SUNRISE, Fla. — Aleksander Barkov ended final season by hoisting the Stanley Cup, because the Florida Panthers followers received to roar in delight.
And this season began the identical means.
Barkov, the Panthers’ captain, skated the Cup onto the ice Tuesday evening moments earlier than Florida hoisted its first championship banner to the rafters — with gamers all arm-in-arm as they gazed on the constructing’s latest memento. The Panthers posed with the Cup yet another time after the banner made its 2-minute journey skyward, after which, lastly, it was time for a brand new season to start with a season-opener towards the Boston Bruins.
“Now we get to attempt to chase it once more,” Barkov mentioned.
They performed Sport 7 of the Stanley Cup Last on the large video screens over the ice earlier than warmups, followers cheering once more when Sam Reinhart scored the go-ahead objective and getting even louder when the ultimate seconds the place proven.
After which got here the actual ovation — when the ultimate a part of the Cup celebration got here and the banner took its place within the rafters.
The pregame ceremony capped 3 1/2 months of reveling within the franchise’s first title. Gamers, coaches and a few employees received their championship rings on Monday in a non-public ceremony, then gazed skyward Tuesday when the banner was raised. Additionally getting reproduction rings: 158 season-ticket holders that the Panthers name “legacy members,” who’ve had tickets with the franchise since its inaugural season.
“The followers will actually benefit from the banner,” mentioned Panthers ahead Carter Verhaeghe, who had the primary objective of Sport 7 of the Stanley Cup Last to assist Florida beat Edmonton 2-1 for the title on June 24. “Wanting up there, I assume when you want somewhat inspiration, you simply search for there and see what we completed.”
For the championship banner, the Panthers determined upon one with a white background, the phrases “Stanley Cup Champions” in pink on the prime, “2024” in pink on the backside, with the picture of the Cup within the heart simply above the workforce’s emblem. It was hoisted over the tip of the ice the place Florida stored the puck pinned alongside the boards because the closing seconds of Sport 7 ran off and a championship celebration 30 years within the making received underway.
The opposite banners from final season — commemorating the Atlantic Division and Japanese Convention titles — had been already within the rafters, alongside two different convention title banners, three others for division championships and one for successful the Presidents’ Trophy as the most effective regular-season workforce in 2021-22.
It was a summer time full of loads of pleasure for Florida, because the Cup made its tour to the homelands of most gamers so it may very well be shared with family and friends. It began with a parade with an estimated crowd of 300,000 braving thunder, lightning and a downpour, and the Cup made numerous appearances in South Florida and past over the previous few weeks.
As enjoyable because it was, Panthers common supervisor and hockey operations president Invoice Zito mentioned it’s time to pivot to a brand new season — one thing he thinks gamers started doing weeks in the past, even earlier than coaching camp began.
“I feel, a minimum of for me, I’m already there,” Zito mentioned. “I’m simply so excited for an NHL recreation tonight. I can let you know, I assumed that yesterday earlier than the rings. After which after I opened the field, it was a type of surreal moments. We used the phrase ‘speechless.’ I used to be speechless. And it was fairly neat to have that occur.”
The banner hoisting was preceded by the exhibiting of a spotlight video capturing the important thing moments from final season’s run to the championship. And, as could be anticipated, the Cup was introduced onto the ice yet another time earlier than the banner went up.
“I’m much more excited on the heels of final evening,” Zito mentioned. “However pay attention, it’s not solely our job, it’s what we do. And I feel we’re in the best mindset that now we have Sport 1 tonight, and that’s the main target.”