Florida Panthers win their first Stanley Cup, surviving Oilers' unlikely comeback attempt (2024)

Canada will have to wait at least another year before a club north of the border can hoist the Stanley Cup.

Sam Reinhart’s late second-period goal lifted the Florida Panthers to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the NHL Final on Monday, helping the home team win its first title and denying Canadian hockey fans the prized trophy’s long-awaited return north.

Reinhart’s goal came moments after Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov cleared a puck that was precariously sliding in the crease behind goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

The desperation clearance launched a Panthers rush, culminating inReinhart’s low wrister from the circle that beat Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, an Edmonton native.

Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, the son of American hockey great KeithTkachuk, recalled walking out of his house Monday afternoon with his dad and brother, Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators, wishing him well.

“All I wanted to do was to win it, not only for everybody out here, but I really wanted to win it for those two especially,”an emotional Matthew Tkachuk told ABC/ESPN.

As his players paraded with the Stanley Cup, veteran Panthers coach Paul Maurice said he was thinking about loved ones in and around Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, who supported him over the years.

“Hey Dad, your name’s going up [on the Stanley Cup] with your heroes, [Jean] Béliveau,[Maurice] Richard, [Gordie] Howe, [Ted] Lindsay, Maurice,” Maurice told Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet.

Before going to South Florida, Maurice spent parts of nine seasons behind the Winnipeg Jets bench. Even as he enjoyed the view from pro hockey’s mountaintop, Maurice shouted out his old co-workers in Manitoba.

“I’m just lucky,” he said. “If I could have one thing more, it’d be for the Winnipeg Jets to win the next Stanley Cup.”

How the Stanley Cup was won

  • Since the Montreal Canadiens won it all in 1993, the Stanley Cup has been won four times by Florida teams: The Panthers on Monday and the Tampa Bay Lightning three times (2004, 2020, 2021).
  • Florida's win put a bow on the coaching legacy of Panthers boss Paul Maurice, whose career behind the bench began in 1995-96 with the Hartford Whalers.
  • Oilers star Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the outstanding player throughout the playoffs.
  • Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky shook off three straight losses to stop 21 of 22 shots Monday. He stood tall against a barrage of Oilers shots late in the third.
  • Matthew Tkachuk hoisted the Stanley Cup a week after his Chaminade College Preparatory School classmate Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics won the NBA title.

Edmonton had been seeking to become only the fifth team in NHL history to rally from a 3-0 series deficit when it took the ice at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

Just 1½ weeks ago, the Panthers appeared invincible after their 4-3 victory at Edmonton in Game 3, giving them a 3-0 series lead.

The high-powered Oilers, who scored the fourth most goals in hockey this regular season, had put only four pucks past Bobrovsky in the first three games.

But the first three contests looked nothing like Games 4, 5 and 6 as Edmonton ran roughshod over Florida, scoring 18 to force Monday night’s decisive game.

Four teams had rallied from 3-0 holes to win best-of-7 playoff series in NHL history: the Toronto Maple Leafs (1942), the New York Islanders (1975), the Philadelphia Flyers (2010) and the Los Angeles Kings (2014). The Leafs’ feat came in the Stanley Cup Final.

But as the Panthers showed Monday, any momentum gained from wins in Games 4-6 often ends when the puck drops in Game 7. While four teams have come back from 3-0 deficits, five other 0-3 squads hadforced seventh games, only to lose the winner-take-all contests.

Edmonton is the sixth team to make such a valiant effort that fell just short.

The Detroit Red Wings (2011, 1945), the Chicago Blackhawks (2011), the Islanders (1975) and the New York Rangers (1939) all gallantly fought back before dropping seventh games. The 1975 Islanders pulled the 3-0 miracle in a quarterfinal series against the Pittsburgh Penguins and nearly pulled off the same feat in the semifinals against the Philadelphia Flyers before they fell in Game 7.

The Panthers’ win also kept alive a three-decade-long string of Canadian teams’ failing to win the Stanley Cup, a feat last accomplished in 1993, when the Montreal Canadiens won it all.

A Canadian team has made the Stanley Cup final seven times since the 1993 Habs, only to fall short against U.S.-based clubs.

Before it hoisted the cup Monday, Florida came close to lifting Lord Stanley’s famed chalice last year, when the Vegas Golden Knights won it all, and in 1996, when the Panthers fell to the Colorado Avalanche.

Reinhart, a native of British Columbia and son of former NHL defenseman Paul Reinhart, effusively praised the Oilers and said he didn't mind having to endure the near-humiliation of blowing a 3-0 lead.

"The level of talent they have on that team, to be up 3-0, they made it rough on us," he told the NHL Network. "That’s the way it was always going to be."

David K. Li

David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Florida Panthers win their first Stanley Cup, surviving Oilers' unlikely comeback attempt (2024)

FAQs

Has Florida Panthers ever won a Stanley Cup? ›

The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions for the first time, and they took about the hardest path possible to the title. Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe scored goals, Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves and the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on Monday night in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Who owns Florida Panthers? ›

Sunrise Sports & Entertainment and Florida Panthers chairman, owner and governor Vincent Viola told NBC6 his team winning the cup was a "surreal feeling." Viola bought the Panthers about 11 years ago, according to the team's webpage about its ownership.

How old is the Florida Panthers team? ›

The team was founded in 1993 and took its name from the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor couguar). Unlike most expansion teams, the Panthers were immediately competitive, coming within one win of qualifying for the playoffs in each of their first two seasons.

Who played in the 1996 Stanley Cup? ›

1996 Stanley Cup Finals
1Total
Florida Panthers10
Colorado Avalanche34

Who had never won a Stanley Cup? ›

Which NHL teams have never won a Stanley Cup?
  • Buffalo Sabres. Total NHL playoff appearances: 29.
  • Vancouver Canucks. Total NHL playoff appearances: 29.
  • San Jose Sharks. Total NHL playoff appearances: 21.
  • Arizona Coyotes. Total NHL playoff appearances: 20.
  • Ottawa Senators. ...
  • Nashville Predators. ...
  • Minnesota Wild. ...
  • Winnipeg Jets.
Jun 28, 2024

What are the odds for the Florida Panthers to win the Stanley Cup? ›

Odds to win 2025 NHL Stanley Cup
TeamChampionshipConference
Florida Panthers9-1+450
Dallas Stars9-15-1
Carolina Hurricanes10-1+550
Edmonton Oilers10-15-1
28 more rows
Jun 25, 2024

What team does Gretzky own? ›

He became a minority owner of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes in 2000 and was later named the Coyotes' head coach in 2005.

Do the Florida Panthers make money? ›

Panthers see huge ticket revenue bump for Cup run

According to metrics provided by the team to SBJ, the team increased total playoff ticket revenue in 2024 by 122% from last year's postseason.

How much does it cost to buy the Florida Panthers? ›

In 2023, the Florida Panthers had an estimated valuation of 775 million U.S. dollars.

Who is 72 on the Florida Panthers? ›

Sergei Andreyevich Bobrovsky (Russian: Серге́й Андреевич Бобровский; born 20 September 1988) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Who is number 77 on the Florida Panthers? ›

Niko Mikkola Stats And News | NHL.com.

What is the oldest NHL team? ›

Recent News. Montreal Canadiens, Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The oldest continually operating team in the National Hockey League (NHL), the Canadiens have won more Stanley Cup titles than any other team (24) and are the most successful franchise in league history.

Who threw the Stanley Cup in a pool? ›

The 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins and 1993 Montreal Canadiens decided to test its buoyancy by tossing it into Mario Lemieux's and Patrick Roy's respective pools (then–Canadiens' captain Guy Carbonneau observed "The Stanley Cup does not float.") Dominik Hašek had his 2002 visit with the Cup cut short for doing the same.

Who won the 100th Stanley Cup? ›

Montreal Canadiens

Which NFL team has won the most Stanley Cups? ›

Which team has hoisted the Stanley Cup the most times? That would be the Montreal Canadiens, with 24 titles. Next are the Toronto Maple Leafs, with 13 championships, followed by the Detroit Red Wings, the winners of 11 Stanley Cups. How do the other teams rank?

How many Stanley Cups have the Hawks won? ›

The team has won the Stanley Cup Championship six times, in 1933, 1937, 1961, 2010, 2013 also in 2015.

Who won the 24 Stanley Cup? ›

The Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers defeated the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers four games to three in the best-of-seven series, earning their first championship in their thirty year history. The series began on June 8, and ended on June 24.

Have hurricanes ever won Stanley Cup? ›

Carolina advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 2002, where they were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings. The Hurricanes won the 2006 Stanley Cup over the Edmonton Oilers, giving the state of North Carolina its first major professional sports championship and its only major championship as of 2023–24.

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