Less than 24 hours after securing their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, the Florida Panthers have already begun familiarizing the Fort Lauderdale area with hockey’s most coveted trophy.
The team’s championship parade is scheduled to run through the city’s streets on Sunday (including A1A, also known as Beachfront Avenue — shout out to Vanilla Ice fans). But that didn’t stop some of the Panthers’ players from showing off the Cup to synonymous locations on Florida’s east coast.
Matthew Tkachuk kicked off the Panthers’ post-win celebrations on Tuesday with a splash, taking Lord Stanley’s prize into the Atlantic Ocean and hoisting it above his head as water poured from the trophy’s mouth.
The Panthers forward was captured later in the day at Elbo Room, a famous bar along the Fort Lauderdale strip, pouring beer from the cup into the mouths of passing fans while positioned on the bar’s balcony.
His Tuesday journey adds to a list of unusual celebratory destinations for the Stanley Cup, joining a list that includes the likes of Mario Lemieux’s pool, specifically the pool’s floor after the Hall of Famer discovered the trophy did not in fact float following the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 1991 triumph.
Tkachuk helped guide the Panthers to their maiden league title with 22 points during the team’s playoff run, including a trio of points against the Edmonton Oilers in his second Stanley Cup Final appearance in as many years.
He was the ninth player to receive the trophy on Monday night, with Sam Bennett handing over the Cup following Florida’s 2-1 victory over Edmonton.
The festivities are sure to continue late into the Florida night on Tuesday and are expected to roll into Sunday’s parade.
It will be the Cup’s fourth appearance in the state of Florida, with the Tampa Bay Lightning picking up back-to-back championships in 2020 and 2021 to add to their maiden win in 2004.
