Matthew Tkachuk, South Florida Fans Celebrate Panthers' Title With Stanley Cup At Elbo Room

Shandel Richardson | Jun 25, 2024

The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup Monday night.

What better place for the fans soak it in than the iconic Elbo Room on Fort Lauderdale Beach. The Cup made its way to the bar Tuesday morning after the Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Finals the night before.

Fans lined up early as 9 a.m., to get their moment with the trophy. Elbo Room, founded in 1938, is one of the area's biggest attractions.

The Panthers narrowly averted disaster with a 2-1 victory against the Oilers. They were ahead 3-0 before losing three straight games in the series. They would've become the first to lose a lead as such since the 1942 Detroit Red Wings, who lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Panthers left their fan base on the edge of its seats. Even Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo posted relief on social media after the victory. Here's what he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "Bruh ... Y'all had me sweating @FlaPanthers But CONGRATS

The Panthers win gives South Florida championships in all four major sports (NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA) in the United States. The Heat were the last do it when they defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals. That was the last year a Game 7 was played in the area.

“It’s not a dream anymore. It’s not a dream. It’s reality,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it ... I can’t believe how good these two years have been. So thankful for this group of guys. It’s the best place, best guys. It’s something really special here with what we have.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com