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2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Florida Panthers: Good Guys who Don’t ‘Shotgun Beers at Church’

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Florida Panthers players Aaron Ekblad, left, captain Sasha Barkov, and general manager Bill Zito, celebrate on a rainy Sunday afternoon in Fort Lauderdale after winning the Stanley Cup on June 30 in Fort Lauderdale. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice added another gem to his long collection of golden quotes on Sunday morning after being asked about his team’s humility off of the ice despite their ferociousness on it.

The Panthers are, to be sure, one of the most hated teams in the NHL due to their aggressive, take-no-prisoners style.

They certainly are not popular in some parts of their own state, much less in Canada or North Carolina.

Yet after Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes to pull within a game of a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, Brad Marchand was talking about eating ice cream during intermission.

“Is that a fact?” Maurice said when asked about Marchand’s penchant for frozen treats.

“I know he said it, that doesn’t make it a fact. You have video evidence? No? This is a conspiracy theory.’’

Matthew Tkachuk, one of the league’s top agitators, spoke Sunday about going after Sebastian Aho on Saturday two days after he took out Sam Reinhart with a low hipcheck which appears to have injured Reinhart’s knee.

“I don’t really look at it as intent or intimidation at all,’’ Tkachuk said. “It’s just sticking up for teammates. We’re a family in here. It could happen to anybody and there are 20 guys racing to stick up for a teammate. That’s just how our team is built.’’

Moments later, Maurice told a story about Tkachuk seeing a young fan who is battling cancer outside the locker room and stopping for a chat.

Maurice even introduced them, joking that he quickly realized Tkachuk certainly needed no introduction.

So, Paul, how could a team seemingly this unlikeable be so, well, likeable?

It is all in the context of where you run into them.

On the ice? Not good guys.

Off of it, pretty chill bunch.

”I’ll ask you two questions, and they might be personal so you don’t have to answer them,’’ Maurice responded. “Have you ever shotgunned a beer? Have you ever been to church … or something spiritual? OK. Would you shotgun a beer at church? That doesn’t make you a hypocrite. There is a context and a place for all things.

“I will tell you they are honest, these men are honest. That personality is all real. I hated Matthew Tkachuk, that’s a little too strong, when I was in Winnipeg. Then you meet him, and you’re like ‘what a wonderful human being.’ …

“They are hard on the ice, they are. But that’s driven by how they feel about each other. They don’t want to let the other guy down. There’s a caring about them. These guys are different. Barkov’s personality is our room. Sam Bennett and his wife are raising money for cats and dogs. They are really nice people.

“And then the puck drops. Sometimes you say a prayer, sometimes you shotgun a beer. That’s like our team.’’

As for Maurice’s ice cream preference, he said his go-to is “something with cherry in it. Black cherry, raspberry. That would be good.’’

2025 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: GAME 4

CAROLINA HURRICANES @ FLORIDA PANTHERS

Panthers lead Best-of-7 Series 3-0
  • When: Monday, 8 p.m. 
  • Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
  • National TV: TNT/truTV
  • National Streaming: Max
  • Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
  • Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
  • Series Schedule (all games on TNT/tru, 8 p.m.) — Game 1: Florida 5, Carolina 2; Game 2: Florida 5, Carolina 0; Game 3: Florida 6, Carolina 2; Game 4: Monday @Florida; Game 5*: Wednesday @Carolina; Game 6*: Friday, May 30 @Florida; Game 7*: Sunday, June 1 @Carolina
  • Regular Season: Panthers Won 2-1
  • How They Got Here: Carolina d. New Jersey (5), Washington (5); Florida d. Tampa Bay (5), Toronto (7).
  • All-Time Regular Season Series: Carolina/Hartford leads 74-49-10, 11 ties
  • Postseason History: Florida 1-0 (2023 ECF in 4)

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