The Cats are back with a vengeance. The Florida Panthers began their quest to become back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions this week as they got their championship rings, then beat the Boston Bruins in their home opener at Amerant Bank Arena.
The Panthers were going to host a ring ceremony celebration this past Monday in Sunrise. However, due to the turmoil caused by Hurricane Milton, the organization decided to cancel the public ceremony and instead hand them out in a more private setting.
The rings were set in yellow gold and included 617 jewels, the majority of which were diamonds, weighing a total of 15.6 carats. The inside of the band included a rat, an allusion to the plastic toys that the home ice fans hurl into the ice after a Panthers win.
“I unfortunately can’t keep the Stanley Cup in my possession at all times,” right winger Matthew Tkachuk said, according to the Panthers website. “But this will remind me of that each and every day, and it’s incredible.”
That also applied to the ring boxes. A small light highlights the notch containing the ring while a screen on the inside of the lid runs through last year’s Cup run. The Panthers went through the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, and Edmonton Oilers to win that first Cup.
Panthers owner Vincent Viola hinted to team captain Aleksander Barkov that the goal now is to achieve back-to-back Stanley Cup victories, saying, “We gotta go for No. 2, right?” They made a big statement toward that goal last night.
Hurricane Milton did not stop the party Tuesday night, as the Cats did have their regular season home opener against the Boston Bruins at Amerant Bank Arena. It was a celebration like no other as they raised the banner from the rafter, to forever recognize their Stantley Cup win.
“The fans will really enjoy the banner,”, says Panthers C Carter Verhaeghe “Looking up there, I guess if you need a little inspiration, you just look up there and see what we accomplished.”
This is a new rivalry in the making, as the Panthers have eliminated the Bruins from the playoffs for the past two years. In 2023, the Cats came back to win in seven games in the first round. They again vanquished the Bostoners this past season in the second round in six games.
As for Tuesday night’s game itself, the Panthers made their statement by defeating the Bruins 6-4 thanks to huge goals from Sam Bennett (2), Sam Reinhart (1), and Evan Rodrigues (1). Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves, and Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen and Jonah Gadjovich both also scored.
As if it couldn’t get any better for the Cats, they were also able to sign Carter Verhaeghe to an eight-year extension worth $56 million. Verhaeghe is one of the main reasons why the Panthers made it to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, as he scored 53 points in 61 postseason games. Last season, when the Panthers were in their Stanley Cup run, he scored 11 goals and had 10 assists in 24 games.
The quest to regain Lord Stanley continues as the Florida Panthers will now head up to Ottawa to face the Senators tonight at 7 p.m.
