Dave Hyde: Panthers? Bad guys? Come on, they're just that good.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Would the sports world be shocked to hear Sam Bennett helps abandoned dogs find homes — and adopted one such dog, Billy, from the Broward Humane Society himself?

Would it be shocked that Brad Marchand treated teammates to ice cream after a practice, like some Little League dad — and, well, he is 37, after all?

Would everyone be shocked that Matthew Tkachuk demanded anyone with the Florida Panthers — “Everyone in the organization,’’ he said — be in the team picture on the ice with the players after winning the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday in Raleigh, N.C.?

Would they be shocked by all this — or disappointed?

Because there’s a prime narrative already coming out of this Stanley Cup Final: The Shining King of the North, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, vs. The South Beach Bullies. Or Broward Bad Boys. Or Sunrise Scofflaws. Or whatever you want to call a team with the first three hockey players on any, “Love them on my team, hate them on your team” list.

See, it’s not just that the Panthers have been unbeatable and unstoppable again this spring. They’ve been unlikeable in many corners.

They’re so good they’re bad, in other words. Or maybe so bad they’re good. Or, well, it can be confusing in a hockey world where a healthy slice of nastiness is part of the game. Hockey really covets villains in a manner no other sport does.

But take Bennett. He isn’t someone people should approach like kids before a zoo cage. Is it safe to get close? Does he bite?

He isn’t just approachable but charitable. For each goal he scores, he pays for the adoption fees of a dog from the humane society in the program called Benny’s Buddies. His fiancée volunteers there. He’s always had pets at home — and not just dogs.

“I’ve got a cat, too,’’ he said, named Gracie.

So, he’s a hybrid cat-and-dog person. Sort of like his game — graceful and brutal. He leads the league with 10 playoff goals and maybe leads in playoff fights, too.

Carolina fans might not like that he punched Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov to the ice in that series — but Svechnikov started it. Toronto fans still might not forgive him for his collision that knocked goalie Anthony Stolarz out of that series.

And, sure, in Boston, Bennett is still remembered for that hiding punch last spring that knocked Marchand out of that Panthers series. But Marchand is his buddy now. They joke about that hit.

“He’s still a scumbag,’’ Marchand has said.

At least I think he’s joking.

Let’s move on to Tkachuk. He’s beloved inside the Panthers. That team photo in Carolina tells you why.

“There’s a story there and it goes back three years,’’ said coach Paul Maurice said of their first Eastern Conference final picture in 2023. “The first one, when we’re on the ice, I only wanted the players in it. I don’t think the players get enough time alone.”

Then, last year, Tkachuk said everyone should be in that photo. That’s why this time, Tkachuk asked Maurice, “Everyone in the pic again?”

“It’s your call, you made it last time,’’ Maurice said.

“Everyone in the pic, everyone in the organization,’’ Tkachuk said.

That’s why the star Panthers players are pictured with scouts and video and front-office people in this year’s team picture.

“That’ll give you glimpse into Matthew,’’ Maurice said. “He’s very aware of all the people around him, that they’re made to feel special. And it’s real. That’s who he is … It’s not just a checklist of being a good person, ‘Hey, I’ve got to make sure these people get in.’ It’s, ‘I want this person in. I want them to be part of it.’‘’

Yeah, some people in Carolina don’t like him he went after Sebastian Aho — but Aho started it that series, too. Same for Toronto fans because Tkachuk pointed at William Nylander and said he was coming after him. Or, if you want to expand the geographical list, all of Canada might not like him because in the 4 Nations Face-off Tournament he started that game with a heavyweight fight.

“I hated him, too, when he played for (Calgary),” said Maurice earlier these playoffs of his time coaching Winnipeg. “He’s one of those players …”

Uh, let’s talk about Marchand.

How can you not like him? He’s appreciative of this late chance in his career. He’s funny in the locker room, Mr. Positive on the bench. He’s been like that since coming from Boston in March and fitting right on this team like a boxing glove on a fist — well, poor analogy.

And, yeah, there’s a laundry list of places that don’t like him — Vancouver, Toronto, Tampa Bay — for various things he’s done like punching players who don’t fight — or, yeah, licking them.

But that was before he got to the Panthers, right?

Asked about the good and bad sides of the Panthers, Maurice recently asked, “Have you ever shot-gunned a beer? Have you ever been to church? Would you shotgun a beer in church? OK, that doesn’t make you a hypocrite. There’s a context and a place for all things.”

And, if you don’t like it? As Bennett says, “We don’t really care.” That’s just who they are. It’s what makes them so good. They’re the perfect blend of the two sides of hockey: They’ll beat you, fair and square, and take your lunch money doing so.

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