Edmonton on the ground

Premiere! Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup

Oliver Ekman-Larsson holds up the Stanley Cup.

(Bild: AFP/GETTY IMAGES/BRUCE BENNETT)

The Florida Panthers are the 2024 Stanley Cup winners. In the decisive seventh game of the NHL final series, the Americans defeated the Edmonton Oilers 2:1 in their arena north of Miami to win the final 4:3. While the Panthers celebrated their first championship with their own fans, the Oilers missed out on ice hockey history. With a win, the Canadians would have been only the second NHL team to overturn a 3-0 deficit in the final series.

The only other team to do so was the Toronto Maple Leafs 82 years ago. The drought of Canadian teams would also have been over; the last time the NHL champions did not come from the USA was 31 years ago. The Oilers' last Stanley Cup victory was 34 years ago. "I don't know what to say. It's heartbreaking," said Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl. "I haven't been much worse, to be honest."

The Panthers, on the other hand, know how it feels to lose the final, having lost the final series to the Vegas Golden Knights last year. Now they had a happy ending. "It's nothing like I imagined. It's so much better," said head coach Paul Maurice.

Florida set the tone
Florida's Carter Verhaeghe made it 1:0 in the 5th minute, but the visitors quickly countered and Mattias Janmark equalized in the 7th minute. Although the Oilers were superior in the middle third, the goal came from the other side. A counterattack was finished off by Sam Reinhart, who made the arena in Florida shake (36.). Edmonton, led by stars Connor McDavid and Draisaitl, had no answer. Panthers goalie Sergej Bobrowski secured victory for his team in the final period with numerous saves and thus the championship. "I've dreamed of this my whole life and now it's done. I can't believe it," said the Russian keeper.

I don't know what to say. It's heartbreaking!

Leon Draisaitl

So the Stanley Cup remains in southern climes. One year after the triumph of the Nevada-based Golden Knights, the trophy, which weighs around 20 kilograms and is 90 centimetres high, has moved on to the southernmost base of all NHL franchises. With the Panthers, the second team from Florida has also arrived at the top of the world's best league. Tampa Bay Lightning are already three-time Stanley Cup winners.

Only a small consolation remains
The Panthers finished the regular season as the fifth-best team. In the play-offs, Canadian coach Maurice's team hit top form and eliminated Tampa Bay, the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers. After victories in the first three games against the Oilers, Florida seemed to be on course for their first title before having to go the full seven-game distance. "It was the toughest twelve days of our lives," said match-winner Reinhart. "All the credit in the world, they made it as tough as it should be to win the Stanley Cup."

Connor McDavid

(Bild: 2024 Getty Images)

One trophy did ultimately go to the Oilers. McDavid, the playoff top scorer (with 8 goals and 34 assists), received the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player (MVP) of the playoffs. The Canadian became only the sixth player from the losing team to win the MVP title. Only McDavid's compatriots Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux have scored more than 42 points in the postseason. "I guess it's an honor, with all the names on that trophy, but...," a disappointed McDavid left the sentence as unfinished as his collection of titles.