Seth Jones, Florida Panthers: Bringing the Stanley Cup Home to Texas
All right, are we ready? Yep. So, Seth, what was the significance of coming here to the to the rink here in Dallas for your day with the cup? Well, I wanted to come and uh and give back to the kids here at the youth hockey program. I think growing up when I moved here to Texas, I spent a lot of time here uh for a lot of different coaches, a lot of different teams. And um without the development of of Texas youth hockey and the growth that we’ve seen over the last 10 15 years um I don’t think I’d be or I know I wouldn’t be, you know, where I’m standing today. So I wanted to give back, show the kids here that just not a huge hockey market. Um things are still possible. You can still make the NHL and and um and stick to your dreams and and achieve those. So just wanted to do that for them. Uh you know, see them with smiles on their faces and uh it’s pretty cool. What impact was, I guess, your time playing here in Texas on your development path to the NHL? Um, it was great. I played um almost five years and it was in a really um prime spot I think in my development um about 10 years old to 15. And um those are some big years, you know, when you talk about youth hockey. And I think just playing here with, like I said, the coaching staff saw helped me through it. um you know three or four coaches that I I can remember just you know getting that exposure I think of playing on good teams as well. You know we competed every year in regionals, nationals and um playing against some of the best players in the country and traveling there and uh it was just uh something that I thought I needed to do. When you think about um winning the cup for the first time, was this the only place you wanted to bring the cup? Was Texas the the the hometown you wanted to come back to? Definitely. Definitely. Uh, my family’s here. This is where I call home uh in the summertime when I’m not in Florida. And, um, you know, I skate here. Um, do a lot of things around this area. So, this was definitely a place I wanted to come back to. And I’m glad I could knock it out, uh, first thing today. I know as a kid you probably dreamed about this day, lifting the cup and what you would do with it. Anything fun you have planned for yourself on this day? Um, yeah. Yeah, I mean I’ll I’ll take it to the golf course, play with some buddies. Um, and then just kind of take it out around. I’m doing a little party with some friends and family tonight. So, that’ll be fun. I’ll let everyone, you know, kind of take a picture with it, see it, and I I think just I think I wanted to invite a lot of the people that helped me along the way, not just in hockey, but uh in life in general. And so, I have a lot of those family friends coming too. And um I think the best part about winning, I’ve learned, you know, to this point, the best part of winning the cup is that you get to share with the people that that care about you and and have been your lives um through through that process of of getting to where you are. So, um extremely happy. You put the cup in the golf cart with you when you say I will. I I plan on it. I’m not sure what the rules are. Um but until someone tells me no, that’s the plan right now. For people who aren’t familiar with your story, I mean, your father was an NBA player playing in the Dallas market. As a kid, when did that decision get made for you that you know what, I kind of like the sport of hockey rather than following in the footsteps of your father, especially in a market like this, as you mentioned, that’s not typically a hockey market. Yeah, it was actually pretty early. Um, all I have older brother and a younger brother, and we all played hockey, started playing at the same time. So I was about 5 years old and uh my dad was obviously he his life was basketball and he was transitioning into coaching at that time as well but um he was always open-minded you know they he knew nothing about hockey but he always gave us the opportunity to play and um ask questions of different people um so skating lessons playing on the right teams you know in the right lessons and things like that um I was never shorted opportunity as a kid and obviously I I give both my parents my mom and my dad. Uh, huge props for that. You mentioned your mom. What’s it like to watch her watch you enjoy this day? Yeah, it means a lot. I mean, uh, she’s been there, you know, obviously since day one, of course. And, um, she’s been to all the big moments in my career, uh, whether it was the draft or, um, you know, one of the first people I call when I’m traded, you know, things like that throughout throughout my career. And she was able to be at a lot of the playoff games I’ve played, uh, so far in my career. and you know the most important ones which were which were this year. So um it’s great that she’s here. Um uh you know she comes to Florida a few times a year but uh it’s great that I get to spend this this time with her and and spend the cup with her. Any favorite hockey memories here that you can tell us about? Oh man, favorite hockey memories at this rink. I think I won a regionals here. Um, none that really stand out though. I mean, I I think the the memory I have I think since I’ve been in the league, I’ve came back here every summer and so this has been my home to skate and the program’s been, you know, I’m grateful enough that I get to keep my gear here and, you know, it’s it’s the little things, right? your laundry done and they have waters and shakes and and all the little stuff I think that help in the summer uh with your training and um so that that’s that’s really what I have to give back to the shrink to. You know, I put a shooting room in here a few years ago for the kids and just done little things in the shrink that um can kind of stick with it. You mentioned mom and dad being important to you. Any hockey specific role models growing up in the rink here? Hockey specific in this rink? Not not that I can think of. No, I I think when I was a a kid, I you just look up to different players in general, you know, around the league and try to model your game after certain guys. You probably know better than anybody. What’s the state of scouting, especially in, you know, the southern United States? There’s players like you that have made it to the NHL. Austin Matthews is a star in the NHL. I think he was from Arizona. Uh is it now a thing where scouts have to go all over the country, even in markets where you wouldn’t think they’d have a lot of rings? Definitely. And I think there was a a time here in Utah when I was growing up where if you were a good player or a great player and you had potential, everyone would tell you to leave. Everyone would tell you to go to Chicago and go up north to Minnesota and Michigan and places like that. But in the last few years actually and and I’m sure just listening to the coaches and um keeping in touch with them, there’s actually kids from the north coming down here to play. And so it’s kind of turning in that sense or you had to go to a tournament up north if you want to play anyone good. Now, there’s a lot of great tournaments here. Teams are coming here to play hockey. Um, so that just shows the growth of of the program. Obviously, um, the Dallas Stars have put a lot of money and effort into that as well. Uh, and you really see that down trickle down to the youth hockey program. And I think even this year, three players from Texas were drafted into the NHL. Is that Do you keep tabs on things like that or is that like um, you know, I’m obviously on Twitter and stuff. I don’t tweet, but um it’s a sort, you know, I do see stuff like that when um when that does happen and and that’s great to see. I mean, I think it’s great, not it’s great for those kids, but it’s great for the next generation coming to see that you don’t have to go anywhere. You know, the scouts will find you. Um and so you stay home, uh and you grow you grow the game here.
Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones brought the Stanley Cup back to Texas on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
Jones won the Stanley Cup for the first time after being acquired by the Panthers before the trade deadline on March 1.
The Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on June 17; it is the second straight year the Panthers beat the Oilers for the Cup.
The Panthers Have Done It Again, Repeat as Cup Champs: https://floridahockeynow.com/florida-panthers-repeat-stanley-cup-champions-2025/
How Brad Marchand Joined the Florida Panthers: https://floridahockeynow.com/brad-marchand-joins-florida-panthers-how-it-happened-nhl-trade-bruins/
2024 Stanley Cup Champions Honored at the White House: https://floridahockeynow.com/stanley-cup-champion-florida-panthers-honored-at-white-house/
Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning Bringing Hockey Outdoors – In Florida: https://floridahockeynow.com/nhl-outdoor-hockey-miami-tampa-florida-panthers-lightning/
The Florida Panthers Get Their Rings. They’re Spectacular: https://floridahockeynow.com/florida-panthers-get-stanley-cup-championship-rings-theyre-spectacular/
The Florida Panthers Are Stanley Cup Champions: https://floridahockeynow.com/can-you-believe-it-florida-panthers-are-stanley-cup-champs/
In Game 6, the Panthers led 2-0 in the first off goals from Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk.
Sam Reinhart made it 3-0 with his second of the game before he got his hat trick — and then a fourth goal.
Sam Bennett won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
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Video Courtesy Florida Panthers / Panther Vision