Some might have called it former Detroit Red Wing-on-former Detroit Red Wing crime when Jake Walman mocked Tomas Nosek for flipping the puck over the glass, resulting in a delay of game penalty in overtime of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
It led to Leon Draisaitl’s winning goal for Edmonton over Florida.
Nosek got his revenge on Tuesday, hoisting the Cup after the Panthers beat the Oilers 5-1 for back-to-back championships.
“Feels amazing,” Nosek said in an interview with TSN during the on-ice celebration. “There’s a lot of feelings — happiness, relief, everything together, and hard work. Dream come true. It’s just amazing.
“Something you dream of and finally was reality. I still can’t believe it.”
Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov made sure the players who weren’t with the team last year were the first to get a spin with the Cup. Nosek was third in line. He signed a one-year deal with Florida last offseason for the minimum $775,000. The checking line center had no goals and three assists in 16 playoff games.
“They give (the Cup) to guys who didn’t win it last year. Unbelievable,” Nosek said. “It just speaks to how unselfish this group is and how special this group is.”
An undrafted free agent from the Czech Republic, Nosek, 32, appeared in 17 games with the Red Wings between 2015-16 and 2016-17. He played 176 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins over three seasons and led the team with 10 goals and 22 points during its 2017 Calder Cup Championship run.
He’s had a knack for joining good teams. Vegas claimed in the 2017 expansion draft and played a role in helping the Golden Knights reach the Cup Final in their first season, losing to Washington. He also played for the Boston Bruins team that won an NHL-record 65 games in 2022-23 before losing to the Panthers in the first round.