Though we're only months into the season, a few Maple Leafs are set to leave Florida with rings.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Steven Lorentz and Anthony Stolarz, the three Leafs players who suited up for the Panthers last season, received their Stanley Cup championship rings in a special ceremony before the game against their former team on Wednesday.
The original ring ceremony occurred before the season on Oct. 7, with all the returning Panthers players getting their first look at the jewelry.
But instead of simply sending out the remaining rings to the departed players, the team opted to honour the former teammates with ceremonies of their own at the team's practice facility.
"I got no words, it's pretty cool," forward Lorentz said after practice on Wednesday. "They did a great job. All the guys were in the room there, from last season, so we got to see everybody — coaches, staff and the guys. Brought back a lot of good memories."
Despite Lorentz saying that it "sucked" he had to wait that long to get his hands on the hardware, he added that it was "definitely worth the wait. To be able to see everyone, shake everyone's hands and give everyone hugs."
According to Stolarz, the trio was greeted by Panthers general manager Bill Zito, who then said a few words about them and their impact on the team's Stanley Cup run.
Ekman-Larsson, who recently suited up for his 1000th game and received the honourary "Silver Stick," said that receiving the ring — the first of his long career — brought up a lot of emotions and gave him a chance to reminisce on last year's playoff run.
"What we had in there was something special and that's why we had the chance to go all the way," the defenceman said. "But it's a new year. I'm here [in Toronto], happy to help the Leafs out for the same goal. So it's something special, something I'm very thankful for."
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice also spoke about the trio, and why being able to hold ceremonies like these are important, saying that it brings about a "flood of memories" about the glory of the championship run.
"You have these great memories that you don't live in every day and then you get this awesome reminder," Maurice said. "So you show up to the rink, and you love these guys and you see them and you're happy for them. ... You get these kind of nice little reminders of a very special time."
This ceremony wasn't the first the Panthers have held for former players, nor will it be the last.
When the team visited the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 10, they brought forward Nick Cousins' ring to give to him here. Then, when the Panthers visit Seattle on Dec. 10, they'll look to bring defenceman Brandon Montour's ring to hand to him in person.
The Maple Leafs, and their newly-minted trio, will take on the Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday night.
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