Panthers' massive bar tab revealed after wild Stanley Cup party at Miami nightclub
At this point, we're starting to wonder how the Stanley Cup didn't receive more than just a couple of dents and nicks.
The party seemingly hasn't stopped for the Florida Panthers since they defeated the Edmonton Oilers last week to capture their second straight Stanley Cup — with one trip to a Miami nightclub racking up an obscene bill.
The Panthers' tab at E11EVEN reportedly hit US$500,000 or roughly C$687,000 after they celebrated their hard-earned repeat until early in the morning – and some players didn't even want to leave the club, which is open 24 hours on weekends.
Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk revealed that captain Aleksander Barkov had to pull teammate Brad Marchand away from the club at 5 a.m. once he found out that the team's entire bill had been comped.
'He was going to pay before he realized it was a $500Gs comp,' Tkachuk said on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast. 'We're treated pretty well there. They do a good job, they're classy.'
Ex-NHLer and current analyst Paul Bissonnette added on the podcast that there was a lot of 'pent-up partying that was on display between E11EVEN, the parade, dunking in the ocean … It was an all spectacle that definitely rivals that 2019 Washington team.'
'Seeing Marchand holding the Cup crowd surfing at E11EVEN was out of control,' former NHLer Ryan Whitney added on the podcast.
In a clip that went viral last week, Marchand was seen hoisting Lord Stanley's mug while being lifted up by partygoers as Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club played. The song had been a rallying cry for the Oilers during their playoff run before their fall to the Panthers.
The party hasn't stopped since Florida won the Cup last Tuesday. Members of the team and the Cup itself have been spotted at several bars around South Florida, including multiple stops at the popular Elbo Room.
Barkov also got his neighbours in on the celebrations after knocking on their door at 5 a.m. with teammates and the Cup in hand last Wednesday morning.
The team held its parade on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale with the beach packed with tens of thousands of fans.
Panthers' Sam Bennett says he 'ain't f****** leaving' Cup champions
Florida Panthers damage the Stanley Cup during wild celebrations
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The salary cap for the 2025-26 season is $95.5 million and then increases to $104 million in 2026-27 and $113.5 million in 2027-28. That means that these eight contract will account for less than 60 percent of Florida's total salary beginning in the 2026-27 season. 'I think we have a lot more success in our future,' Bennett said. 'This is the core that's been here for the last three, four years, and we've had so much success, I don't see why we can't continue it. These guys, we're all so committed to the same goal of winning and doing whatever it takes and putting in the hard hours to do what it takes to win. This is the core that I want to be with.'
