Florida Panthers erase decades of heartbreak with Stanley Cup championship

Once the punching bag of the NHL, the Florida Panthers are now Stanley Cup champions after defeating Edmonton on Monday.

The Florida Panthers looked on the brink of disaster. The franchise became the third in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead when Edmonton forced a Game 7 on Monday night, but the Panthers prevailed, 2-1, to secure the Stanley Cup – a first in franchise history.

“What a journey it has been,” Locked On Panthers host Armando Velez said on a post game reaction episode. “It looked as if the Edmonton Oilers were going to do the impossible, but the Florida Panthers stuck to their game, they stuck to their structure and their identity.”

Locked On Panthers is a daily podcast on the Florida Panthers, available on YouTube and wherever you get podcasts!

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Florida wallowed for decades in mediocrity up until the last few seasons. Last year ended with a loss to Vegas in the Stanley Cup Finals, meaning Florida becomes the third team in the last 40 years to win the Stanley Cup after losing in the finals the year prior.

Velez spoke about how this win not only erases a long history of mediocrity for the franchise, it puts a spotlight on south Florida as a hockey market.

“Validation for the market too,” Velez said. “After moving out of Miami in the late 90’s to Sunrise, Florida, the multiple ownership changes, to this…what a story.”

For more on Florida’s historic Stanley Cup victory, check out Locked On Panthers wherever you get podcasts!

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