In a remarkable predawn scene that began before 6 a.m., Florida Panthers fans again gathered at the Elbo Room on Fort Lauderdale beach Wednesday morning to welcome the Stanley Cup trophy like a favorite old drinking buddy.
The Panthers won their second consecutive NHL championship with a series-clinching 5-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
WATCH LIVE: Webcams capture the Panthers’ Stanley Cup party at the Elbo Room
When the Panthers won the Cup last season, the trophy’s beer-soaked frat party at the Elbo Room was a kooky surprise after arriving at the iconic dive bar on a golf cart escorted by Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and others.
No one in South Florida is surprised anymore. Two Stanley Cups in two years? We’re a hockey town.
Bigger and more boisterous than last summer’s oceanfront blockbuster, the Panthers’ Wednesday morning sequel, let’s call it Paws II, deserved its own tagline: You’re gonna need a bigger bandwagon.
Elbo Room party rumors started popping up minutes after Tuesday’s game ended. Where will the after-party take the players and the Stanley Cup?
“I have no idea. Last year was random,” Sam Bennett said. “I’m sure it’ll be random, but I don’t plan on getting too much sleep tonight. So I don’t know what the plan is.”
But, “there’s definitely a chance” players will end up at the Elbo Room.
“It is easy to find out where that Cup is. So I’m sure they’ll find out, and I can’t wait to see them all,” Tkachuk said.
Fans were eager to greet them. At 8:40 a.m., they were not disappointed as the Cup arrived again.
“Are you kidding? I saw last year. I had to be here!” said Aly Moffatt, of Plantation, who had been standing outside the Elbo Room since just after 6 a.m. with a few dozen others, many in Panther jerseys.
For the record, the crowd of a few dozen people early Wednesday first saw the Stanley Cup when Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov pulled up to the Elbo Room about 6:30 a.m. He stepped out and hoisted the Cup overhead, then got back in and drove away.
I’m in https://t.co/p8UK4wsvEB
— Matthew Tkachuk (@TKACHUKycheese_) June 18, 2025
Another member of the 6 a.m. group, Toni Clapp moved to Fort Lauderdale 12 years ago as a hockey novice. Her boyfriend, Ryan Janovitz, of Fort Lauderdale, has been going to Panthers games “since before they started throwing rats on the ice.”
They were at the Elbo Room with about three hours’ sleep after watching Tuesday night’s historic win.
“I’m fairly new to it, until I started dating (Janovitz),” Clapp said. “When I first moved here I was like, ‘What, who are the Panthers?’”
“Now I’m a huge fan just like the rest of them,” she said.
“I don’t know that this (second) Cup is more special than the first, but knowing it could be a dynasty is special,” said Justin Lubor, of Davie, a Panthers fan since 1993. “Something special is building up. It’s special for the community and special for the fans who have been here since the beginning.”
By 7:45 a.m., the crowd swelled to 100 or so, still contained to the sidewalk as Fort Lauderdale police closed Las Olas Boulevard head east from State Road A1A. Passing cars greeted the crowd with honks and encouraging yells.
West Palm Beach resident Mike Castillo brought wife Katie, son Mikey, 11, and daughter Emma, 3, to the Elbo Room to see their heroes. Castillo attended the Panthers franchise’s first game in 1993 with his father.
They were all at the Elbo Room and the championship parade last year. And when his dad proposed an early morning trip on Wednesday, “I was ready to go,” Mikey said.
Wearing a Barkov jersey while looking up at the Elbo Room’s second floor balcony, Mikey said his goal was “to see any player.” Even if it will cost him a shower poured from the Cup on the second floor, as Tkachuk did last year.
“He brought his own root beer!” Mike Castillo said.
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As 8 a.m. approached, the hour when everyone seems to think the Cup will arrive, Geri Mercer, of Fort Lauderdale, could barely be contained.
“I can’t stand it — this is so exciting,” said Mercer, wearing a Tkachuk jersey. “I was up until 4 watching highlights. Matthew getting that goal was so cool.”
Mercer said she would be at the Elbo Room “for as long as it takes.” It was hard to say if she was more interested in seeing the Cup or Tkachuk.
A celebratory parade is tentatively set for Sunday in Fort Lauderdale to honor the back-to-back champions.
Staff writer Adam Lichtenstein contributed to this report.
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