The Florida Panthers have done it again. On Tuesday June 17, the 2024 Stanley Cup champions clinched their second consecutive title, defeating the Edmonton Oilers to secure the 2025 championship. Back-to-back wins are a rare accomplishment in the NHL, achieved by only eight of the league’s 32 teams, making this victory all the more impressive. With the Stanley Cup once again in their hands, the Panthers are expected to spend the coming days celebrating in true tyle.
The team calls Sunrise, Florida home – a town positioned between two of the state’s most iconic yachting cities, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. In honor of their latest win, YATCO looks back at how the Panthers celebrated their 2024 championship with true Florida flair: swimming, boating, and fishing with the Stanley Cup.
Stanley Goes for a Swim
Florida Panthers alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk takes the Cup for a swim on June 25, 2024.
After their 2024 championship win, the Panthers brought the iconic Stanley Cup to the beach in Fort Lauderdale, where alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk dove into the Atlantic with the trophy for a celebratory swim. However, according to team captain Aleksander Barkov in a June 18 interview, it seems that moment may have made history in more ways than one. A new rule has reportedly been established to keep the Cup out of the ocean going forward.
Fishing with the Cup
In July 2024, general manager Bill Zito celebrated the Stanley Cup win with a fishing trip, posing with his catch of the day.
Image credit: Phil Pritchard
In August, Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling celebrated the 2024 championship in his hometown of Linköping, Sweden. He took the Stanley Cup on a flats boat fishing trip, proudly posing with both the trophy and his catch.
Watch Gustav Forsling’s Day with the Cup video on YouTube.
The Florida Panthers joined hockey legend Wayne Gretsky on a 90ft (27m) Viking for a celebratory fishing trip in October 2024. The sportfishing vessel JUST CHILLIN is owned by Gretsky’s son-in-law LIV golfer and 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson.
Browse Viking yachts available for sale here.
More Yachting Celebrations
The Stanley Cup seems to be no stranger to life on the water. In 2023, Vegas Golden Knights centerman Ivan Barbashev spent his day with the trophy on a 175ft motor yacht in Miami.
The Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021 with boat parades through Tampa, Florida. Following the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl win in 2021, the city also hosted a memorable boat parade during which Tom Brady famously tossed the Lombardi Trophy from one boat to another. Anticipating similar antics during the Lightning’s celebration, the Tampa Police Department prepared its dive team with rescue procedures just in case the Stanley Cup ended up overboard. Thankfully, the Cup stayed dry.
Watch Tampa dive team ‘ready’ if Stanley Cup drops in the water during boat parade video on YouTube.
From swimming in the Atlantic to fishing in Sweden, the Florida Panthers took the 2024 Stanley Cup on a victory tour that reflected their bold spirit and Florida roots. With the 2025 celebrations just getting started, YATCO looks forward to seeing where the Cup will go next and how the champions will once again bring the party to the water.
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