
Panthers celebrate Stanley Cup win with beachfront parade
The Florida Panthers celebrated their second straight Stanley Cup victory with a week-long party across South Florida, culminating with a beach-front parade Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.
Why it matters: South Florida has been wrapped up in hockey hysteria since last season when the Panthers delivered the Miami area its first championship since 2013.
Catch up quick: The Panthers' booze-fueled celebration took the team around some of the area's top party spots, including Fort Lauderdale bar Elbo Room and Miami strip club E11EVEN.
Much of the debauchery — including Panthers center Sam Reinhart's stripper-pole stunt — was documented at length on social media.
The latest: Sunday's parade took place along A1A, as fans gathered to watch the team's red double-decker buses head down the beachfront strip.
Along the route, players hopped off the bus to bring the Stanley Cup closer to the fans, even dumping beer from the trophy into their mouths.
The team held a victory rally on the beach near Fort Lauderdale Beach Park.
What they're saying: Panthers center Brad Marchand, who was acquired from the Boston Bruins in March, told fans he was happy he didn't have to play against the Panthers anymore.
"I never could have imagined being part of something so special."
Stanley Cup Playoff MVP Sam Bennett, who's seeking a contract extension with the team, took an expletive-laced shot at critics upset about the Panthers' physical play.
"They call us dirty, they call us nasty. They call us bullies. I would like to take this time to apologize to absolutely f***ing no one, we're the double champs. We do what the f*** we want. Let's go."
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Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Panthers parade becomes a family affair
Panthers fans come in all shapes and sizes. For 2-year-old Miles Merlucci, he has only known the team as winners. 'We only win championships, right baby?' Miles' father, 36-year-old Jarrett Merlucci said to his son sporting a 'Back to Back Champs' Panthers baseball cap, while free ice cream from the Family Zone at Las Olas Oceanside Park dribbled down Miles' cheek. While much of the footage you might see from the Florida Panthers' Championship Parade consists of rowdy, beer-guzzling fans in Elbo Room T-shirts and small red bikinis, young South Florida families also came out in droves to celebrate the Panthers' back-to-back Stanley Cup wins — many of them arriving well before the parade's official noon start to stake out a shady spot along Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard. 'We're here for the second year in a row, this time it's not raining, and we're so happy to be here,' Merlucci said, holding the hand of his older son, 4-year-old Blake, amid the chaos. 'We're creating memories with the family, and that's what it's all about.' The Victoria Park family came with three of Jarrett's childhood friends and their families, and all of the children now attend preschool together. They set up camp early by the Family Zone, and strollers lined the curb. To accommodate these diehard families, the Panthers franchise created an entire section of the parade experience specifically designed for kids and parents. At Las Olas Oceanside Park — just steps south of Las Olas Boulevard and the iconic Elbo Room — families found a shaded, activity-filled zone featuring Panthers swag giveaways, hockey arcade games, face painting, temporary tattoos, and free sweet treats to help beat the 90-plus degree heat. By mid-morning, the area buzzed with energy. Kids darted among game booths, waving miniature Panthers flags, and volunteers handed out popsicles and sunblock. To help keep families safe in the crowd of an estimated over 200,000, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department implemented additional security measures. Officers stationed along the boulevard handed out yellow and blue wristbands for parents to write their names and phone numbers on, then strap onto their children's wrists — a precaution in case they got separated during the festivities. By 11 a.m., an hour before the parade began, hundreds had already been distributed. And the early turnout made sense: fans began arriving well before sunrise Sunday morning. Some, like 10-year-old Hannah Witenstein and her younger brother Zach, made a full weekend out of it. The Boca Raton family drove down on Saturday and stayed in a nearby hotel overnight to be sure they wouldn't miss a moment. 'I can't wait to see them walk around with the big cup,' Hannah said, perched atop a barricade outside Elbo Room before the parade began. 'We got here at 7 a.m. this morning!' 6-year-old Zach added, proudly waving his Panthers flag as Chappell Roan's 'Pink Pony Club' — ironically adopted by Edmonton Oilers fans as their unofficial playoff victory song — blared from speakers behind them. Once the parade kicked off and double-decker buses passed by, one even holding the Stanley Cup itself, now in mint condition once again, kids like Hannah and Zach pressed up against the barricades and parents lifted toddlers onto their shoulders for a better view. 'I hope we get to do this again next year,' Zach said.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Andrew Johns' staggering call on Panthers as Sharks face brutal $1 million decision
😃 The good: Panthers tipped to make stunning run to finals 😔 The bad: Ryan Hoffman launches fresh swipe at Aaron Woods 😡 The ugly: Time for Sharks to make difficult call on Nicho Hynes? Are we witnessing one of rugby league's greatest ever revivals? Penrith's stirring 10-point win over the Warriors has ignited talk of a late-season finals run and a potential shot at a fifth straight title. The Panthers are now eighth and have every other team looking over their shoulder after stringing together three consecutive wins, the latest victory over the Warriors away from home and without their Origin stars. Talk of another grand final appearance would have seemed farcical just a month ago when the premiers were languishing at the bottom of the table after losing to Newcastle in Bathurst. Coach Ivan Cleary said at the time: "It's not where you want to be. We've already shown this year that we have the potential to be doing much better, but you can only rely on potential for so long." The four-time premiership winner then – prophetically - added: "But the ladder doesn't really matter until July or August." Andrew Johns not only believes Penrith will make the play-offs but could successfully defend their title from the lower half of the top eight. "If they are fully fit, they could win it from outside the top four," he declared. We will know a lot more about the Panthers after they take on competition leaders Canterbury in an absolute blockbuster on Thursday night. It was the feud that dominated talk in the lead up to Origin 2. And while Queensland coach Billy Slater says he has moved on from the "grub" furore started by ex-NSW prop Aaron Woods on Triple M, others are not so keen to put it to bed. Slater's former Storm teammate – and ex-Blues forward – Ryan Hoffman labelled Woods "a coward" while arguing State of Origin doesn't need manufactured drama to attract attention and publicity. "To say that for the benefit of providing spice for Origin, that's rubbish," Hoffman told the ABC's Outsiders program. "Media around Origin time is absolutely horrific (and) both states are guilty of it. There is enough to talk about in these games without having to throw ridiculous comments about. Aaron Woods was a coward for standing behind a microphone and throwing that out there. Billy Slater showed courage, going out there on a microphone and talking about responsibility." Hoffman's scathing comments should make things interesting when he runs into Woods at the next Blues' player reunion. Cronulla fans have been demanding coach Craig Fitzgibbon take a more ruthless approach to his under-performing side and start calling players out for poor performances. And while he didn't single out individuals for criticism following Sunday's collapse against Brisbane, it's clear he's had enough of some repeat offenders. Million-dollar man Nicho Hynes was again guilty of going MIA when the game was on the line, while Will Kennedy, Braydon Trindall and Ronaldo Mulitalo all made errors at critical times. There were also more than 30 missed tackles as the Broncos came back from 16 down to snatch victory. An agitated Fitzgibbon was clearly upset with the performance of his key playmakers. "Our discipline in defence has been poor for weeks and our discipline with the ball (and) decision making has been poor," he said. "You've got to pay attention the whole game and not have these moments and unfortunately we had too many of them. We've been unsettled the whole year for different reasons and we've got to do something about it." Greg Alexander, a former champion halfback, said of Hynes on SEN radio: "Nicho's already under pressure. He's under pressure every set. They were in a position to win (against Brisbane) and couldn't get it done. They bumbled around and made errors. They've now dropped to sixth. It's time (for them) to stand up." Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.


NBC Sports
3 hours ago
- NBC Sports
‘This is amazing': Panthers celebrate second straight Stanley Cup title with another parade
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Champagne was swilled and spilled, cigars were smoked and the Stanley Cup was hoisted a few more times, all with about 400,000 people watching. The Florida Panthers are getting pretty good at these parades. The back-to-back Stanley Cup winners had their championship parade and rally on Fort Lauderdale Beach on Sunday, the same setup as last year — except this time, bright sunshine greeted the champs as opposed to downpours and lightning a year ago. 'It's a little better day today than it was last year, but still, this is amazing,' Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. 'What a day we're having with you guys.' Panthers coach Paul Maurice declared this 'the summer of love' for fans of the team, doing so while wearing another shirt featured his beloved cats Poppy and Penny — a shirt made by his daughter. He wore a similar shirt to last year's parade, also made by his daughter. There were cries of 'Thank you, Boston!' when Brad Marchand — who came to Florida in a trade with the rival Bruins — was introduced. Marchand, a free agent, again indicated that he wants to be back with the Panthers, who won this season's Cup by topping the Edmonton Oilers in six games. 'I'm so happy that I don't have to play against these guys anymore,' Marchand said, pointing to his Florida teammates. Forward Matthew Tkachuk drew loud roars when he told the crowd that he 'would like to apologize to absolutely ... nobody because a double champ does whatever ... he wants,' copying a line used by Conor McGregor when he became a double UFC champion. 'I could get used to this,' Tkachuk said as he looked out at the crowd — some of whom were in the water, with most others packed hundreds of yards deep down the sand. Tkachuk then thanked team owner Vincent Viola and general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito for trading for him three years ago, saying it changed his life. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad, just as he did last year, took a shot at golfer Brooks Koepka, who famously went to a Panthers game once to heckle the veteran defenseman. Forward Sam Reinhart, who scored four goals in the clinching win over Edmonton, missed last year's parade because a close friend was getting married. He didn't miss Sunday. 'The only thing I've heard all day is how this is the best parade that's ever been had in South Florida,' Reinhart said. 'Thank God I missed last year and not this year.' Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky thanked the crowd, and said he hoped there was another parade next year. And Sam Bennett, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, heard the crowd chanting their hopes of him getting a new contract with the Panthers. So, he ended his speech with the same request. 'Eight more years, please,' Bennett said.