Florida Panthers Go About Their Business on Cup Banner Night

SUNRISE — The Florida Panthers kicked their new season in style, raising their 2025 Stanley Cup championship banner to the rafters of Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday evening.

The banner, which matches the 2024 one, hung atop the south end zone for the entirety of Florida’s opening game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

It will relocate to its permanent home alongside the 2024 Stanley Cup banner above the team’s bench.

The Panthers, who are trying to become the first team to win the Stanley Cup in three straight seasons since the 1980s New York Islanders, opened the ceremony with a rousing highlight video.

Aaron Ekblad brought the Stanley Cup out of the team’s tunnel and placed it near where the banner was being stored.

As was the case last year, the Panthers lined up on the blue line with interlocked arms as the banner went to the rafters.

The Panthers had more in store than just a banner raising on Opening Night.

Chicago goalie Spencer Knight, who played for the Panthers from 2021 until being traded to the Blackhawks on March 1 for Seth Jones, will be honored with a tribute video.

Some fans also honored Knight by shouting his name during the national anthem.

The Panthers also had plans to remember super fan Steve Elario who passed away earlier this summer.

Elario was a fixture sitting in the lower bowl of the arena, his resemblance to wrestling superstar Ric Flair often bringing him onto the center scoreboard whenever the team scored.

The Panthers will honor Elario with a video and, instead of a moment of silence, ask the fans to let out a ‘Whoo!’ as they did whenever he was shown on the scoreboard.

Before warmups, as fans were entering the building, the team replayed the end of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final with the postgame ceremonies in which Sam Bennett was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Then, Bettman awarded the Cup to captain Sasha Barkov and the rest of the Panthers.

The fans, understandably, seemed to enjoy that.

Speaking of Barkov, with the team’s captain injured, Florida added a pair of alternate captains to join Ekblad: Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand.

ON DECK: GAME NO. 2

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS at FLORIDA PANTHERS 

• When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WPTV 5/WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• Streaming: Panthers+; ESPN+
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (West Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); WCZR 101.7-FM (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL/Panthers App
• Last Season: Florida won 2-1
• This Season — At Florida: Thursday, Nov. 26; At Philadelphia: Oct 13.
• All-time Regular Season Series: Philadelphia leads 60-39-7, 7 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs. Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m. (Local TV)