The Panthers have earned themselves a beach day.
The morning after winning the first Stanley Cup in franchise history with a 2-1 Game 7 win over the Oilers, Florida players began their celebrations with the trophy.
On Tuesday morning, players took the Cup to the Elbo Room Beach Bar in Fort Lauderdale, parading it through the establishment before bringing it out to the beach — with star forward Matthew Tkachuk taking the historic trophy for a swim in the Atlantic Ocean.
Throngs of fans in Panthers gear packed the bar for a glimpse of the NHL’s newest champions — who obliged the “We are the Champions”– crooning crowd’s chants for beer by pouring it from Cup on the second floor balcony to eager mouths below.
The party, which began on the ice and in the locker room at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, shows no signs of slowing down.
“I come here a lot,” Tkachuk told the Sun-Sentinel. “I have not necessarily gone to bed yet, but it’s all good. I’m a little tired, but I got my second wind, so I’m ready to go.”
In the wake of the massive win, Tkachuk promised a party that could be rollicking all summer long.
“Probably in a few days, it’s going to be the greatest party that’s probably happened down here in South Florida,” he said. “I cannot wait.”
Florida made its way through the likes of their in-state rival Lighting (4-1), the Bruins (4-2) and the Rangers (4-2) before taking down the high-scoring Oilers in seven games.
Not that Edmonton made it easy, coming back from a 3-0 Stanley Cup Final deficit to force Monday’s winner-take-all finale.
Now, they’ll get the chance to rival the 2018 offseason, in which Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin’s celebration became a spectacle around D.C.
The rest and relaxation will come eventually.
For the Panthers, it’s time to party at the beach.
