Already top-five among all Finnish-born players in regular-season scoring, Aleksander Barkov did something none of his countrymates have ever done in the NHL on Monday night.
The Florida Panthers star became the first captain from Finland to lead his team to a Stanley Cup.
Barkov, 28, was drafted second overall by Florida in 2013 and named captain in 2018, replacing Derek MacKenzie to become the 10th captain in franchise history.
"I just can't believe what's going on, to be honest," Barkov said after lifting the Cup. "It's been a hell of a ride. It was nice for sure. I'm probably gonna be able to explain it (more) later, but yeah, it's nice."
Not only is Barkov the longest-serving player on the Panthers' roster, but he's also the longest-serving captain in franchise history.
Since his debut in 2013-14, Barkov has skated in 737 games, scored 266 goals and recorded 711 points. Of course, he's also one of the top defensive forwards in the NHL, winning his second career Selke Trophy in 2023-24.
"It's incredible to see how hard everyone worked for this moment," Barkov said as his teammates skated around the Amerant Bank Arena ice with the Stanley Cup. "There's no more games tomorrow, so it's unbelievable for sure."
While he didn't score in the Cup-clinching Game 7 win, Barkov elevated his play for Florida throughout the playoffs. Over 24 post-season games, he scored eight goals and dished out 14 assists while being charged with some of the top-scoring forwards in the NHL.
That included the likes of Connor McDavid, Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Steven Stamkos.
"It’s pretty special to see a guy so committed, as gifted as he is offensively, he’s so committed to playing defence and shutting guys down, blocking shots," Panthers forward Sam Bennett told Sportsnet's Luke Fox earlier in the series.
"When you have your all-star captain playing that way, it carries on to every single guy in the locker room."
In a way, Florida took on Barkov's persona on the ice. The Panthers competed on both ends of the ice, outworked their opponents and seemed to rarely be phased by adversity.
"He is everything for us," said Matthew Tkachuk.
Now, with a Stanley Cup title added to his resume, Barkov has only added to his legacy, both in Florida and his home country.
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