Can You Believe It? Florida Panthers Are Stanley Cup Champs

SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers took perhaps the longest, darkest and most meandering road to becoming Stanley Cup champions, but after 30 years, they finally got their prize.

The Panthers, for years an afterthought in their own market much less the NHL, brought it all home on Monday night.

After taking a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final only to be forced into a Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers, Florida took control of their destiny Monday night.

The Panthers came strong with a smothering defense, some fantastic goaltending from future Hall of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky, and goals from Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart to beat the Oilers 2-1 to claim the Stanley Cup.

Florida had been outscored 18-5 in its previous three losses and were on the verge of a historic collapse which would have been the biggest choke job in modern professional sports history.

Yet all of that has been brushed under history’s rug as the only thing which counts is the ring — and the Cup which comes with it.

”It was Florida Panthers fashion,’’ coach Paul Maurice said. “Nothing is easy, nothing is easy for us, and nothing was easy last year. They did everything could to win it last year. … We needed to lose three in the Final to learn how to win four. The fact that is was so hard to win makes it special.”

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This very well may have been the best Stanley Cup Final in years.

The Panthers came out with the win, and the glory which comes with it.

“We did it. We are champions and no one can take that away from us,” Aaron Ekblad told FHN as his eyes darted around the ice. “I can’t wait for that 20-year reunion with the boys because that is going to be incredible.”

Ekblad and captain Sasha Barkov have seen it all in their years with the Panthers, from hard-luck losses in an empty building to the creation of a team both are oh-so-proud of.

Barkov, the first Finnish captain of a Stanley Cup winning team, locked down on Edmonton stars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman holding all three in check with the aid of teammates such as Ekblad and Gus Forsling.

“It’s hard to put into words,’’ Sam Bennett said. “It’s a moment I’ve dreamt about for my entire life. To finally accomplish it, it’s surreal. It’s really hard to take this all in right now. It almost doesn’t feel real, but I’m so proud of this whole group. We went through the trenches, we battled and it was all worth it.”

Florida had not held a lead in any game since a 4-3 win in Game 3 which gave the Panthers what appeared to be a stranglehold on the series.

Only Edmonton played with the desperation a team on the brink of elimination should.

Monday night, the Panthers had their backs against the wall and answered in kind.

“It feels amazing,’’ Verhaeghe said. “Obviously all those things I’ll think about later, but right now, I’m just happy that we did it and it took so much effort from everyone. This group is so special.”

Florida took its first lead since Game 3 when Verhaeghe scored at 4:27 of the first, deflecting a sharp shot from Evan Rodrigues past Stuart Skinner.

Edmonton tied it a few minutes later and the game remained 1-1 until 4:57 of the second when Reinhart ripped a shot from the right circle.

That goal came moments after defenseman Dmitry Kulikov swept a loose puck out of harms way; Verhaeghe picked it up and got it moving up the ice with Reinhart finishing it off.

“Crazy, crazy play,’’ Verhaeghe said. “For him to do that, huge block, I mean, we had so many guys with huge blocks. Feels amazing.”

Indeed.

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UP NEXT FOR THE FLORIDA PANTHERS

• Stanley Cup Championship Parade, Fort Lauderdale: TBA
• NHL Draft, Las Vegas: Friday-Saturday
• NHL Free Agency: Monday
• Florida Panthers Development Camp, Fort Lauderdale: Early July
• Florida Panthers Training Camp, Fort Lauderdale: Mid-September
• Florida Panthers Preseason: Late September
• Florida Panthers Opening Night/Banner Unveiling: TBA