It was an unbelievable feeling,” Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen said. “I think every player lived for that moment and we’re here to work for it.”

The Stanley Cup is still making its championship tour of South Florida. It was on a basketball court with the Miami Heat this week, is going somewhere else on Thursday and there’s a few more appearances to make after that.

The Florida Panthers pose with the Stanley Cup after beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday, June 24, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. Matias J. Ocner [email protected]

NHL veteran Kyle Okposo was traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Florida Panthers in hopes of getting the 36-year-old his first Stanley Cup. Not only did the Panthers go on to win the Cup, but Okposo gets to go out on top.

It was all for a good cause. The Cats Classic Golf Tournament presented by BioStem Technologies benefited the Florida Panthers Foundation, which focuses on children’s health and education, veterans affairs, growing the sport of hockey, and raising awareness for the endangered Florida panther.

We’ll make very sure that our day is completely focused on what we’re doing, not living in the past, and then, maybe more importantly, the ‘hangover idea,’ not living in the future.’

Kyle Okposo is going out as a Stanley Cup champion. Okposo, who played 17 seasons in the NHL and finished that run as part of the Florida team that won a title last season, announced his retirement on Thursday.

The shortest offseason in Florida Panthers history ended Wednesday with the defending Stanley Cup champions reporting for training camp and captain Aleksander Barkov saying it’s time to get back to work.