Aaron Ekblad brings the Florida Panthers Cup celebration to Canada
LAKESHORE, Ont. — Aaron Ekblads grandmother Cecilia watches every Florida Panthers game, with the little plush mascots Stanley C. Panther and Viktor E. Ratt by her side.
“Victor is her favorite,” said Aaron’s father. David Ekbladsaid.
On Saturday morning, Aaron Ekblad brought the Stanley Cup to visit his grandmother in her nursing home.
He also brought her favorite mascot – this time life-size.
Ekblad, a star defenseman for the Florida Panthers, was born and raised in the Windsor area and wanted to take home the Stanley Cup when it was his turn.
He wanted to share the trophy with as many people as possible.
That meant a lot of friends, former teammates, the parents and friends of those teammates, and of course his grandmother.
It was a nice gesture to fly one of the team’s mascots in from South Florida.
If the people he knows in the Windsor area haven’t seen the trophy, that’s their fault, not Aaron Ekblad and his family.
“I want to give everyone the chance to see it,” Ekblad said Saturday morning before taking the trophy on a party tour of his hometown.
“It’s unbelievable … a lot of those people were in front of their TVs watching, and some were probably bitter that the Montreal Canadiens weren’t there or that Edmonton didn’t win.
“But many of them know how important it is to have someone from the city there, and at some point they cheered me on. Even in some series against their favorite team. So it was a cool experience.”
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Ekblad’s day with the Stanley Cup began in Toronto, where he and his wife Dayna took possession of it – together with staff from the Hockey Hall of Fame – after Sam Bennett’s Party until late at night.
To ensure he could spend as much time as possible with the Cup, Ekblad chartered a private jet and flew from Toronto to Windsor.
Instead of a three-hour drive west, Ekblad’s group only needed 50 minutes and landed shortly after 8 a.m.
From the airport, Ekblad and the Stanley Cup drove to the Atlas Tube Recreation Center, a three-lane facility not far from where he played youth hockey for the Sun County Panthers as a child.
“It’s unbelievable. Sometimes all the emotions overwhelm me a little.” Lisa Ekbladsaid Aaron’s mother.
“We’re just trying to make everyone happy, even though we know that’s not possible. We’re so grateful to the mayor, the city and everyone who’s worked together and helped us get this all done.”
Among the approximately 2,000 fans who lined up to meet Ekblad and take a photo with the Stanley Cup were several Sun County Panthers.
Many wore their jerseys – modified versions of the Florida Panthers jersey that Ekblad currently wears.
“It’s really cool. Really cool,” said Ekblad, who was selected first overall by the Panthers in the 2014 NHL Draft.
“Growing up as a Panther and now being a Panther is really cool. It’s come full circle for me. Seeing a lot of the old faces from the city was really cool, an incredible experience. Hopefully this beautiful trophy will bring a little joy to everyone.”
From the hockey arena, Ekblad and the trophy were escorted by police through the countryside along Lake St. Clair to visit his grandmother.
A private party was planned for the afternoon at home, where Ekblad said he just wanted to “sit in the backyard with my closest family and friends and really soak it all in.”
According to his father, his closest “family and circle of friends” will include about 150 people.
At the house party on Saturday afternoon, festive banners hung from the balcony overlooking the backyard.
One of the banners the Ekblads made featured the Elbo Room logo – “Elbo Room North” was written on it – and a photo of Aaron hoisting the Stanley Cup into the Atlantic Ocean after the Panthers took the Cup to the famous Fort Lauderdale watering hole for the first time, just hours after the Florida Panthers beat the Oilers 2-1 in Game 7.
This was followed by a trip to the golf course for a round on the green before the Ekblad family hosted a big party that lasted into the night.
Florida Panthers Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad raise the Stanley Cup around a fire pit outside Windsor, Ontario, on Saturday night. // Photo @GeorgeRichards
“I probably underestimated the love the community has for the Stanley Cup,” said David Ekblad. “We live in our own little world, but to see the lines of people and the requests… it was really impressive.”
The Stanley Cup is in its final week of international travel and is scheduled to return to South Florida soon.
So far, the title has been won in Europe, where players and coaches took it to their home countries of Finland and Sweden before traveling back to North America.
trainer Paul Maurice has his day with the trophy today; Carter Verhaeghe And Nick Cousins are the next.
While speaking to the media after a break in play on Saturday, Ekblad kept his right hand resting on the trophy the entire time.
It wasn’t easy for me to give it up.
But at the end of Saturday night, after a relaxing hour around the campfire, the Cup continued without much of a fight.
Bennett is driving in from Toronto to attend the party at a local country club; former teammates from Florida Michael Matheson And Brett Connolly were also there.
“Tomorrow the award goes to Paul Maurice. He more than deserves it and has worked so long and hard to get to this point and become champion,” said Ekblad.
“I’ll be very happy, but it’ll also be bittersweet to get rid of it. Giving it to him will be very sweet, a really cool opportunity.”
More FHN coverage of the Stanley Cup-winning Panthers:
Next up for the Florida Panthers
- NHL Free Agency: Opened on July 1
- Nashville Predators Rookie Showcase: 13-16 September
- Florida Panthers training camp, Fort Lauderdale: Possible start 17-19 Sept.
- Florida Panthers, preseason: 22 September – 5 October
- Florida Panthers Opening Night/Banner Unveiling: October 8th against Bruins
