Florida Panthers Use Stanley Cup to Douse Fans in Beer Following Climactic NHL Championship Win

On Monday, the Florida Panthers clinched their first-ever Stanley Cup win in a heated Game 7 matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, narrowly avoiding blowing a 3-0 series lead. Ear-splitting roars echoed across the stadium as players took turns hoisting the Cup in a much-awaited victory lap — moments later, it became a gargantuan beer chalice. In one of many widely circulated post-game moments, the Stanley Cup was paraded into the locker room to raucous applause and champagne showers. Hockey journalist Pete Blackburn later shared an image appearing to show defenceman Niko Mikkola drenched in an avalanche of beer poured straight from the trophy. Afterward, the team lugged the trophy around Fort Lauderdale, where it was spotted throughout Tuesday day in viral antics recorded by fans. In several videos shared on X, formerly Twitter, the Florida Panthers were seen at the city's famous Elbo Room, a local dive bar founded in 1938. Standing on a second-floor balcony, forward Matthew Tkachuk drizzled beer into the mouth of an awaiting fan from the silver goblet. In another video, Tkachuk joined forces with Sam Bennet to lug a heftier splash of booze onto an equally ecstatic onlooker. Several fans were seen on the sidelines eager to get their fix. Elsewhere, the post-game festivities may soon take a turn with a shipment of hard liquor. Earlier this month, Governor Ron DeSantis made a wager with Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith on the championship's outcome; if the Panthers lost, DeSantis promised to send Canada a crate of Florida rum. If the Panthers came out victorious, however, the Premier agreed to ship down some Canadian whisky. If the bet ends up coming to fruition, we wouldn't be surprised to see the Panthers pouring out some Crown Royal or Alberta Rye in the weeks to come. [botmc-promo]