Alan Greenberg, FHN Sr. Writer
Hockey has many traditions, particularly during the playoffs — from unkempt eards, handshake lines, playing through undisclosed injuries, and not touching trophies before the Stanley Cup is handed out are all part of the great postseason show.
When the commissioner hands the Stanley Cup to the winning captain after his traditional congratulatory remarks, the guessing games begin as to who will be honored with the first handoff.
There is no formal date as to when the tradition of the first handoff to an older veteran without a Cup, a franchise lifer, or a sentimental choice began as regular protocol.
It likely became standard procedure in the 1990s when Commissioner Gary Bettman began the on-ice presentations to the team captain.
When the Panthers won the coveted Cup in 2024, captain Sasha Barkov was the first to get it. He handed it to Sergei Bobrovsky who qualified as both a veteran and star of the playoffs.
In 2025, Barkov went to Nate Schmidt, a 12-year veteran in his first and only season with the Panthers.
There is often little correlation between performance and the handoff order.
Carolina stuck with tradition when they won the Cup in Vegas on Sunday.
Captain Jordan Staal accepted it from Bettman.
Staal, a 20-year NHL veteran who last won the Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009, handed it off to 36-year-old Frederik Andersen, a veteran of 101 playoff games in goal for three teams (Anaheim, Toronto and Carolina) and a career marked by heartbreaking losses, injuries, and illnesses.
This postseason, Andersen had to deal with the tragic loss of his agent and good friend Claude Lemieux.
Andersen brought Carolina to the finals before being relieved by Brandon Bussi in Game 3 and sitting out the remainder with an apparent undisclosed injury.
After the game, Andersen spoke ESPN’s Emily Kaplan about the honor: “Disbelief, really. I did not expect that. It really beat every emotion I could think of. It hasn’t really sunk in.”
Taylor Hall was next. He spent 16 years in the NHL, performing for seven teams before the magic moment. Hall was the No. 1 overall draft pick by Edmonton in 2010.
He was an MVP with New Jersey but most recently spent two and a fraction non-productive seasons in Chicago before coming to Carolina midway through the 2024-25 season.
He’s no longer the sharpshooter who once had a 106-point season as a junior, but he regained his touch and chipped in with 18 regular season goals. He came alive in the playoffs with seven goals and 19 points, including an overtime winner against Philadelphia.
“It’s incredible,’’ Hall said. “I’ve been kind of everywhere. I got here and felt really at home within a couple of days…The guys that have been here for seven, eight years that have really put in the work to make this a special place to play. I’m so happy for them. I’m just ecstatic. This is an amazing group to do it with. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
Hall turned the silverware over to Sebastion Aho, a 10-season Carolina lifer, who endured the frustration of a rebuilding team and then a team which absorbed excruciating playoff defeats, including twice being eliminated by the Panthers.
Jaccob Slavin was next. He earned the distinction of being only the second player to earn an Olympic Gold Medal and a Stanley Cup in the same season. Ken Morrow last did it in 1980.
Slavin has spent 11 seasons with Carolina, his only NHL team. Like Aho, he went through the painful rebuild and the multiple playoff eliminations.
Soon, Broward’s Shayne Gostisbehere got the Cup for the first time.
He has bounced around the league a little bit over his 11 NHL seasons.
Goalie Brandon Bussi, who was in camp with the Panthers before being claimed off waivers by the Hurricanes prior to the opener, got the Cup a little later.
Defenseman Mike Reilly, who spent some time with the Panthers during the 2023-24 season, got into two playoff games with the Hurricanes.
From year to year, the participating teams and the players on the ice change.
The traditions around the Stanley Cup continue.
ON DECK: FLORIDA PANTHERS OFFSEASON
- NHL Draft (9th in First Round, Seven Picks Overall): June 26-27; KeyBank Center, Buffalo
- NHL Free Agency: Opens July 1
- Panthers Development Camp: Late June/Early July; IcePlex, Fort Lauderdale
- Panthers Rookie Camp/Tournament: Late August/Early Sept.; Site TBA
- Panthers Training Camp: Early/Mid September; Fort Lauderdale
- 2026-27 NHL Season Opens: Late September; Site, Opponent TBA