‘I can get used to this:' Panthers soak in yet another Stanley Cup parade
Matthew Tkachuk was in his natural environment on Sunday afternoon. As the Florida Panthers paraded down A1A in Fort Lauderdale to celebrate their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship, the star winger and one of the catalysts to this current run soaked in the moment once again.
Wearing a championship belt around his waist and with a cigar in hand, he was one of the lives of a party fit for South Florida.
And, of course, he made an obligatory pit stop on the parade route to the Elbo Room to shotgun a beer before the team got to the stage for the rally to cap the festivities.
'I can get used to this,' Tkachuk said.
Panthers fans can, too. It was estimated that more than 200,000 packed Fort Lauderdale Beach for the parade.
'This is amazing,' Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. 'What a day we're having.'
And the Panthers did it their way, just like they did throughout their run to a second championship that saw them beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games, Carolina Hurricanes in five games and finally the Edmonton Oilers in six games.
They've heard the hate they had been getting from opposing fan bases since winning it all again.
Players made it clear during their celebration: They hear it, but they frankly don't care.
'A lot of people, they don't like the way we play,' said center Sam Bennett, who won the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP after leading the league with 15 goals in the postseason. 'They call us dirty. They call us nasty. They call us bullies. So I would like to take this time to apologize ...
Bennett paused momentarily for effect.
'...to absolutely [expletive] no one! We're the double champs!'
Added forward Brad Marchand: 'If you can't handle it, don't win! Let's go!'
And so the Panthers partied on, recognizing and showing appreciation for each other and for the fans as they kick off another summer of celebration.
'The men behind me love you,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice, wearing a shirt with his two cats (Penny and Poppy) on the front, told the crowd. 'All of you love the men behind me. ... I hope these men are a gift to you.'
Marchand, who took the mic to serenades of 'Thank you, Boston' after the Panthers acquired him from the Bruins at the trade deadline, said he never could have imagined being a part of something so special.' Prior to the trade, he was a Panthers villain after two hostile playoff series between the teams in 2023 and 2024. Now, in just three short months with the team, he's a fan favorite that South Florida hopes stays with the team. He's set to become a free agent on July 1, as are Bennett and defenseman Aaron Ekblad, but by the sounds of things, it doesn't seem like Marchand is going anywhere.
'I'm so happy I don't have to play against these guys anymore,' Marchand said at the parade. 'And I'm so happy I don't have to worry about getting knocked out by Benny anymore.'
Bennett, who on Thursday night during a celebratory team trip to E11even nightclub in Miami made his intention known that he wants to stay, reiterated his hope for 'eight more years' with the Panthers. That's the longest contract extension the team is allowed to give him if they can agree to terms before July 1.
And Ekblad has mentioned time and again his desire to stay with the club. He's been with them his whole career since being taken No. 1 overall in 2014. He thanked team owner Vinnie Viola for believing in Ekblad for his entire tenure with the team.
But he stopped short of saying anything concrete about his hopeful return.
'It's funny,' Ekblad said, 'after E11even, my agent called me and said, 'Don't say whatever Benny said.' Gotta hold onto that leverage, eh buddy?'
But through it all, it was another celebration to remember — just 12 months after the first celebration to remember.
Steve Goldstein, the team's TV play-by-play man who served as the emcee for the event, remembered how last year told fans to 'Enjoy this. It's once in a lifetime.'
He quickly apologized for that.
'Forget about it being once in a lifetime,' Goldstein said. 'Because guess what? They're baaaaaaack.'
So ... same time next year?
'Who wants a third Cup?' Panthers president and CEO Matt Caldwell asked the crowd, getting cheers in response.
Added goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky: 'What an amazing day. Thank you all for coming. It was a great year, great playoffs, great victory. I like to get together this time of year. I think with this incredible ownership, with great management, with the great coaching staff, this fantastic group of guys, with incredible you guys — the fans — and the blessing from God, we can all be together here next year.'
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