Stanley Cup Keeper Phil Pritchard shared his wild travel itinerary from the Florida Panthers' European Stanley Cup tour, which spanned 11 days, 8 flights, and many parties.
The Panthers captured their first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2023-24 by defeating the Edmonton Oilers in a hard-fought 7-game series, breaking the hearts of Oilers fans and all Canadians, but making history for their organization in the process.
The Panthers are extremely diverse, which means the Stanley Cup has traveled around the world during each player's day with it this summer. Most notably, the Cup has undergone an extraordinary journey through Europe.
''3 countries, 11 days, 8 flights, 3 trains, 2 helicopters, 2000 kilometers of driving, 15 different staff/players parties, 10 hotels, and lots of saunas. The European #stanleycup tour is completed. The North American @FlaPanthers champions tour continues @nhl @HockeyHallFame''
Aleksander Barkov, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Gustav Forsling are among the players who had their day with the Cup during this trip. One can only wish there had been a camera on the Stanley Cup to capture all the highlights of this world-wide journey.
Newly signed Maple Leaf Oliver Ekman-Larsson spent his day with the Cup in Sweden, where he honored his late mother with a heartfelt tribute, according to NHL.com's Peter Ekholm.
''Ekman-Larsson's next move was spending time with friends and family, including bringing the Cup to the cemetery to pay respects to his mother Annika, who died of breast and lung cancer in 2017.''
Maple Leafs fans hope that Ekman-Larsson can bring the experience and winning mentality he gained from this Cup run with the Panthers to Toronto, helping the Maple Leafs enjoy their own days with the Cup in the near future.