MIAMI — After Fort Lauderdale Beach on Wednesday, the Stanley Cup party trekked down to Miami-Dade County on Thursday.
The Florida Panthers brought the Cup down to world-famous nightclub E11EVEN for an epic celebration only seen in Miami that started Thursday night and went into the wee hours of Friday morning.
And in all the hoopla, an answer may have been provided for one of the Panthers’ most-pressing offseason questions.
Forward Sam Bennett, an upcoming free agent coming off winning the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player of the playoffs, declared he’s returning to the Panthers beyond 2025.
“I ain’t f—ing leaving!” Bennett proclaimed to the crowd of rabid South Florida puck fans partying with the team.
Now, could it have been a commitment he didn’t entirely mean in the excitement of a wild party and possibly influenced by a few adult beverages as Bennett turned 29 Friday?
Sure.
But general manager Bill Zito said Tuesday night, after Florida won its second consecutive Stanley Cup, “I think we can bring them all back,” referring to Bennett, fellow forward Brad Marchand and defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
After clinching the title on Tuesday night, Bennett said: “I love being here, and I love this team. It’s a remarkable team to be a part of, just from the whole staff to the players to the management, the owner, the coaches. Truly, everyone is world-class here. And this is a fun team to be a part of.”
Earlier in the Thursday night party, fans chanted for Bennett, “Eight more years!”
When forward Sam Reinhart’s contract status was in question last offseason, Florida signed him to an eight-year, $69 million deal.
For Marchand, who was traded to the Panthers this season from the Boston Bruins,” fans continued the “Thank you, Boston” chants heard at the Elbo Room on Wednesday.
Marchand was having so much fun at the Miami party, it would be hard to believe he could leave South Florida. He was crowd-surfing on the stage, with his Panthers teammates lifting him up and down as he hoisted the Cup.
Reinhart climbed the pole on stage to grab an Aleksander Barkov jersey hanging from the ceiling and wear it for the rest of the night.
Pretty soon, Marchand and others were up on the second floor, partying with a mob of Panthers fans that filled the club to capacity while the venue had a line around the block of fans waiting to get in at the time the team arrived and did a red-carpet photo shoot around 11 p.m.
Barkov, Reinhart and Evan Rodrigues started playing the role of bartender, pouring liquor into the mouths of their admirers and even handing out bottles once they were were down to being about a quarter full.
Similar to Bennett and his proclamation, players grabbed the microphone to say a few words throughout the night, much of it profanity-filled and celebratory.
“This is the best most underrated f—ing fan base I have ever seen,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said.
The party started with different players parading the Stanley Cup around the stage, some even pouring liquor from the Cup out for each other and the fans.
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