
Sergei Bobrovsky's brilliance leads Florida Panthers to second straight Stanley Cup title
Pregame warmups. Jumbotron appearances. Each and every save. Florida fans know how important the veteran goaltender is to their team.
So do the Panthers.
It's why Florida never appeared rattled during its third straight Stanley Cup Final run. The defending champion Panthers remained even-keeled, never looking too far ahead, and certainly not harping on the past — mirroring the attitude of their unflappable, two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
And Bobrovsky has rewarded their trust in him with a brilliant showing in this year's playoffs, which he stamped with a 28-save effort Tuesday in Florida's 5-1 romp over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 to win their second straight title.
He stopped 192 of 209 shots on goal in the final and allowed 17 goals. He nearly had his fourth shutout of the postseason before Vasily Podkolzin broke up that bid with the Oilers' only goal Tuesday with just 4:39 left.
With Tuesday's win, Bobrovsky moved to 13-8 in 22 series-clinching games in his career, tying Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy (13-9) for the most among active goaltenders.
He was even more dominant than last year's title run, when he was again a key piece in Florida's success with a .906 save percentage.
Ask Florida's veteran goaltender what he thinks of his success and he will likely sum it up in a few words. He'll express his gratitude and talk about how great it is to play the game he loves. Then he will deflect the attention to his teammates.
That's who he's been since he took the starting job three games into the first round in 2023 and what the Panthers have come to appreciate about him. He's been the calming presence in their locker room amid all kinds of chaos during this dominant three-year run.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
His focus is always on what it takes to win and his credit always goes to the ones around him.
That simple approach has worked for him.
Going back to the 2023 playoffs, no goalie has more wins, saves or shutouts than Bobrovsky. He's the second-oldest goaltender in the last decade with a playoff shutout.
Entering Tuesday, only three other goalies since 1981-82 had won the Vezina Trophy twice and hoisted the Stanley Cup trophy multiple times.
Bobrovsky joined that group on Tuesday.
The others?
They're all Hall of Famers.
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Tadej Pogačar skips Spanish Vuelta to recover from Tour de France triumph
PARIS (AP) — Four-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar has decided against taking part in the Spanish Vuelta next month as he recovers after winning cycling's biggest race. 'After such a demanding Tour, we decided it was best to take a break,' Pogačar said. 'The Vuelta is of course a race I would dearly love to return to. I have fantastic memories there from 2019 (finishing third), but now the body is telling me to rest.' The Slovenian rider from the UAE Team Emirates-XRG was not included in the eight-man squad for the Vuelta, which will start on Aug. 23. The team will be led by Portuguese rider João Almeida — who retired from the Tour earlier this month after fracturing a rib — and Spain's Juan Ayuso. After doing the Giro d'Italia and Tour double last year, Pogačar had planned to ride both the Tour and the Vuelta this summer. 'The idea this year was for Tadej to return to the Vuelta, but the season has been a long one for him,' the team's sports manager Matxin Fernández said. 'We spoke and agreed that the best thing for him now is to take a good rest and build up to his final season goals.' It has already been a long season for Pogačar, a versatile rider known for his unsatiable appetite for victory. In addition to his Tour title, he also won the Critérium du Dauphiné, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Flèche Wallonne and Strade Bianche this year. On the way to his fourth Tour title, Pogačar won four stages to take his Tour tally to 21, and 30 at major races, including six at the Giro d'Italia and three at the Vuelta. Only four riders have won the Tour de France five times: Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Induráin and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault. Pogačar will take a break until September. He is planning to compete in North America at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. 'I'm excited to go back to Canada. The races are tough but beautiful, and they fit my style well,' said Pogačar, who also wants to defend his world champion title later this year in Kigali, Rwanda. 'I'll be aiming to be back racing well again for that part of the season and for the world championships especially.' ___ More AP Tour de France stories:


Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
England's Euro 2025 champions given a heroes' welcome with some surprise guests getting involved
Thousands of fans came out to celebrate England's back-to-back Women's European Champions in London on Tuesday as coach Sarina Wiegman and her players were given a homecoming to remember. Led by a marching band along the iconic Mall and later serenaded on stage by music stars Burna Boy and Heather Small, England's players and staff partied in front of Buckingham Palace. 'I was crying all the way down The Mall. This is unbelievable. This is probably one of the best things we've ever been a part of,' said captain Leah Williamson, fighting back more tears. England made history by becoming the country's first national soccer team across the men's and women's game to win a tournament on foreign soil with the penalty shootout victory against world champion Spain in Basel on Sunday. Arriving on two open-top buses with 'Champions' emblazoned on them, the players waved to the fans who, wearing face paint and waving flags, had lined the streets to welcome their heroes. 'We didn't really know what to expect coming into it today, but everyone was so excited on the bus and it was so nice to come back to England and celebrate with our fans,' said Alessia Russo, who scored England's equalizing goal in the final, which ended 1-1 after extra time. 'It's just a bit surreal. It's crazy to see this many people come out in the home of England, in London, heading up to Buckingham Palace, I'd never have dreamt of anything like it.' The central band of the Royal Air Force got the atmosphere going — playing England soccer anthems 'Three Lions' and 'Sweet Caroline.' There was more music on stage with a special surprise for Wiegman, who is a fan of Burna Boy. The Nigerian Afro-fusion star joined her to sing his hit song 'For my Hand,' with Wiegman dancing along and joining in. The Dutch coach completed a three-peat of Euros titles, having previously won with her native Netherlands in 2017 and England in 2022. She has a remarkable record of reaching the final of her last five major tournaments as coach of the Netherlands and England. 'I hoped for a little less chaos,' she said of the her latest triumph, which featured comebacks from England in each of the knockout rounds through to the final. 'They just showed up when it was really necessary.' Heather Small was next on stage to sing 'Proud' with England's players joining in again before lifting the trophy in front of the thousands of fans who had gathered, with fireworks filling the sky. For Williamson, triumph was another benchmark as she became the first England captain to lift two major trophies. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'Obviously we do it for us and our team, but we do it for the country and for young girls. This job never existed 30, 40 years ago and we are making history every single step,' she said. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP soccer:


CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
Hall of Fame 2nd baseman Ryne Sandberg has died after battling cancer
Ryne Sandberg, a Hall of Fame second baseman who became one of baseball's best all-around players while starring for the Chicago Cubs, has died. He was 65. Sandberg was surrounded by his family when he died at his home on Monday, according to the team. Sandberg announced in January 2024 that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. He had chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and then said in August 2024 that he was cancer-free. But he posted on Instagram on Dec. 10 that his cancer had returned and spread to other organs. He announced this month that he was still fighting, while "looking forward to making the most of every day with my loving family and friends." Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said Sandberg "will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise." "His dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and competitive fire were hallmarks of his career," Ricketts said in the team's statement. Sandberg was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. He was selected out of high school by Philadelphia in the 20th round of the 1978 amateur draft. He made his major league debut in 1981 and went 1 for 6 in 13 games with the Phillies. In January 1982, he was traded to Chicago along with Larry Bowa for veteran infielder Ivan De Jesus. It turned into one of the most lopsided deals in baseball history. Sandberg hit .285 with 282 homers, 1,061 RBIs and 344 steals in 15 years with Chicago. He made 10 All-Star teams — winning the Home Run Derby in 1990 — and took home nine Gold Gloves. "Ryne Sandberg was a legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise and a beloved figure throughout Major League Baseball," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said. "He was a five-tool player who excelled in every facet of the game thanks to his power, speed and work ethic." Even with Sandberg's stellar play, the Cubs made just two postseason appearances while he was in Chicago. He was the NL MVP in 1984, batting .314 with 19 homers, 84 RBIs, 32 steals, 19 triples and 114 runs scored. Chicago won the NL East and Sandberg hit .368 (7 for 19) in the playoffs, but the Cubs were eliminated by San Diego after winning the first two games of the National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field. "I've never seen a player work harder, and it seemed like the better he got, the harder he worked," former Cubs manager Jim Frey said. The 1984 season featured what Cubs fans still call "The Sandberg Game," when he homered twice and drove in seven runs in a 12-11 victory over St. Louis in 11 innings on June 23. Chicago paid tribute to Sandberg and that game when it unveiled a statue of the infielder outside Wrigley Field on that date in 2024. "Ryno was a great teammate and obviously a great player," Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux told The Associated Press in a text message. "He led by example on the field and a mentor off. I was lucky to know him." Sandberg led Chicago back to the playoffs in 1989, hitting .290 with 30 homers as the Cubs won the NL East. He batted .400 (8 for 20) in the NLCS, but Chicago lost to San Francisco in five games. Sandberg set a career high with an NL-best 40 homers in 1990 and drove in a career-best 100 runs in 1990 and 1991, but he never made it back to the postseason. When he retired after the 1997 season, he had hit the most homers as a second baseman in major league history. "He was a superhero in this city," Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said during a TV broadcast of the team's game on July 20. "You think about (Michael) Jordan, Walter Payton and Ryne Sandberg all here at the same time, and I can't imagine a person handling their fame better, their responsibility for a city better than he did." Sandberg was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005, receiving 76.2% of the vote by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in his third try on the ballot. The Cubs retired his No. 23 that same year. "When you examine the offense and defense, you'll find some years where he was the best player you've ever seen in your life," former Cubs first baseman Mark Grace said. Sandberg also managed in the minors with Chicago and Philadelphia before he became the third base coach for the Phillies. He was promoted to interim manager when Charlie Manuel was fired in August 2013, and he had a 119-159 record when he resigned with the Phillies in the middle of a difficult 2015 season. "Not only was he a Hall of Famer, he was a man who personified class and dignity," Phillies managing partner and CEO John Middleton said in a statement. "We were honored that he was part of our organization." Sandberg spent some time around the Cubs during spring training this year, and manager Craig Counsell said it meant a lot to everyone on the team. "We're grateful that he was willing to spend that time with us when things weren't going great for him," Counsell said after the team's game at Milwaukee. "It's a sad day for the Chicago Cubs. He was a great Cub."