Chicago during ‘Cows on Parade,’ and then Romero Britto said we should auction them. I can’t take credit for any of it.”
Many of the sculptures were displayed at LoanDepot Park on Friday, giving the roughly 35,000 Winter Classic attendees a chance to see the artwork up close.
“There’s a tear and a smile,” Zito said. “And then you think, you know what, there’s a reason that everybody is engaged. There’s a reason that everybody gave their time and their talent. And it’s because it works and it’s right.”
