Florida Panthers

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Photo: Panthers Add Stanley Cup Pattern to Center Ice Logo Ahead of 2024 NHL Season

Aug 27, 2024
SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: The Florida Panthers celebrate with the Stanley Cup following a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game Seven of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: The Florida Panthers celebrate with the Stanley Cup following a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game Seven of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Florida Panthers are celebrating their first Stanley Cup win in franchise history with a special center-ice logo during the 2024-25 NHL season.

On Monday night, a photo of the Panthers' new center-ice logo hit social media, and it features their traditional logo surrounded by a pattern meant to mimic the one seen inside the bowl of the Stanley Cup:

The Panthers scratched and clawed their way to their first Stanley Cup last season, beating the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final after blowing a 3-0 series lead.

Florida entered the NHL as an expansion franchise in 1993 and both reached the playoffs and the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 1996, but success proved highly elusive for many years thereafter.

Over the next 22 seasons, the Panthers made the playoffs only four times, and they never got past the first round during that time.

Their fortunes began to turn during the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season when they reached the qualifying round of the playoffs, marking the first of five consecutive postseason appearances.

They set a franchise record with 122 points in 2021-22, and while they dipped to 92 points and barely made the playoffs in 2022-23, they went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights.

That set the stage for a special 2023-24 season that saw the Panthers establish themselves as one of the top teams in the league throughout the year, finishing with 110 points.

Led by Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov and a host of other offensive stars, as well as goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, the Panthers won each of their first three playoff series in less than seven games to return to the Stanley Cup Final.

There they were faced with an Oilers team fueled by superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and it initially looked as though Florida was going to steamroll its way to the Cup.

The Panthers won the first three games by a combined 11-4 score, but the Oilers battled back to win the next three by a combined 18-5 score and forced a Game 7.

Despite Edmonton carrying the play for much of Game 7, a second-period Reinhart goal held up as the game-winner, and the Panthers finally stood atop the NHL mountain.

The Panthers will be back in action on Sept. 22 with their first preseason game at home against the Nashville Predators, followed by their first regular-season game of the 2024-25 campaign against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 8, which will feature the raising of their Stanley Cup banner.

Celtics' Jayson Tatum, Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk Recreate Viral Childhood Photo

Aug 18, 2024
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 18: St. Louis natives Stanley Cup Champion Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers and NBL Finals Champion Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics throw out the first pitches prior to a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium on August 18, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 18: St. Louis natives Stanley Cup Champion Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers and NBL Finals Champion Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics throw out the first pitches prior to a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium on August 18, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Before reaching the pinnacle of success in their respective professions, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk were childhood friends in St. Louis.

The duo reunited for Sunday's game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, where they showed off their respective trophies, threw out the first pitch and recreated their viral childhood photo:

Tatum and Tkachuk's former classmate, Jacob, who is also in the viral photo of the two star athletes, joined them at the ballpark on Sunday as they threw out the first pitch:

Tatum and Tkachuk both attended Chaminade Prep in St. Louis. They even appeared in a video together about why they chose the school:

Tkachuk joined the U.S. National Development Team and left Chaminade after the ninth grade.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Tatum led the Celtics to the NBA championship and Tkachuk helped lead the Panthers to the Stanley Cup. It's the first championship of both their careers, respectively.

Tkachuk discussed the bond he still shares with Tatum and the support they received from their hometown before Florida's Stanley Cup victory.

"Yeah it's actually really cool when you think about it," Tkachuk told Tracey Myers of NHL.com. "Everyone from St. Louis, whether they were going to watch or not, with having both of us in, I'd say there's a lot of people, especially the kids we grew up with and families and people who know us, they're pulling for both teams. It's super cool to have that support back home for not only myself, but for the Celtics as well."

Tatum is also coming off a gold medal run with Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer, the second Olympic gold medal of his career.

The former high school classmates will continue to be motivated by one another as they chase more success in their respective careers.

Kyle Okposo Cancels Stanley Cup Event; Trophy Stuck in Transit amid Global IT Outage

Jul 19, 2024
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - JUNE 30: Kyle Okposo #8 of the Florida Panthers hoists the Stanley Cup during the celebration for the Florida Panthers win of the Stanley Cup on June 30, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - JUNE 30: Kyle Okposo #8 of the Florida Panthers hoists the Stanley Cup during the celebration for the Florida Panthers win of the Stanley Cup on June 30, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)

Grounded airlines forced Florida Panthers winger Kyle Okposo to cancel a public Stanley Cup appearance scheduled for Friday at Pagel Arena in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

The trophy was stuck in St. Louis, Missouri as airlines were impacted by Friday's global IT outage, The Athletic's Michael Russo reported.

Okposo told Russo he was "crushed" to cancel the appearance, where fans were invited to see and take photos with the Stanley Cup.

The NHL is "currently trying to figure out" how to get the trophy to Minnesota despite the outages, Russo reported.

Notices posted outside the arena said that the event had been "canceled with a potential to reschedule."

NHL.com's Jessi Pierce reported that the event would potentially move to Friday afternoon or Saturday, but that the new time was yet to be decided.

The trophy was previously in Missouri for Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk's day with the Cup in his hometown of St. Louis.

Tkachuk's day included visits to his elementary school, the St. Louis Children's Hospital, and the fire and police departments in Brentwood, Missouri, NHL.com's Tracey Myers reported.

The Cup was then set to fly to Minnesota ahead of Okposo's celebration, which was not the only event impacted by Friday's tech issues. At least 2,000 flights in the U.S. were canceled as airlines cited communication issues stemming from outages reported by Microsoft and cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.

Okposo, 37, was traded to the Panthers by the Buffalo Sabres at the 2024 trade deadline.

He capped off his 17th NHL season by lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career following the Panthers' 2-1 Game 7 win over the Edmonton Oilers, despite almost deciding to retire before the 2023-24 season (h/t the Associated Press' Alanis Thames.)

The veteran forward will hope to finally get his day with the Stanley Cup before the trophy moves on to other members of the championship team, having already traveled to New Jersey with Anthony Stolarz and gone on a fishing trip with general manager Bill Zito.

The Cup is headed to Canada next week as Brandon Montour and Steven Lorentz are scheduled to host the trophy on July 24 and 25.

NHL Rumors: Sam Reinhart, Panthers Agree to 8-Year, $69M Contract Before Free Agency

Jul 1, 2024
SUNRISE, FL - MAY 28: Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) brings the puck forward int he second period during game four of the Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL - MAY 28: Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) brings the puck forward int he second period during game four of the Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Sam Reinhart is cashing in on his career-best 57-goal season with the Florida Panthers, a season that resulted in a Stanley Cup title.

Reinhart and the Panthers agreed to an eight-year contract on Sunday night, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman and The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

The Panthers star trailed only Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews for the 2023-24 scoring lead with 57 goals in 82 regular-season games.

He continued to serve as a driver of Florida's offense during the postseason, during which he scored 10 goals in 24 games to help lead the Panthers to the Stanley Cup.

Reinhart spent the campaign skating alongside Aleksander Barkov, who assisted on 33 of the winger's regular-season goals.

The Panthers will continue to build on that chemistry next season now that the team has locked in both Reinhart and Barkov, who is signed in Florida through 2030.

Reinhart will also continue to rack up minutes on the Panthers' top power-play unit. His NHL-leading 27 goals on the man advantage last season helped Florida put together one of the most dominant units in the league.

Reinhart led the NHL by scoring on 24.5 percent of his shots last season, so putting together another 57-goal campaign feels like a long shot.

His elite decision-making abilities will nevertheless continue to drive the Panthers' top line while the team looks to enter the 2024-25 season as a Stanley Cup contender.

Panthers Parade 2024: Route, Date, Schedule, TV Info and More

Jun 25, 2024
SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers kisses the Stanley Cup after Game Seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers kisses the Stanley Cup after Game Seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Florida Panthers didn't make it look easy, but they're Stanley Cup champions.

The Panthers held on for a 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Monday's Game 7 to capture their first championship in franchise history.

Florida will hold its parade Sunday in Fort Lauderdale. No other information regarding the time or route has been released. Fans should check local listings for the TV schedule.

That said, it does appear the Panthers players are ready to make it a parade to remember.

The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2023 but lost in five games to the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

After working their way back to the Final, it appeared the Panthers would make lightwork of the Oilers on their way to a championship. They dominated the first three games of the series and needed to win only one of the last four games to hoist the Cup.

It wound up taking them all four.

Edmonton battled back valiantly to force a Game 7, but Conor McDavid did not have one last miracle in him. Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe lit the lamp for the Panthers and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky held McDavid at bay for a 2-1 victory.

Now, they can finally exhale and celebrate in the street.

NHL Stanley Cup Final 2025 Odds: Panthers Early Favorites to Defend Title, Oilers 3rd

Jun 25, 2024
SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: Sergei Bobrovsky #72, Sam Reinhart #13, and Eetu Luostarinen #27 of the Florida Panthers celebrate after their 2-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game Seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: Sergei Bobrovsky #72, Sam Reinhart #13, and Eetu Luostarinen #27 of the Florida Panthers celebrate after their 2-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game Seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Florida Panthers aren't only Stanley Cup champions.

They are favorites to win it again.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Panthers are the favorites to lift the Cup next season at +900 (bet $100 to win $900). They are tied with the Dallas Stars and followed closely by the same Edmonton Oilers team they just defeated in a thrilling seven-game series:

  • Florida Panthers: +900
  • Dallas Stars: +900
  • Edmonton Oilers: +950
  • New York Rangers: +1,200
  • Colorado Avalanche: +1,200
  • Carolina Hurricanes: +1,200
  • New Jersey Devils: +1,300
  • Vegas Golden Knights: +1,600

Winning back-to-back titles would be quite the accomplishment, as Florida had never won a championship in franchise history prior to Monday's 2-1 victory over the Oilers in Game 7.

However, the Panthers are clearly on the short list of the NHL's elite teams considering they were also in the Stanley Cup Final a season ago. They lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in last year's series but were able to earn some revenge on the Western Conference with the latest win over Edmonton.

Next year's Panthers team will surely look different, but goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is signed through the 2025-26 campaign and figures to once again be an anchor.

While he was up-and-down at times as the Oilers nearly overcame a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final, he was at his best with the trophy on the line in Game 7. He stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced, including an onslaught in the third period as Edmonton was attempting to force overtime.

If he plays like that again next season, the Panthers may deliver on those championship expectations yet again.

Panthers Thrill NHL Fans in Game 7 Win vs. McDavid, Oilers to Clinch 1st Stanley Cup

Jun 25, 2024
SUNRISE, FL - JUNE 24: Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) gets fist bumps from the team bench after his goal in the second period during game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers on Monday, June 24, 2024 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL - JUNE 24: Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) gets fist bumps from the team bench after his goal in the second period during game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers on Monday, June 24, 2024 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

You can finally exhale, Florida Panthers fans.

Florida not only avoided blowing a 3-0 lead to Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers with Monday's 2-1 victory in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena, it also lifted hockey's most coveted trophy for the first time in franchise history.

The Panthers can finally call themselves champions, while the Oilers fell just one win short of their first title since 1990. They also fell one win short of becoming the first team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final since the Toronto Maple Leafs did so against the Detroit Red Wings in 1942.

Carter Verhaeghe opened the scoring for the victors in the first period, while Sam Reinhart put them ahead for good in the second.

Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky resembled the dominant version of himself who started the series and turned away 23 of the 24 shots he faced. Only Mattias Janmark bested him in the first period, and he and the Florida defense withstood all of the visitors' comeback efforts down the stretch.

Social media had plenty of reactions to the thrilling win:

All the momentum was on Edmonton's side following three straight wins, making a fast start all the more imperative for the Panthers in front of the home crowd.

And they got just that, although it was quite short-lived. Verhaeghe started the scoring in the first five minutes of the contest, which marked Florida's first lead since Game 3. However, that didn't even last three entire minutes, as Janmark countered for Edmonton with the equalizer in a frantic back-and-forth start.

Stuart Skinner and Bobrovsky settled in from there ahead of a monumental momentum switch in the second period.

It looked like the Oilers were going to score the go-ahead goal with a persistent attack that seemed to beat Bobrovsky, but Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov swept the puck away before it found the net.

Reinhart took it from there and fired a wrist shot into the net on the other end to turn what appeared to be a sure one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead.

The rest of the game was determined by Bobrovsky and the Florida defense.

Edmonton continued to attack the net, including during multiple near scrums in front of the Panthers' net, just to be turned away every single time. The home team didn't create many scoring opportunities for themselves, but they were firmly focused on the defensive side of the ice.

It was a closing stretch that will forever be remembered by the Panthers and their fans, and it resulted in their first Stanley Cup.

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