Captain Crunch and margaritas: How the Panthers will celebrate with their first Stanley Cup
SUNRISE — Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett made a promise to his father when he was 6 years old. When he won his first Stanley Cup, the two of them would share the moment together.
“Me and my dad, ever since I can remember, we always said if I ever won the Stanley Cup, the first thing we would eat would be Captain Crunch out of the Stanley Cup,” Bennett said after the Panthers beat the Oilers in Game 7 on Monday night. “So I’ve got to hold true to my 6-year-old self that said I would do that. I’m pretty excited. My dad’s pretty excited for that moment, too.”
The Panthers’ celebrations raged well after sunrise following the team’s first Stanley Cup championship. Players went to the Elbo Room in Fort Lauderdale with the Cup and took it for a walk on the beach. The celebrations will continue all week, culminating in a Sunday parade through Fort Lauderdale.
During the summer, each player will get the chance to host the Cup for a day. Some players, like Bennett, know exactly what they want to do when the most famous trophy in sports pays them a visit. Others were still so happy following the title victory that they do not know their plans yet.
Here is what some Panthers players said about what they plan to eat or drink out of the Cup during Monday night’s postgame celebrations:
Captain Aleksander Barkov: “I’ll think about that later, but for sure, (I will) come up with something. … (I want to eat or drink) anything (out of the Cup). Literally anything.”
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky: “I didn’t think about it. I don’t know. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll keep it simple.”
Forward Nick Cousins: “Probably a margarita. A spicy marg.”
Defenseman Gustav Forsling: “I don’t know. It’s whatever. I’m actually starving right now.”
Forward Ryan Lomberg: “Beer. Beer. It don’t … matter as long as there’s alcohol in it.”
Defenseman Brandon Montour: “I haven’t put too much thought into it, but I’m sure we’re going to have quite a bit in that thing.”
Forward Sam Reinhart, who said he hadn’t had a drink in three months: “I’ll drink anything at this point.”
Forward Kevin Stenlund: “I don’t know. I’ll probably play golf or go out on a boating trip with it and then take it to my hometown and show it off.”
Forward Matthew Tkachuk: “I want to drink out of it. And I want all my friends and family to be around it. It’s kind of crazy what that Cup does. It attracts people. It’s the most attractive thing in the world.”