Chuba Hubbard wants his Panthers to win a Super Bowl. He also wants a different group of Panthers to lose the Stanley Cup.
The Carolina Panthers star arrived at Rogers Place ahead of the second game of the Stanley Cup Final wearing a blue-and-orange Wayne Gretzky tribute jacket. Hubbard played his high-school football at Bev Facey in Sherwood Park, and his Oilers fandom runs deep.
“I’m super excited for this,” said Hubbard. “Any time I get to be back home, it’s a good feeling. But, obviously, being here for the Stanley Cup finals? Even better.
“Playing in a Super Bowl? That might top this, but this comes a close second.”
Hubbard dropped the ceremonial opening faceoff ahead of an Oilers game on Dec. 20, 2019. The Oilers lost 5-2 to the Penguins that night.
“I got to meet a bunch of the guys, and connected with them over the years, they’re great guys,” he said of his favourite hockey team.
Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard celebrates after a long run against the Arizona Cardinals during overtime of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C.
And, yes, he has been chatting with some of his Carolina Panthers teammates about his hockey fandom.
“Everybody on the team knows that I’m a big Edmonton boy. And a lot of the guys watch hockey, so they keep up to date with it. I’m always talking smack, so they talk smack right back,”
When asked about his prediction for the series, Hubbard didn’t want to make that call. Why? He’s superstitious, and the last thing he wants to do is put a jinx on the Oilers.
Hubbard had a breakout season in 2024, establishing himself as the No. 1 running back for the Panthers. He rushed for 1,198 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. In 2024, he signed a four-year US$33.2 million contract extension with the Panthers. About half of the money is guaranteed, and he inked a signing bonus of just over $7.5 million. So he knows the pressure is on him to help spur an NFL franchise out of its rebuilding mode. But recent history has shown that a team that plays close to .500 football can contend for a playoff spot in the NFC South.
“Last year, we started a little rough, but we ended the right way. And we’re just looking to build off of that and have a great year this year.”
And maybe, one day, if Hubbard makes the Super Bowl, Connor McDavid might get an invite.
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