Panthers Names Engraved on Stanley Cup
The Florida Panthers have officially been immortalized in hockey history as the. 2023-24 Stanley Cup champions. Before the players and executives can celebrate their day with the Cup, their names have finally been engraved on the hardest trophy to win in sports.
In an image first posted to Facebook by Kimberly Kasper Lowell, the Panthers’ names are officially on the Cup to stay forever. The keeper of the Cup, Philip Pritchard, stated earlier in the month that the names were beginning to be engraved. The work has been wrapped.
Among the 53 names engraved, 24 went to players, 22 of them are seeing their name on for the first time. Vladimir Terasenko won in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues, and Carter Verhaeghe won in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
To get your name engraved on the Cup, a player must appear in at least 41 regular season games or one game in the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers petitioned two players to see their names among their teammates.
The NHL approved forward Jonah Gadjovich and defenseman Josh Mahura despite their injuries and inability to meet the set requirements. Gadjovich played in 39 games, while Mahura appeared in 30.
Forward Evan Rodrigues made some history by becoming the first ‘Evan’ to win the Cup
The Panthers' names being engraved on the Cup is also a big moment for Hall of Fame netminder Roberto Luongo, who is now part of the front office staff. Luongo played 1,044 games in the NHL, 572 of which with the Panthers. Now, as a special advisor to the general manager, Luongo finally gets his name etched in history.
Another former player turned executive is reaching the Cup, but not for the first time. Currently a scouting and development consultant, Patric Hornqvist won the Cup twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.
His engraving with the Panthers will be Hornqvist’s third time on the Cup.