Florida Panthers cancel ring ceremony with Hurricane Milton approaching state

Hurricane Milton has forced the Florida Panthers to cancel their Champions Ring Ceremony scheduled for Monday night in Sunrise. However, their opening game of the 2024-25 NHL season remains on schedule for Tuesday night.

In a press release sent out late Sunday night, the Panthers announced "that out of an abundance of caution" the ceremony "would not continue as planned." The hurricane, currently forecast to hit Florida's west coast anywhere from the Big Bend area to Fort Myers, has placed more than 50 counties in Florida under a state of emergency, including Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade.

“As this event would take resources from first responders and service providers, we have made the tough decision to cancel our Champions Ring Ceremony out of an abundance of caution for the safety of all involved. We will instead distribute our championship rings privately,” said Panthers President and CEO Matt Caldwell . “Along with state and local authorities, we are closely monitoring the situation. As of now, Opening Night vs. Boston is scheduled to proceed as intended and we will continue preparing our arena and surrounding areas to safely welcome guests for Opening Night.”

More: Florida Panthers hungry for another Stanley Cup championship

The Panthers will raise the Stanley Cup banner before they play the Bruins. If the game is canceled or postponed, their next home game is not until October 17 when they host the Canucks. After Tuesday's game, they leave for a four-game road trip to Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston and Columbus.

Fans can expect a full refund for their donation to the ring ceremony at their point of purchase. The Florida Panthers Foundation will continue to support the United Negro College Fund Fort Lauderdale (UNCF Fort Lauderdale) and United Way of Broward County’s Mission United.

This story may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Panthers cancel ring ceremony with Hurricane Milton approaching state