As he faces former team, Ryan Lomberg's appreciation for Panthers still on full display
Look no further than his pregame comments Thursday before the Calgary Flames played the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Speaking on ice before puck drop in Tampa, Lomberg was asked how it felt being back in the state of Florida, where he spent four seasons playing for the Panthers that was capped by winning a Stanley Cup last season.
'I like the palm trees and the sunshine,'' he said, 'but I [expletive] hate these guys.'
The comment went viral, and Lomberg a day later said the comment was made more so for his former Panthers teammates than it was to the Lightning.
'I was thinking of the boys when I said that for sure,'' Lomberg said Friday after Calgary's practice at Amerant Bank Arena ahead of the Panthers-Flames game on Saturday afternoon. 'It was weird being back, for sure. Some crazy ups and downs in that arena. It's cool the way I left it off there, obviously beating them in the first round and then going on to win the Stanley Cup. It's a good way to end that rivalry for me.'
Lomberg was a fan favorite while playing for Florida. The no-nonsense, physical forward was a staple of the Panthers' fourth line during his tenure. He had no problem dropping the gloves and fighting anyone who would accept — and despite being slightly undersized for a mauler at 5-9 and 184 pounds would punch well above his weight class and do his signature hair flip as he strolled to the penalty box afterward.
The Panthers will honor Lomberg during the first period on Saturday in his first game back since leaving for Calgary after the Cup run.
He's sure to get a healthy round of applause from the home crowd after the tribute video plays.
'From the game perspective, they're about as good a team as anyone in the league,' Lomberg said of his former team, 'so we've got to bring our A game for sure to give ourselves a chance here and stay committed to our game plan, which I'm confident we can. And then obviously, kind of the other side of it, I'm excited to see how they react and be around the fans and interacting with them and just making sure they know how much I miss them.'
They certainly miss him.
Lomberg saw his career truly take off during his time with the Panthers. When Lomberg signed with Florida ahead of the 2020-21 season, he had played in just 11 total NHL games over two seasons with Calgary before Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito took a chance on him.
But each year with the Panthers, Lomberg saw his role increase more and more. He became an everyday player in the 2022-23 season and was integral during both of Florida's runs to the Stanley Cup Final, including winning it all last season.
In four seasons, Lomberg scored 28 goals and had 49 total points to go along with 535 hits. He also took part in 15 fights during that span.
Lomberg had three goals and 107 hits in 32 playoff games.
'I love Billy for bringing me in and having confidence in me, keeping me around for four years and giving me the chance to win a championship for his squad,' Lomberg said. 'I became a full time NHLer here. Amazing memories. It was fun to be a part of. Now, I moved on, and I'm at a different point in my career. I'm excited to bring the energy to Calgary and make sure I'm pushing the pace here and bringing that winning culture to Calgary.'
Lomberg is the seventh member of Florida's Stanley Cup team to make his return to Amerant Bank Arena as an opponent this season. The Panthers have honored goaltender Anthony Stolarz, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forward Steven Lorentz when the Toronto Maple Leafs came to town on Nov. 27; forward Vladimir Tarasenko when the Detroit Red Wings came to Sunrise on Jan. 16; and defensemen Brandon Montour and Josh Mahura when the Seattle Kraken were here Feb. 22.
An eighth, forward Kevin Stenlund, will get his welcome-back treatment on March 28 when Florida hosts the Utah Hockey Club. Forward Nick Cousins, who now plays for the Ottawa Senators, did not make the trip to South Florida for Ottawa's lone road game against the Panthers on Feb. 8 while he recovers from surgery.
'It's great to share that with Ryan and the fans,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said, 'because he had a connection there and a connection certainly to our team. You do get to enjoy it. These guys are all playing on other teams now, but they still feel like they're yours. They're part of that collective memory that we have that will never change. So I'm happy for him to get to get to share that.'
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