Aaron Ekblad Brings the Florida Panthers Cup Celebration Home to Canada

LAKESHORE, Ontario — Aaron Ekblad’s grandmother Cecilia watches every Florida Panthers game with miniature plush mascots Stanley C. Panther and Viktor E. Ratt close by her side.

“Viktor is her favorite,’’ Aaron’s father, David Ekblad, said.

On Saturday morning, Aaron Ekblad brought the Stanley Cup to visit his grandmother at her retirement home.

He also brought her favorite mascot — this one life-sized — with him.

Ekblad, star defenseman of the Florida Panthers, was born and raised in the Windsor area and, when it came time for his day with the Stanley Cup, wanted to bring it back home.

He wanted to share the Cup with as many people as he could.

That meant plenty of friends, former teammates, those teammates’ parents and friends, and, of course, his grandmother.

Flying in one of the team’s mascot from South Florida was a nice touch.

As far as folks he knows in the Windsor area, if they did not see the Cup, that is on them — not on Aaron Ekblad and his family.

“I want to give everyone the opportunity to see it,” Ekblad said Saturday morning before he took the Cup on a party tour of his hometown.

“It’s amazing … a lot of these people were standing in front of their TVs watching, and some were probably bitter that the Montreal Canadiens weren’t there, or that Edmonton didn’t win.

“But a lot of them realize the importance of having someone from the city competing for it, and, at some point, were rooting for me. Even in some series against their favorite team. So, a cool experience.’’

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Ekblad’s day with the Stanley Cup started in Toronto where he and his wife Dayna took possession of it — along with handlers from the Hockey Hall of Fame — following Sam Bennett’s late night party.

To make sure he got as much time with the Cup as possible, Ekblad chartered a private jet to fly from Toronto to Windsor.

Instead of a three-plus hour drive west, Ekblad’s traveling party made it in 50 minutes and landed just after 8 a.m.

From the airport, Ekblad and the Stanley Cup went to the Atlas Tube Recreation Center which is a three-sheet facility not far from where he grew up playing youth hockey for the Sun County Panthers.

“It’s incredible. I am getting a bit overwhelmed at times with the emotions of it all,” Lisa Ekblad, Aaron’s mom said.

“We’re just trying to see if we can make everyone happy, although we know we can’t. We are so appreciative of the mayor, the town, everyone who is working and helped us put all of this together.”

A number of the Sun County Panthers were among the estimated 2,000 fans who lined up for a chance to meet Ekblad and take a photo with the Stanley Cup.

Many wore their jerseys — which are altered versions of the Florida Panthers jersey Ekblad currently wears.

“That’s really cool. Really cool,” said Ekblad, whom the Panthers made the first overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft.

“Growing up a Panther and being a Panther now is really cool, kind of a full-circle moment. To see a lot of the old faces from the city has been really cool, an incredible experience. Hopefully it brings a little joy to everyone with this beautiful trophy.’’

From the hockey arena, Ekblad and the Cup got a police escort through the countryside along Lake St. Clair to see his grandmother.

A private party back home was scheduled for the afternoon where Ekblad said he just wanted to “sit in the backyard with my closest family and friends and really kind of soak it in.’’

His closest “family and friends’’ will be, per his dad, close to 150 people.

The house party Saturday afternoon included celebratory banners hung from the balcony overlooking the backyard.

One banner the Ekblads had made had the Elbo Room logo on it — ‘Elbo Room North,’ it read — with a photo of Aaron hoisting the Stanley Cup in the Atlantic Ocean after the Panthers first trip to the famed Fort Lauderdale watering hole with it hours after the Florida Panthers beat the Oilers 2-1 in Game 7.

Then came a trip to the golf course for a round on the greens before the Ekblad family hosted a huge party that lasted into the night.

Florida Panthers Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad hoist the Stanley Cup around a firepit on Saturday night outside Windsor, Ontario. // Photo @GeorgeRichards

“I probably underestimated the love the community has for the Stanley Cup,” David Ekblad said. “We live in our own little world but to see the line of people, the requests … it has been really impressive.”

The Stanley Cup is in its final week of international travel with it scheduled to head back to South Florida soon.

Thus far it has been to Europe with players and coaches bringing it to their native Finland and Sweden before traveling back to North America.

Coach Paul Maurice gets his day with the Cup today; Carter Verhaeghe and Nick Cousins are next.

During a talk with the media following a break in the action Saturday, Ekblad kept his right hand perched on the Cup the entire time.

Giving it up did not come easy.

Although at the end of Saturday night, the Cup moved on without much of a fight following a chill hour around a fire pit.

Bennett drive in from Toronto to make the party at a local country club; former Florida teammates Mike Matheson and Brett Connolly were also there.

“It’s going to Paul Maurice tomorrow, and he’s a guy who is so deserving of it and has worked so hard and so long to get to this point to be a champion,’’ Ekblad said.

“I’m going to be really happy but bittersweet to get rid of it. To give it to him will really sweet, a really cool opportunity.’’

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UP NEXT FOR THE FLORIDA PANTHERS

• NHL Free Agency: Opened July 1
• Nashville Predators Rookie Showcase: Sept. 13-16
• Florida Panthers Training Camp, Fort Lauderdale: Possible start Sept. 17-19
• Florida Panthers Preseason: Sept. 22-Oct. 5
• Florida Panthers Opening Night/Banner Unveiling: Oct. 8 vs. Bruins