Following the Florida Panthers’ second consecutive win over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals, fans across South Florida took to the streets to join in the historic moments. Then they went to stores selling Panthers merchandise to stock up on new gear.
The sights and sounds of a hockey championship win come with a flair only South Florida can deliver.
“We did it again!” said one fan.
“Let’s go, Cats!” said another fan.
Waves of Cats fanatics made their way across the region, from the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise to the streets of Calle Ocho in Little Havana.
Some inside the arena walked out with the first championship merch to hit store shelves. Others walked away disappointed, but for other reasons.
“We have a great hockey team, but I just can’t believe how good Florida is. I don’t even know if your fan base realizes how lucky it is,” said one man. “I think the Panthers should take a year off. I think they should drink, and I think they should give someone else a chance. That’s what we need.”
From the Amerant Bank Arena to the second-floor balcony of the Elbo Room on Fort Lauderdale Beach, the Florida Panthers know how to party after a Stanley Cup win.
But they also know what to spotlight: the trophy itself.
Last year, the trophy was spotted getting kissed before showering beer on the fans.
Fans were seen at the Elbo Room in Las Olas, waiting for the Comeback Cats to make an appearance.
One fan who works at the arena shared a video of the inside of the locker room as the team celebrated.
“What a priceless moment,” he said. “I can’t put a number on that. It’s just such an honor to be a part of that crew and have my father be a part of that. It’s something I’ll never forget, ever. We’re expecting a dip in the Atlantic, so just stay tuned. There are a lot of rumors going around. So, I’m definitely going to wait it out. Why wouldn’t I support the tradition?”
Fans stopped by select Dick’s Sporting Goods stores upon opening Wednesday morning to get their hands on the latest championship gear, including 2025 Stanley Cup Championship T-shirts, shot glasses and caps.
“I got the official Stanley Cup Finals hat,” said Julian Williams. “We’re back-to-back. Everybody knows the story. It doesn’t happen too often. To be part of that is amazing. This franchise is absolutely on fire right now.”
“I got campers, all excited about the big win, so I have to give them gifts, man; they’re ready,” said another fan.
Some fans made sure to find the perfect fit for the team’s upcoming parade on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.
“We are getting the shirts to wear to the parade on Sunday and possibly this evening,” said Paula Johnson.
“I woke up this morning, and I was like, ‘The parade’s soon, let’s just do it,’” said another fan.
“I want something that’s unique to this season,” said Michael Black.
Others were trying to hunt down specific items.
“We’re looking for hats, like hats that they were wearing yesterday, but unfortunately, they don’t have them yet. But we will come back tomorrow,” said Dasha Zaitseva.
Stores across South Florida are making sure to stay stocked up on merchandise, as fans continue lining up to rep the new back-to-back champs.
“All right, I got the official Stanley Cup Finals hat,” said a fan.
“Pretty cool, this is a special one. Not many people can say that they have that,” another fan said, holding up a Panthers back-to-back banner with the Stanley Cup.
Fans all over showed they are in party mode and don’t want it to stop.
“We were looking for some 2025 championship gear because we just can’t get enough,” said a fan.
Taylor Ormachei, who’s pregnant, said she wants to find something special for the newest family member coming later in the year.
“I’m really excited because I have a baby due this year and I’m hoping to get her a onesie that has ‘champions of 2025,’” said Ormachei.
Andrei Espinosa, a marketing specialist for Dick’s, said employees at the store share fans’ enthusiasm.
“We’re excited, you know, to welcome the community and us be that space where our community can come in and get the official locker room gear, from the hats and the T-shirts and the jerseys,” said Espinosa.
Kara Wehner said she’s on the hunt for anything with Marchand on it.
“I’m a big Marchand fan, personally, so yeah, I just want to get something of, you know, down the road that has his number, you know, something that says 2025 and just, kind of, document the series and just feel, like, part of it,” said Wehner.
In the wake of the celebration, more gear for fans is slated to hit sporting goods stores, with fans saying they’re not only ready for the gear, but they’re ready to do it all over again next season.
“They get another championship the next three years, they’re definitely a dynasty. They might already be one, I don’t know. I think that they’ll hopefully re-sign two out of the three between Marchand, Ekblad and Bennett, and if we do that, we’ll add pieces, we’ll figure it out, we’ll win another one, God willing,” a fan said.
“We were very excited and up super late last night celebrating, and we couldn’t wait to get here at 9 a.m. to see what the stores had,” said a fan.
“It was amazing when we saw them win back-to-back years,” said another fan.
“That’s how we do it down here in South Florida,” said another fan. “We got no ice, we got heat! We bring heat to the NHL, baby!”
In the meantime, fans said they want to soak up this moment and be a part of the historic moment for the Cats.
“We’re back-to-back, everybody knows the story, it doesn’t happen too often, so to be part of that, it’s amazing, I mean, our franchise is just on fire right now,” said a fan.
With the series wrapped up, the City of Sunrise is ensuring Edmonton’s mayor lives up to his end of a friendly wager made before Game 1. A custom jersey with “Sunrise Rpt” written on the back was made and will be shipped for Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi to wear along with a proclamation he will have to read to the city declaring a Florida Panthers Day and a City of Sunrise Day.
The team stores also want fans to be patient as they bring in fresh, new merchandise each day ahead of Sunday’s parade.
“I’m thrilled that they won. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have something different that showed back-to-back cup shirts, but hopefully, they’ll get it in shortly. They said there’s a new shipment coming in tomorrow so I’ll be back in here tomorrow looking again,” said Chandler Black.
Fans can either go to the store in person or order items online.