FORT LAUDERDALE — After the looming threat of Hurricane Milton canceled their public ceremony, the Florida Panthers were presented their Stanley Cup championship rings at a private event on Monday night.
Members of the team received their rings after quick moments reminiscing over their title run - taking down the cross-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning, winning a hard-fought series against the Boston Bruins , eliminating the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers and finishing it off with a seven-game series victory over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.
And everyone in the organization got to share that moment.
”It was so special,” general manager Bill Zito said. “It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a team and then it’s family. Really, the love they put into making it. It’s so humbling and special. It’s a word that’s probably overused and it’s a short word, but neat. It’s just cool and a blessing. But you feel the family in everything the Violas do and it’s a masterpiece. It’s elegant and it’s beautiful.”
More: Florida Panthers set to begin defense of Stanley Cup title despite Hurricane Milton threat
Panthers owner Vincent Viola gave each player a brief introduction when they went up to grab their championship ring.
”He is an incredible owner, he is an incredible family man and he is so invested in us as athletes but mainly as people,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “He truly takes care of us and treats us like we’re in his own immediate family. So he’s an incredible guy to play for. What he’s done in this city for the Panthers, how much the game has grown because of him and then have 30 seconds of him introducing each player one by one and then saying something really nice about him, it means the world.”
The caveat? Everyone had to wait until the end to open the packages containing the rings together.
“It was tough,” Sam Bennett said. “It was just sitting there. It was so easy to open. But I think it’s special that we all got to open it at the same time and all got the experience of seeing it for the first time.”
Panthers' championship rings include playoff results - and a rat
The ring features many key elements surrounding the Panthers franchise, including the results from the playoff run, the date the Panthers won the Stanley Cup, a rat on the inside to honor a longstanding tradition from South Florida hockey fans and a big red gem on the state of Florida representing Broward County.
And, perhaps one of Tkachuk’s favorites? An engraving of the WWE championship belt he carried around with him throughout the Panthers’ celebrations in South Florida this summer.
“It was pretty cool,” Tkachuk said of the nod. “All of the little things on here mean so much. Like the palm trees, the state of Florida, how cool the logo looks and everything. I love the line through each team we played against. I thought it was super cool and everything about this means so much to me and the rest of my teammates.”
Carter Verhaeghe gave the Panthers some motivation to go after another one when he strolled in on Monday night. A Stanley Cup champion with the Lightning in 2021, Verhaeghe entered the building wearing his championship ring from Tampa Bay.
”Two rings looks pretty cool on your hands, so I’d love to fill up my hand a little bit more,” Bennett said.
“I guess that’s the goal next,” Tkachuk added.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Take a look: Florida Panthers receive Stanley Cup championship rings at private ceremony
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