The Stanley Cup is back on the east coast

By: Cristina Hauerstein

The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in Franchise history on Monday 25th of June 2024. The team entered the final and won 3 games in a row, but their opponent decided to challenge them until game 7 where they won 2-1 against the Edmonton Oilers.

Both teams played their best games during this series, but one had to come out winning, and the Panthers reached that goal. Their win is extremely important, as it's not only the first one in the franchise, but it's also the third time in 5 years a Florida team has won the cup (the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021, and now the Florida Panthers in 2024), solidifying Florida as a hockey state.

We also get to witness Carter Verhaeghe lift the cup for the second time, and we got to see other great players like Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk win the cup after long journeys to the cup over their careers.

Despite that, Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy (awarded to the most valuable player) as a member of the losing team, which has never happened in NHL history but he deserved it nonetheless. Connor McDavid is arguably one of the best players of our time and we get to witness it.

These players played a tough fight nonetheless: Leon Draisaitl played with a broken rib and a broken finger, and Connor McDavid has an abdonminal injury. Hockey players continue to prove their strength, especially during the playoffs win or lose.

Both of these teams have gone above and beyond this postseason and it'll be exciting to see how the Edmonton Oilers approach next season and how the Florida Panthers defend the cup down in Ft. Lauradale.