Summer with Stanley blog

Summer with Stanley blog

Follow the Panthers' days with the Cup all offseason long

© Keke Leppala

The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup on June 24 and now are each getting to enjoy their day with the Cup as part of the Champions Tour. NHL.com will follow the Cup and the Panthers around the globe in our Summer with Stanley blog and provide the latest stories, photos and videos from the tour:

August 8

Panthers assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu got in some light reading during his time with the Cup. After 12 NHL seasons as a player and three more on the coaching staff, he recognized more than just his own name on there.

August 6

Panthers forward Anton Lundell spent his younger hockey years competing at Helsinki Ice Hall, and now had the chance to bring the sport’s most prestigious trophy back to where it all began.

August 4

Former Panthers forward and current player development consultant Patric Hornqvist had a low-key day at home with his family, the Cup and some candy for the kids of course.

August 3

Forward Kevin Stenlund was the next one on the Panthers’ Stanley Cup tour in Sweden and he brought the trophy back to the youth rink where he cut his teeth.

August 2

The Cup continued its tour through Sweden with Gustav Forsling and it even reached some new heights as the defenseman took it up on a chopper for a ride over the countryside.

Helicopter tour of Linköping, Sweden with @GForsling

( @einarkomanen) pic.twitter.com/JNa7wryOFh

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) August 2, 2024

August 1

Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson took the Cup home to his native Sweden.

“It’s unreal and real at the same time,” Ekman-Larsson said from Dackehallen, a rink in Tingsryd. “All the emotions and all the time you spent here, and everyone who comes here and shows their support.

July 31

Gnarly celebration

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov kicked off his day with the Cup in style, bringing in professional Finnish skateboarder Marius Syvänen to jump over the 35.25-inch-tall trophy. Syvänen made it look easy, with Barkov and Keeper of the Cup Philip Pritchard looking on.

Barkov then hosted a full ceremony at Nokia Arena in his hometown Tampere, Finland to celebrate the historic championship.

First-ever skateboard jump over the @StanleyCup! pic.twitter.com/T1DZ82tPJh

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) July 31, 2024

July 28

Trip down memory lane

Sam Reinhart took the Cup to his hometown in West Vancouver to share the special moment with his friends and family, as well as some of his childhood hockey coaches. He also hosted an event to meet fans and took the Cup out for a few holes of golf at the local course.

The sun is shining for Sam’s day with the Stanley Cup! pic.twitter.com/6GOvBS7gdU

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) July 28, 2024

July 25

Spreading joy

Steven Lorentz kicked off his day with the Stanley Cup by making a special visit to Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario. The forward brought the trophy to the Cancer Centre where he spent time with patients. Staff and patients lined the halls for a picture with Lorentz and Lord Stanley.

After, Lorentz brought the Cup to RIM Park in Waterloo where he had a meet and greet with hundreds of fans.

July 24

Montour brings Cup to Six Nations

Brandon Montour brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown, Six Nations of the Grand Reserve, on Wednesday. Almost all of the 1,500 residents in the village came out to celebrate Montour during a special parade. 

Check out the story from NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger here.

History being made at Six Nations as Brandon Montour brings the #StanleyCup home. (Ohsweken, ON) @FlaPanthers @NHL @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/ybEFF16MNh

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 25, 2024

July 23

Honoring the past

On Monday, Josh Mahura took the Cup to his hometown in St. Albert, Alberta where he spent the day meeting fans before taking the coveted trophy to a local memorial honoring four of the Humboldt Broncos players who tragically died in the 2018 bus accident.

Honouring the past! @FlaPanthers #stanleycup champion Josh Mahura takes some time from his day to never forget! @nhl #humboldtstrong @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/oPPLozvWtk

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 24, 2024

July 22

Sundae funday

Les Jackson, senior adviser to Panthers general manager Bill Zito, had his day with the Stanley Cup on Sunday, using the bowl as a fancy ice cream dish. Jackson took the Cup to Weyburn, Saskatchewan, to enjoy the sweet treat with his family.

All about family & community for @FlaPanthers Sr. Advisor Les Jackson much to the delight of the kids. (Weyburn, SK) #StanleyCup @NHL @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/0RR4WKqDP4

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 22, 2024

July 19

Okposo gets his day with Cup in Minnesota … finally

After the Cup’s arrival was delayed because of the global IT outage that affected airlines and other industries and services, forward Kyle Okposo got his day with the greatest trophy in sports in his home state of Minnesota.

Special Day for Kyle Okposo and his family. The @FlaPanthers #stanleycup champion brings the trophy home. @NHL @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/5LmFEzyK5y

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 20, 2024

July 17-18

Tkachuk takes Cup home to St. Louis

Forward Matthew Tkachuk got to spend two days with the Cup in his hometown of St. Louis, which included stops at the fire department and police department in Brentwood, Missouri, his elementary school and a children’s hospital before he and his family enjoyed some private time with it.

Here is the story from NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers.

© Tracey Myers

July 16

Life’s a beach

Goalie Anthony Stolarz, who is now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, took the Cup to the Jersey Shore, including the popular nightspot Bar Anticipation in Belmar.

Anthony Stolarz gives it a hoist in front of family and friends. A beautiful trophy with a beautiful background. #StanleyCup @FlaPanthers @nhl@HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/hJLrUaza7j

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 17, 2024

July 15

Sunny day

Sunny Mehta, the Panthers’ assistant general manager and head of analytics, brought the Cup to Ramapo High School, his alma mater in New Jersey, as part of his day with the prized trophy Monday afternoon.

Here is the story from NHL.com staff writer Bill Douglas.

Catch of the day

Bill Zito has gone fishin’ … with the Stanley Cup.

The Panthers general manager took Lord Stanley on a fishing trip and seemed to find success on the water, at least according to the photo posted by Phil Pritchard, aka “Keeper of the Cup,” on Monday. Read all about it here.

A fishing champion or a #stanleycup champion? Bill Zito General Manager of the @FlaPanthers is both. No wonder he is smiling! @HockeyHallFame @NHL pic.twitter.com/8X1OmYT7Wl

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 15, 2024