Hi there! I've been meaning to write this post for a few weeks now, but just remembered to get around to it. Anyhow, I have some questions for you guys, because a) I've never been to an NHL game before (Sarnia Sting being the highest level of play I've seen in person) and b) I've never bought tickets to a major sporting event before, so here goes.

Basically, my fiance and I are going to see the Panthers @ Toronto in January. Neither of us have gone before, and neither of us are Leafs fans. :P Sorry. We plan on wearing our Panthers jerseys, but we don't want to be disrespectful to the Leafs faithful, so let's address the etiquette worries first:
- Will we be harassed for wearing non-Leafs jerseys? I know you guys aren't Canadiens fans, but I thought I should ask.
- In Panthers fan tradition, we want to throw rats on the ice if our team wins: Is the ACC okay with this, or would we get in trouble?
- Is it okay for us to cheer loudly for the away team, as long as we aren't jerks about it?
- Are cheer signs on bristol board allowed?

Next up, I want to know about tickets...
- When do they go on sale, typically?
- Will tickets be AVAILABLE to people like us, without season tickets or whatnot?
- Is it better to buy from Ticketmaster or whatever, or from season ticket holders?
- How can I tell what the view from my seat will look like? :P
- Is it hard to get two seats next to each other?

Thanks in advance for any responses! I'm really anxious about this whole thing, and I wanna make sure it goes off without any issues. ^^;