Florida Panthers win their first Stanley Cup, surviving Oilers' unlikely comeback attempt (2024)

Canada will have to wait at least another year before a club north of the border can hoist the Stanley Cup.

Sam Reinhart’s late second-period goal lifted the Florida Panthers to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the NHL Final on Monday, helping the home team win its first title and denying Canadian hockey fans the prized trophy’s long-awaited return north.

Reinhart’s goal came moments after Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov cleared a puck that was precariously sliding in the crease behind goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

The desperation clearance launched a Panthers rush, culminating inReinhart’s low wrister from the circle that beat Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, an Edmonton native.

Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, the son of American hockey great KeithTkachuk, recalled walking out of his house Monday afternoon with his dad and brother, Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators, wishing him well.

“All I wanted to do was to win it, not only for everybody out here, but I really wanted to win it for those two especially,”an emotional Matthew Tkachuk told ABC/ESPN.

As his players paraded with the Stanley Cup, veteran Panthers coach Paul Maurice said he was thinking about loved ones in and around Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, who supported him over the years.

“Hey Dad, your name’s going up [on the Stanley Cup] with your heroes, [Jean] Béliveau,[Maurice] Richard, [Gordie] Howe, [Ted] Lindsay, Maurice,” Maurice told Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet.

Before going to South Florida, Maurice spent parts of nine seasons behind the Winnipeg Jets bench. Even as he enjoyed the view from pro hockey’s mountaintop, Maurice shouted out his old co-workers in Manitoba.

“I’m just lucky,” he said. “If I could have one thing more, it’d be for the Winnipeg Jets to win the next Stanley Cup.”

How the Stanley Cup was won

  • Since the Montreal Canadiens won it all in 1993, the Stanley Cup has been won four times by Florida teams: The Panthers on Monday and the Tampa Bay Lightning three times (2004, 2020, 2021).
  • Florida's win put a bow on the coaching legacy of Panthers boss Paul Maurice, whose career behind the bench began in 1995-96 with the Hartford Whalers.
  • Oilers star Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the outstanding player throughout the playoffs.
  • Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky shook off three straight losses to stop 21 of 22 shots Monday. He stood tall against a barrage of Oilers shots late in the third.
  • Matthew Tkachuk hoisted the Stanley Cup a week after his Chaminade College Preparatory School classmate Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics won the NBA title.

Edmonton had been seeking to become only the fifth team in NHL history to rally from a 3-0 series deficit when it took the ice at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

Just 1½ weeks ago, the Panthers appeared invincible after their 4-3 victory at Edmonton in Game 3, giving them a 3-0 series lead.

The high-powered Oilers, who scored the fourth most goals in hockey this regular season, had put only four pucks past Bobrovsky in the first three games.

But the first three contests looked nothing like Games 4, 5 and 6 as Edmonton ran roughshod over Florida, scoring 18 to force Monday night’s decisive game.

Four teams had rallied from 3-0 holes to win best-of-7 playoff series in NHL history: the Toronto Maple Leafs (1942), the New York Islanders (1975), the Philadelphia Flyers (2010) and the Los Angeles Kings (2014). The Leafs’ feat came in the Stanley Cup Final.

But as the Panthers showed Monday, any momentum gained from wins in Games 4-6 often ends when the puck drops in Game 7. While four teams have come back from 3-0 deficits, five other 0-3 squads hadforced seventh games, only to lose the winner-take-all contests.

Edmonton is the sixth team to make such a valiant effort that fell just short.

The Detroit Red Wings (2011, 1945), the Chicago Blackhawks (2011), the Islanders (1975) and the New York Rangers (1939) all gallantly fought back before dropping seventh games. The 1975 Islanders pulled the 3-0 miracle in a quarterfinal series against the Pittsburgh Penguins and nearly pulled off the same feat in the semifinals against the Philadelphia Flyers before they fell in Game 7.

The Panthers’ win also kept alive a three-decade-long string of Canadian teams’ failing to win the Stanley Cup, a feat last accomplished in 1993, when the Montreal Canadiens won it all.

A Canadian team has made the Stanley Cup final seven times since the 1993 Habs, only to fall short against U.S.-based clubs.

Before it hoisted the cup Monday, Florida came close to lifting Lord Stanley’s famed chalice last year, when the Vegas Golden Knights won it all, and in 1996, when the Panthers fell to the Colorado Avalanche.

Reinhart, a native of British Columbia and son of former NHL defenseman Paul Reinhart, effusively praised the Oilers and said he didn't mind having to endure the near-humiliation of blowing a 3-0 lead.

"The level of talent they have on that team, to be up 3-0, they made it rough on us," he told the NHL Network. "That’s the way it was always going to be."

David K. Li

David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Florida Panthers win their first Stanley Cup, surviving Oilers' unlikely comeback attempt (2024)

FAQs

Florida Panthers win their first Stanley Cup, surviving Oilers' unlikely comeback attempt? ›

Sam Reinhart's late second-period goal lifted the Florida Panthers to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the NHL finals on Monday, June 24, helping the home team win its first title and denying Canadian hockey fans the prized trophy's long-awaited return north.

Have the Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup? ›

The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions for the first time, and they took about the hardest path possible to the title. Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe scored goals, Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves and the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on Monday night in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

What year did the Oilers win their first Stanley Cup? ›

The team went to the Stanley Cup Final against the New York Islanders in the spring of 1983 but were swept. That infused a gritted‐teeth determination to come back, and Edmonton did just that, defeating those same Islanders in 1984 to end one dynasty and start a new one.

Who owns Florida Panthers? ›

Sunrise Sports & Entertainment and Florida Panthers chairman, owner and governor Vincent Viola told NBC6 his team winning the cup was a "surreal feeling." Viola bought the Panthers about 11 years ago, according to the team's webpage about its ownership.

What names are the Panthers on the Stanley Cup? ›

The 24 Panthers players whose names are on the Stanley Cup are, in alphabetical order: Sasha Barkov, Sam Bennett, Sergei Bobrovsky, Nick Cousins, Aaron Ekblad, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Gustav Forsling, Jonah Gadjovich, Dmitry Kulikov, Ryan Lomberg, Steven Lorentz, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Josh Mahura, Niko Mikkola ...

Who had never won a Stanley Cup? ›

Which NHL teams have never won a Stanley Cup?
  • Buffalo Sabres. Total NHL playoff appearances: 29.
  • Vancouver Canucks. Total NHL playoff appearances: 29.
  • San Jose Sharks. Total NHL playoff appearances: 21.
  • Arizona Coyotes. Total NHL playoff appearances: 20.
  • Ottawa Senators. ...
  • Nashville Predators. ...
  • Minnesota Wild. ...
  • Winnipeg Jets.
Jun 28, 2024

What team won the first ever Stanley Cup? ›

The first winner of the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (AAA), champions of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada for 1893.

What was the greatest Stanley Cup comeback? ›

1942 Final Toronto Versus Detroit

What is still considered the biggest comeback in the history of hockey, or any sport for that matter, is the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals. In an amazing comeback, Toronto won the championship after being behind, with the score three to zero at the start of the fourth game.

Does Gretzky still own the Oilers? ›

The Coyotes struggled during Gretzky's tenure, and he resigned as head coach in 2009, which was the same year in which he lost his ownership stake when the team filed for bankruptcy and was subsequently purchased by the NHL. In 2016 he returned to the Oilers franchise as a partner and vice chairman.

Why are the Edmonton Oilers changing their name? ›

After the newly founded Calgary Broncos folded before the commencement of the inaugural WHA season, the Oilers were renamed the Alberta Oilers as it was planned to split their home games between Edmonton and Calgary.

What hockey team does Wayne Gretzky own? ›

But Wayne was only getting his career started as a business man and a venture capitalist. Post retirement, Gretzky became part owner of the NHL team, the Phoenix Coyotes.

Do the Florida Panthers make money? ›

According to metrics provided by the team to SBJ, the team increased total playoff ticket revenue in 2024 by 122% from last year's postseason. The Panthers hosted 13 playoff games at Amerant Bank Arena during their successful Stanley Cup run this year, including four against the Oilers during the Stanley Cup Final.

Where do Florida Panthers players live? ›

Many Panthers players and coaches live in that part of Fort Lauderdale, near the ocean. The commute to work, for some, has been more than 30 minutes — sometimes much more the 30 minutes — each way. Not anymore; Maurice's walk was about 8 minutes and Ekblad's drive lasted about 5 minutes Friday.

What name was removed from the Stanley Cup? ›

“The names of some of hockey's most talented athletes appear on the Stanley Cup. But so does the name 'Brad Aldrich' whose role as video coach made him eligible for the engraving. His conduct disqualified him, however, and it was a mistake to submit his name. We are sorry we allowed it to happen.”

What animal is on the Stanley Cup? ›

ABOUT THE STANLEY MYTHICAL BEAR

The original bear symbol was born from the folklore of the Stanley brand, a recurring character in many of the stories we hear from our community. He made his debut with a crown that had lightning bolts around it as a nod to the inventor of the Stanley bottle, William Stanley, Jr.

What player has his name on the Stanley Cup the most? ›

Which player's name is on the Stanley Cup the most times? Henri “Rocket” Richard holds the NHL record with 11 Stanley Cup titles as a player. While his name has been etched into the Cup 11 times, Richard is currently only on it four times.

What years did the Hawks win the Stanley Cup? ›

The division was named after Chief Black Hawk, a native American leader. The team has won the Stanley Cup Championship six times, in 1933, 1937, 1961, 2010, 2013 also in 2015.

What year did the Panthers win the championship? ›

In 2003, the Panthers, just two seasons removed from a 1-15 season won the NFC championship to earn a berth in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Who won the Stanley Cup in 1996? ›

The Avalanche swept the Panthers to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, becoming the seventh post-1967 expansion team and the second former WHA team (after the Edmonton Oilers) to win the Cup. Colorado's Joe Sakic earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the 1996 Playoffs.

What team won the Stanley Cup in 1982? ›

On this day in 1982, the New York Islanders became the third team to win three straight Stanley Cup championships.

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