FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Champagne was swilled and spilled, cigars were smoked and the Stanley Cup was hoisted a few more times, all with some 400,000 people watching.
The Florida Panthers are getting pretty good at these parades.
The back-to-back Stanley Cup winners had their NHL championship parade and rally Sunday on Fort Lauderdale Beach, the same setup as last year — except this time, bright sunshine greeted the champs as opposed to downpours and lightning.
“It’s a little better day today than it was last year, but still, this is amazing,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “What a day we’re having with you guys.”
Panthers coach Paul Maurice declared this “the summer of love” for fans of the team, doing so while wearing another shirt featured his beloved cats Poppy and Penny. He wore a similar shirt to last year’s parade, and that one, like this one, was made by his daughter.