For 30 years, Florida Panthers' fans have been waiting and anticipating. This year, after celebrating 25 years of the Florida Panthers calling Sunrise home, the anticipation was worth it!
Congratulations to an organization that has over the past 5 years focused intensely on putting great hockey on the ice. Days of giving away tickets in order to bring people to the games are gone. A back-to-back trip to the Finals solidified Sunrise as a hockey town!
This Stanley Cup Finals was epic. Record setting in so many ways. For instance, the furthest distance between home ice for the teams ever.
But aside from statistics and data, for so many of us this was also the stuff of kids' dreams in the backyard. Whether it was growing up pretending it was bottom of the 9th inning with two outs in the 7th game of the World Series; or stepping back to take that 3 point shot with time almost off the clock to become champions; or a soccer penalty kick in stoppage time to win the game; or the long pass under pressure to win the Super Bowl; OR to play in game 7 of the Stanley Cup series at home!
Panthers' Captain Aleksander Barkov said before game 7: "I was one of those kids for sure... Whenever I was outdoors or at home or literally anything, I’m thinking about like, ‘This is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.’ You think about those moments. I’ve had many of those memories, but now it’s becoming a truth [Monday] for sure. It’s exciting. The most exciting time to be a hockey player.”
Well said, Captain Barkov, because the Florida Panthers' Victory was certainly the stuff of kids' dreams . It was also a journey that united our community inspired by the ability to overcome adversity and not let challenges of the past define one's future. We will always be grateful to the 2024 Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers! GO CATS!