SUNRISE — They came sprinting off the bench like kids out for recess, yelling, hugging, throwing gloves and sticks in the air and all their emotions went up for grabs as this warm, wonderful noise accompanied their opening view atop the mountain.
They did it. Again.
The Florida Panthers really won it all. Again.
The franchise that once couldn’t get out of its own way, that gave away tickets to games, that went a quarter-century without winning a playoff series — that sad-sack franchise is now the toast of the sports world after it celebrated its second straight Stanley Cup championship
They didn’t just do it, again, in winning 5-1 in this Game 6 and taking this best-of-seven series, 4-2.
They dominated it. They owned it. They then celebrated it in a manner that explained how they were able to repeat as champs.
“Let’s do this again,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said to center Aleksander Barkov before handing the Panthers’ captain the Cup as protocol demands.
Barkov skated it to the full team, then around the rink before the cheering crowd, before handing off to … where was he? … yes, there he was …Nate Schmidt?
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Schmidt, a strong but classic role player.
The order of players getting their victory lap with the Cup is no small decision in this sport.
“That told you about us, didn’t it?” said Schmidt.
Schmidt took his lap, holding the Cup aloft, kissing it before giving it next to defenseman Seth Jones. And then fourth-line center Tomas Nosek. And backup goalie Vitek Vanecek.
“This was about family, that’s what this order was about,” Jones said.
It was about a team that was a championship team in every way, not just on the scoreboard.
“We decided to give it first to the guys who hadn’t won it before,” Barkov said. “That was important, them getting it.”
So, the biggest names waited. And applauded. There was Sam Bennett, winner of the Conn Smythe as the NHL playoffs’ top player, hugging Nosek. They understood it takes a full roster of everyone doing everything to win like this.
Schmidt scored five goals all regular season, but he had three in the opening two playoff games against Tampa Bay. Nosek’s fourth line propelled the Panthers’ rally in the Toronto series.
“They love each other,” coach Paul Maurice said. “I know, every team says it. But these guys, they really love each other.”
“Family,” Bennett said.
“Brothers for life,” Aaron Ekblad said.
That first lap with the Cup meant something to all of them. But watching the first-timers celebrate with the Cup was something special for a player like Carter Verhaeghe, who won his third Cup — two with Florida and one with Tampa Bay.
“That was so great to watch,” he said.
You saw this idea of team play out across the night. Barkov gave up an empty-net goal to let Reinhart score it for his third of the night — a hat trick honored by fans throwing hats to the ice. Verhaeghe then gave up another so Reinhart could get a fourth.
“We want the Cup!” the crowd began chanting midway through the third period, when it became clear it was coming to them.
PHOTOS: Panthers capture second consecutive Stanley Cup with Game 6 win
The fans were part of the night, too. They savored the night and drank from the Cup, if only metaphorically, because this is the first time back-to-back championships have been celebrated at home for any South Florida team.
This is a fan base built from nearly nothing with the kind of success in recent years that rivals the greatest South Florida teams ever. The Miami Dolphins went to three straight Super Bowls, winning two, from 1971 to 1973. The Miami Heat went to four straight NBA Finals, winning two, from 2010 to 2014.
That’s the rare air these Panthers now reside. Their talent was understood even after the first-round series. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper, a two-time Cup winner himself, called the Panthers, “An exceptional team. Not just average, an exceptional team.”
They don’t need numbers to back up anything, but they back up everything right through this last game. The Panthers had the best offense in the playoffs in scoring the most goals and the best defense in yielding the fewest per game.
They had the best postseason penalty kill (and sixth-best power play). So, their special teams were special, too.
Edmonton fiddled with who to start in goal, Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard, right to the end. The Panthers never had reason to doubt Sergei Bobrovsky, who again was the best goalie in the playoffs.
And depth? Nine players had at least 15 playoff points, the first time that’s happened since the 1980s New York Islanders teams. Bill Torrey, the original Panthers team president, was the architect of that Islanders dynasty and was asked back when they got the second Cup in 1981 what the Panthers had to consider now: Was the second title was greater than the first?
“You’re damn right it is,’’ Torrey said.
That’s the question they wrestled with now.
“I don’t know,” general manager Bill Zito said. “I really don’t know.”
Give them time to consider it. Give them their moment. Give them this first night of a full summer of celebration. Savor it with them, too.
The Panthers did it again. They really won it all again.
Originally Published: June 17, 2025 at 11:35 PM EDT