A jail cell, Flanigan's and Key West: A look at the Panthers' Stanley Cup tour so far
As is tradition for the winners, players and various members of the team's coaching staff, training staff and front office get a personal day with the Stanley Cup during the summer.
During the past two weeks, the Cup has made stops in Joliette and Montreal in Canada; Atlanta; St. Louis; Dallas; and Key West, among other pit stops on a tour that will continue during the next month or so before the team kicks off training camp in September.
Here are some of the highlights so far.
Forward A.J. Greer, one of seven players who won the Stanley Cup for the first time this season, kicked off the Panthers' Stanley Cup tour with a full day in his native Joliette on July 13.
The day included a parade that had thousands in attendance.
Greer also used his time with the Cup to make a pair of charitable donations to Clemente House, a nonprofit benefitting families with disabilities, and Maison Oxygene de Quebec, an organization that helps fathers and children in need with accommodation, accompaniment and community support.
Flanigan's, the South Florida staple known for its giant green cups and rib rolls, finally had the Stanley Cup grace its presence when longtime equipment manager Scott Tinkler took the Cup to the franchise's Hallandale location as part of his Cup day.
Among the contents that filled the bowl of the Stanley Cup included Rib rolls, wings and a Bonzai Brownie (a brownie topped with a heaping serving of vanilla ice cream plus Oreo crumbles, Kit Kat bars, chocolate syrup and whipped cream).
Mike Huff, the Panthers' vice president for player engagement, spent his day with the Cup in Atlanta, where he lived for a good portion of his life while working in the Georgia Tech athletic department and then as a charter coordinator for Delta Airlines.
Among his stops: Naturally a Waffle House, which can be found on nearly every corner in the city.
Huff also took the Stanley Cup to Delta's operations control center and the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta followed by a gathering with friends and family at night.
Star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk got married to his longtime partner Ellie on July 19 and then celebrated his second day with the Cup two days later in St. Louis.
It included a lot of the same stops from last summer's day, including trips to the St. Louis Children's Hospital and Brentwood fire and police departments while spending the day with his family, including parents Keith and Chantal and brother Brady.
But the trip to the police department had a little twist this year, with Tkachuk posing with the Cup inside one of Brentwood's jail cells.
'I took it here before, but I've never took it in a cell,' Tkachuk said, according to NHL.com. 'That was a first for me. Hopefully that's my last time in a cell unless it's with the Cup again another time.'
Tkachuk also took the Cup to Chaminade College Preparatory School, which he attended as a kid, and on a visit to see the the Budweiser Clydesdale horses, with one even giving the Stanley Cup a kiss.
Defenseman Seth Jones, a key acquisition at the trade deadline for the Panthers, took the Cup home to Dallas on Thursday for his day of celebration.
Jones' main public stop was a two-hour stay at the StarCenter Valley Ranch ice rink where he skated during his early playing days.
'I spent a lot of time here for a lot of different coaches, lot of different teams,' Jones said, according to NHL.com .'Without the development of Texas youth hockey and the growth that we've seen over the last 10, 15 years, I know I wouldn't be standing here today. I wanted to give back, show the kids here that just because it's not a huge hockey market, things are still possible. You can still make the NHL.'
Jones has not only made, but he has thrived. He just wrapped up his 12th NHL season and looks to be a mainstay for the Panthers as they attempt to continue building their dynasty.
President of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said in early July that he planed to have a 'low key' day with the Cup.
Specifically, that day was out in the Florida Keys.
Zito took the Cup to the Theater of the Sea, a marine mammal park. While there, Zito had a sea lion eat fish out of the Cup and posed for a photo of a dolphins leaping toward him and the Cup up on a podium while Zito held out a Panthers championship flag.
The Stanley Cup made an appearance at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday as several Panthers players — Jones, Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad among them — brought it to the Coldplay concert at the stadium.
It was the Cup's second venture to Hard Rock Stadium since the Panthers won it for the second consecutive year, with a group also bringing it to the stadium during the FIFA Club World Cup.
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