It’s been a challenging month, indeed.
A month ago, the Panthers began their day with a light morning skate in Fort Lauderdale. Facing the media, they had to discuss the possibility of squandering a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.
“For both of us, at one point in the series, we lost three games. It doesn’t matter how you draw it up,” said Matthew Tkachuk. “They lost the first three, we lost the next three. It’s even right now, and it doesn’t matter what has happened to get to this point. It’s easy to forget everything that has happened this whole season, really, just focusing on one game at home.
“How can you not be so jacked up for this? This is an incredible opportunity. You want to remember some of the good things that helped you beat these guys earlier in the series, but I’m trying to forget all of it and go in there and try to win this one game. That’s what it comes down to.”
We all know how that story ended.
The Panthers concluded that day with a wild celebration — one that has slowed but is still ongoing.
Just this week, the Stanley Cup visited the Edmonton area with now-former Florida defenseman Josh Mahura, who brought it to his hometown of St. Albert on Monday.
The Cup then made its way back east after senior advisor Les Jackson enjoyed his day with it in Saskatchewan.
Senior advisor Rick Dudley showcased the trophy in Lewiston, N.Y., holding a public party at a brewpub near Niagara Falls on Tuesday.
Today, former Florida defenseman Brandon Montour is bringing the Stanley Cup home to Ontario for a parade and celebration in Six Nations of the Grand River starting at 1 p.m.
The week will end with Sam Reinhart hosting the Cup in Vancouver.
Next month, the Stanley Cup will be headed to Finland and Sweden.
On Tuesday, Finnish President Alexander Stubb met with his Florida Panthers: Sasha Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Niko Mikkola, and assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu.
Barkov presented President Stubb with a signed jersey, marking a historic moment as Barkov is the first Finnish captain to hoist the Stanley Cup.
“An honor to host our Finnish Stanley Cup winners. Great gang,” President Stubb wrote on his Instagram account. “We are so proud of you guys.”
The Panthers have packed a lot of celebrating into the four weeks following their championship, but they’ve also been busy.
Reinhart signed an eight-year extension to stay with the Panthers, while Dmitry Kulikov and Lundell secured new contracts.
Despite losing several players to free agency due to salary cap constraints, the Panthers added a slew of new talent.
This is typically a slow period in hockey, with free agency signings and trade speculation on the backburner as players and executives enjoy some downtime before ramping up in about a month.
The Panthers, certainly, are enjoying their downtime more than others.
It is well deserved.
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