Panthers' names engraved on Stanley Cup
The Florida team emerged victorious over the Oilers in a thrilling 7-game series, securing their first-ever championship title for the franchise.
The NHL has officially engraved the Florida Panthers in its history books.
This week, the Stanley Cup was engraved with the names of the champions who emerged victorious in the 2023-24 season.
The trophy picture on social media featured 53 members of the Panthers team and staff. Starting off the list were owner Vincent Viola and his family, followed by general manager Bill Zito and head coach Paul Maurice.
Captain Aleksander Barkov is the first player listed, followed by his teammates in alphabetical order. Of the 24 players named on the trophy, 22 of them are engraved onto the Cup for the first time.
Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2024 #stanleycup champion @nhl @FlaPanthers engraving. Etched in silver forever! Hockey history! @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/wr8XioRh7l
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 13, 2024
Forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who won the Cup in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues, and forward Carter Verhaeghe, who won with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020, are the only two players whose names are being engraved for the second time.
Hall of Fame goalie Roberto Luongo, who works as a special assistant to the general manager, was also engraved on the trophy for the first time.
Players who appeared in at least 41 regular-season games or one game in the Stanley Cup Final automatically get their names on the Cup, meaning Florida had to petition to have defenseman Josh Mahura (now with the Seattle Kraken) and forward Jonah Gadjovich‘s names engraved.
The Panthers clinched their inaugural Stanley Cup championship in June, triumphing over the Edmonton Oilers in a thrilling seven-game series.
The Stanley Cup will begin its summer tour next week, spending a day with each member of the Panthers. Goalie Anthony Stolarz, who signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency, will be the first player to have his day with the Cup.
The engraving taking place before the tour is happening for the second time, similar to the previous occurrence with the 2022-23 Vegas Golden Knights last year. Previously, the names were typically engraved on the trophy in late September or early October.