SUNRISE, Fla. — On the night the Florida Panthers finally got it right, owner Vinnie Viola stood at center ice amid the club’s Stanley Cup celebration and smiled a champion’s smile while the team dentist planted a big kiss on his cheek.
“This man made my dream come true,” said Dr. Marty Robins, who has been tending to broken teeth around these parts dating back to the 1990s.
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“What size ring do you take?” Viola interjected.
“Whatever size you want to make, I’m there,” Robins said. “Make it fit.”
For so long, the Panthers had seemed like an imperfect fit for the NHL.
They improbably reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1996 — getting swept by Colorado in their third year of existence — and then went 26 years without so much as winning a single playoff round.
There were attendance struggles and a revolving door of owners. Their home, now known as Amerant Bank Arena, frequently changed names. Players largely came here to start setting up their retirements in a tax-free jurisdiction with a favorable climate, not to chase a championship.
Even after their sharp turn back toward respectability in recent years under the stewardship of Viola and his wife, Teresa, which included a run to last spring’s Cup Final before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights, the organization was forced to hear people say “that would be so Panthers” as the team squandered a 3-0 series lead to Edmonton over the last 10 days, setting up Monday’s Game 7.
But they finally got it right. The Panthers scored first and defended fiercely. Sam Reinhart squeezed out one more goal after a 57-goal regular season and Sergei Bobrovsky managed a couple more acrobatic saves in a tense and tight 2-1 victory over the Oilers.
After NHL commissioner Gary Bettman presented the Stanley Cup to captain Aleksander Barkov and it was passed among his teary-eyed and deliriously happy teammates, the Panthers dentist and team owner — Florida’s longest-serving employee and the man who has been dreaming of a night like this since he purchased the team in September 2013 — embraced under the scoreboard.
“I’ve been here since Day 1,” Robins said. “I’m the only one left, I think. But he’s the only one that made it happen.”
Viola would be the first to tell you it was the players and his staff that made it happen.
Guys like Randy Moller, the former Panthers defenseman who has worked for the organization for 29 years and is now their TV color analyst. Guys like Bill Lindsay, their radio color analyst who once schooled Ray Bourque for the biggest goal in Panthers history for years and was bawling on the air Monday night. Guys like Ed Jovanovski, a rookie on the 1996 team who was bear-hugging everybody in sight on the ice.
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The trainers, like Scott Tinkler. The head coach, Paul Maurice, who exorcized his Stanley Cup demons by lifting it high above his head, closing his eyes, kissing it and screaming, “f— yeah!”
Last year, the Panthers came up short.
This year, from the moment training camp began, the mission was to not only get back to the Final, but to win it all.
That’s all the players talked about all season long. Anything less than a Cup would be unacceptable.
But after being up 3-0 in the series, Maurice felt everything unraveling.
“I get to the rink really early (Sunday) morning, and we got this big bank of six TVs and one of them has a network on it and the banner is, and I’m not sh—— you, ‘If the Florida Panthers lose, is it the biggest collapse in sports history?’”
Maurice figured the banner would disappear, yet it remained on the screen for 15 minutes.
He didn’t know how to turn the TVs off, so he waited impatiently for his video coach to arrive because he didn’t want his players to see it.
“I don’t like it and I’m 57,” Maurice said. “But what happens if you’re 25 and you go, ‘I gotta live 50 more years being a part of the biggest collapse in sports history.’”
It didn’t happen. Instead, they celebrated like champions at the foot of the Everglades. Here are some of the scenes we captured.
Barkov becomes first Finn to captain a team to a Cup
Barkov is never one to talk about himself; it’s all about the team. Last summer, he made it crystal clear the Panthers would come back better than ever, use the loss to Vegas as a stepping stone and source of motivation and not crater because they couldn’t get it done last time.
He had his best season in the NHL, and that filtered right into the playoffs and into his hoisting of the Cup. With a big smile on his face, Barkov picked it up like it was made of styrofoam and sprinted up the length of the ice, showing it off to the jubilant Panthers faithful.
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With his teammates following, Barkov finally skated right to Bobrovsky and handed it to him.
“I think everyone knew it would go to him,” Barkov said. “He deserved it. He’s been incredible through his whole career.”
Barkov said the past week has been pressure-filled.
“There was some pressure on us to end the whole thing going up 3-0, and then they spanked us 8-1,” Barkov said. “Edmonton’s an incredible team, but it took us one game to get ourselves together. It’s hard to describe what just happened. The Cup, it’s our dream and now it’s reality.”
Special moment for Tkachuk family
After 2,390 regular-season and playoff games played between Keith Tkachuk and sons Matthew and Brady, a member of the family was finally able to lift the Cup.
In the stands with his wife, “Big Walt” turned into a puddle. Brady, the captain of the Ottawa Senators, couldn’t get the smile off his face.
After all, Brady reminded us on the ice, after the game that a year ago he “had to help Matthew get dressed” following a broken sternum in last year’s Final.
And now Matthew got to share his championship with his family.
“Leaving the house, having them walk me out, it hit me as I was backing out of the driveway,” Tkachuk said. “We had to get this done for everybody. I’d never be able to describe to anybody how crazy it is when the buzzer goes and you’ve won the Cup. It’s the most amazing feeling in the world. It’s the most amazing thing that’s happened to me in hockey, just coming down here (to Florida).”
Last year, Keith Tkachuk was given a gag order by his son after he went on a Toronto radio station and bashed the Panthers. That order was lifted Monday night as he finally spoke to reporters again.
“You always want more for your kids,” he said. “You live and die by your children. Just so happy that he accomplished his goal in a short amount of time. I’m so happy for him. He’s a great kid. This kid has steel in his bones. He’s got a great team around him. You always want your kids to do better than you. I can’t believe I’m on the ice right now. He’s worked his butt off to get here. He deserves everything he gets. People don’t see him that way.
“Brady’s the same way. Brady’s a lunatic on the ice, but off the ice, they’re great kids.”
The final camera shot of the night? Keith Tkachuk finally lifting up the Stanley Cup, of course 🏆#StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/uVEmZe1DmE
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) June 25, 2024
Zito’s tears of joy
General manager Bill Zito — the architect of the Panthers; the man who brought stability to the front office after years of instability; the man who made the bold decision to let go interim coach Andrew Brunette after a Presidents’ Trophy in favor of Maurice, who had coached the most games in NHL history without a Stanley Cup; a man who made the massive blockbuster to bring in Tkachuk for Jonathan Huberdeau and changed the culture, which started with bringing in big team influence Patric Hornqvist — welled up over and over again on the ice.
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To see one of his senior advisers, Rick Dudley, hoist the Cup at 75 years old after more than five decades in hockey? “That’s the best part.”
To play a “small role” in Roberto Luongo — Hall of Famer, Panthers legend and special assistant to Zito — lifting the Cup? “Words can’t describe it.”
The stress got to Zito, caught on camera at the end of Game 5 throwing a water bottle and at the end of Game 6 giving off a death scare because he worried the Panthers were blowing what they started.
“Tonight, I’m sure I made a fool out of myself, but it comes with the territory,” Florida’s president of hockey operations and GM said. “It’s a roller coaster, and for sure, there’s overreacting. For sure a level of silliness. It’s not like I lost composure, but the emotions start coming out. It was a great learning experience on how to control that.”
On what winning the Cup meant, Zito said, “It means teams work. And it’s a real thing. It’s powerful. Teams win. It’s hard to put into words how humbling it is and how much respect you have for the game as a whole, especially for a guy who never played.”
Luongo: Stanley Cup felt like a ‘feather’
It was 24 years ago this month at the Saddledome in Calgary that Bryan Murray shocked the hockey world by trading Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha for Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen.
Luongo didn’t get his first win as a Panther until his 11th appearance in net, joking at one point in Minnesota after a 0-0 tie that he never thought he’d get his first shutout in a Panthers sweater before his first victory.
Luongo lived through the Panthers’ lean years — when they couldn’t fill the lower bowl, when tickets were given out in droves at gas stations and supermarkets, when season-ticket and suite holders got “Luongo’s Legion” (a group of fans including his future father-in-law and friends who would bring drums and brass instruments to games to liven up the arena) banned from the arena because they were too noisy.
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“Those were some days, you know what I mean?” Luongo said. “There were some days here. There were some days. It’s crazy where this franchise has come the last 20 years. You just felt it building up the last three or four years where we were getting better and better and better and closer to our goal. This year just felt right.”
Well, Monday night, it was Luongo who electrified the arena by banging the Panthers drum before the opening faceoff.
“I’ve had a lot of pent-up emotions the last week,” Luongo said. “I needed to let that sh– out.”
Luongo never got to lift the Cup as a player. Now Zito’s special assistant who helps run the Panthers’ innovative Goalie Excellence Program (director of player personnel Bryan McCabe jokingly calls it the “Goalie Mediocrity Program” when they stink), Luongo said, “Everybody said it was heavy. It felt like nothing, like a feather. It’s crazy. There were three or four moments once the game ended that were so surreal to me, like when Barkov came and grabbed the Cup, it just didn’t feel real. And then watching them parade it around the ice, and I’m on the ice with them. I mean, you never forget that stuff.”
Bobrovsky’s worst contract no more
Nobody around the NHL and certainly no Panthers fan will complain about Bobrovsky’s contract anymore. Not after the veteran goaltender came up big throughout the postseason and especially in the third period of Game 7. This is the type of win that could land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day.
“At some point, I almost lost the No. 1 job here,” Bobrovsky said. “But at the end of the day, you become a stronger person. You learn a lot when you’re being down. Without being down, you can’t be high.
“Fans are fans. They’re not going to lie. They are honest, and if you’re not playing well, they will let you know. They deserve the Cup. I’m truly thankful to them for the support they gave. I heard my name chanted before the game in warmup, when I let in a goal, when I make the save. In all kinds of situations, they were on my side.”
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Luongo couldn’t be prouder.
“It was unbelievable for him to do what he did after a tough time this series,” Luongo said. “I’ve been in his shoes. It’s tough when you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders like that. He put that away and just played his game. That’s not easy to do in this environment. That’s why he’s one of the greatest.”
Okposo’s lifelong dream fulfilled
The Panthers pursued Corey Perry when he was cut loose earlier this season by Chicago. He chose the Oilers, so the Panthers acquired Sabres captain Kyle Okposo, who wanted a chance to win the Cup after no playoff appearances for years in Buffalo.
“You just see it so many times on TV,” Okposo said. “I went to Game 2 last year in the Final in Vegas, just to try to feel the atmosphere, feel what it’s like in the building in the Final so I wouldn’t be surprised by the moment. I’m glad I did. I’ve watched a ton of guys skate around with that thing and for me to get to do it was extremely special.”
Okposo received the Cup third after Barkov and Bobrovsky. This after spending the day before playing knee hockey with his kids (he lost 13-11) and explaining to his 8-year-old before Monday’s game that he would be in the building witnessing something Dad used to pretend to do as a child in his driveway.
By winning the Cup, Okposo will receive a $500,000 bonus.
“He wanted one last kick at the can and it’s going to cost us $500,000 on the cap next year. But it’s worth it!” Luongo joked.
It sure was for Okposo.
“I went through a lot of hard times to get here, for sure, but I kind of persevered,” he said. “The most rewarding parts of your life are probably the most challenging. When you look back on it, that’s what you’re going to remember, is those challenging times. I’m proud of the path that it took to get me here just as much as I’m proud of this moment. I wouldn’t change anything for the world.”
Asked if Monday was the perfect way to end his career, Okposo said, “We’ll see. I’m not ready to declare that yet. I’ve got to give the body a little break, give it a few weeks, and then kind of see.”
Game-winning goal to free agent?
After 57 goals and another 10 in the playoffs, including the Cup-clinching winner, all eyes will be on whether the Panthers can re-sign Reinhart before he becomes a free agent in six days.
It would seem likely the Panthers will figure out a way to get it done in the 8 x 8 range.
“This is unbelievable,” Reinhart said. “I mean it changes every year. I don’t want to leave. I want to be here. This is unbelievable, this is a great feeling. The best place in the league to play in our opinion. Jesus Christ, to be there last year and get kind of dismantled the way we did against a much better team. The amount we learned, the amount we rebounded to get back here, is incredible.”
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Florida ‘good pick’ for Ekman-Larsson
A year ago, Oliver Ekman-Larsson was bought out by Vancouver. With Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour hurt to start this season, Zito signed Ekman-Larsson and Dmitry Kulikov to buy them time to recover.
Both ended up playing huge roles in the team’s championship run. Ekman-Larsson got the Cup fourth, handed to him by Okposo.
“To get the Cup feels great and to get it from Okie, (who’s) been in the league a long time and has been battling to get this chance as well, (was special),” Ekman-Larsson said. “Every moment, everybody on the ice right now is so special. I’ll remember them for the rest of my life.”
He chose the Panthers over five or six other free-agent suitors. Why Florida?
“I liked everything about it,” he said. “So, good pick.”
The final buzzer sounded on Game 7 at 10:53 p.m., resulting in a yard sale of gloves, sticks, helmets and plastic rats hurled onto the ice as the Panthers mobbed Bobrovsky in a mix of relief and jubilation.
The Panthers would spend another 90 minutes in front of their fans, hugging friends and family, posing for photos alongside the Cup and hoisting babies in the air the same way they would the trophy.
Barkov eventually shifted the scene of the celebration. He walked the Cup down the tunnel to the team’s dressing room where he was showered in champagne and deafening screams.
THE pic.twitter.com/QXzD8ekAGt
— NHL (@NHL) June 25, 2024
The party continued to rage inside the arena well after 2:30 a.m., with the waft of cigar smoke filling the bowl and techno music belting out of the club lounge where players and their families celebrated the successful end of a 106-game, 279-day season.
They had flirted with disaster by becoming the first NHL team since the Second World War to lose three straight games in the Final after taking a 3-0 lead. There was no avoiding all of the external discussion about the infamy the franchise would be forced to carry around if it hadn’t found a way to get the job done.
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“When the (TV) banner says it’ll be the biggest collapse in the history of sports, there’s some stress involved,” Maurice said. “You want to be good. The players were good tonight on the ice and then our tiny little piece, we did a good job in the last three days especially. That’s how I would have judged myself had we lost tonight. We did right. We got our job done.”
(Top photo: Eliot J. Schechter / NHLI via Getty Images)