A tough job of creating one Cup final, the Panthers not only created a culture and achieved successive appearances, but also put them in the productions they had high hopes for.
“My experience since I started answering the phone was that these people were different,” said coach Paul Maurice, who was behind the bench for all three runs in Florida. “I can’t explain it. Now, in three years, I’m starting to understand a bit. I don’t feel responsible for it. I’ve enjoyed observing it, but I don’t like the idea that it’s comparing. These guys are different.”
During the three runs into the Cup, the Panthers won 41 playoff games leading the NHL in their range.
Also, Maurice, who played in League High 308 games (regular season and playoffs) over the past three seasons, was able to push the right buttons and lead the team when needed.
“He has so much experience and I trust the people around him,” Bobrovsky said of Maurice. “He knows the game very well. He knows the human mind very well. He knows what to say and when to say it. He is a big leader and a big reason why we followed the three finals.”
The team is grateful for their three appearances, but now they are in keeping the Cup in South Florida.
The victory made the Panthers the 10th team in NHL history, repeating themselves as champions, making them the eighth since the league’s expansion era (1968).
“I’m thinking about it all summer,” Matthew Tokachuk said of the Cup final. “I think about this moment of coming back and the opportunity to compete. It’s very difficult to get there. And if you ask us both (Florida and Edmonton) mid-summer, we have the opportunity to play in the Stanley Cup rematch.
