George Richards, FHN Publisher
The Florida Panthers did a little sightseeing on their day off in Toronto on Wednesday, taking a visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
They did not come empty handed.
After members of the team walked about the Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto, they got to visit the special display which honors the Panthers 2024 Stanley Cup championship.
The display is filled with various artifacts from the team’s 7-game win over the Edmonton Oilers, including used Champagne bottles, jerseys, sticks, skates, confetti, and even a well-chewed mouthpiece courtesy of Matthew Tkachuk.
Florida general manager Bill Zito then officially donated a Panthers championship ring with captain Sasha Barkov’s name on it to the Hall of Fame’s permanent collection.
According to NHL.com, the Hall of Fame currently has over 20 rings displayed in Lord Stanley’s Vault, which is a special exhibit in the Hall of Fame’s Great Hall.
Zito handed the ring over to Philip Pritchard, who is the Vice President and Curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame — better known as ‘Keeper of the Cup.’
“It’s surreal, and beyond that,’’ Zito said, standing in front of a large picture of the Panthers celebrating on the ice in Sunrise after their 2-1 win in Game 7.
“This photo, when we all walked by and saw it, it’s an overused phrase — it took your breath away — but it did. And it did for everyone. It’s not that it is done and in the Hall, but how well it is done.”
Zito was joined by a number of Panthers, including coach Paul Maurice and his staff, Barkov, as well as Sam Reinhart and Tkachuk.
The Panthers play the Maple Leafs tonight.
“Just to come here, as a huge hockey fan, it’s always nice to be part of the history now,” Barkov said.
“It’s amazing. To be here, with my teammates now, and to donate a ring, it was awesome. For sure, one of the memorable days. Even as a kid, you don’t dream about this kind of stuff.’’
ON DECK: GAME No. 66
FLORIDA PANTHERS at TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
- When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
- Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
- Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
- This Season (Panthers Lead 1-0) — At Florida: Panthers 5, Leafs 1 (Nov.27); Ap. 8. At Toronto: Thursday; Ap. 2.
- Last Season: Tied 2-2
- All-time Regular Season Series: Toronto leads 50-39-7, 7 ties
- Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.