Dave Loop
Jun 30, 2024
Florida Panthers Celebrate Stanley Cup
LED Rockstar was there on this crazy stormy day,
Well, there was plenty of rain — while the only shine on this day was what came off a glistening Stanley Cup.
Despite the awful weather, South Florida turned out en masse to celebrate their champions, as thousands packed the parade route along A1A, with even more gathered for a rally on the beach at the parade’s end.
“It’s a little nasty out,’’ said Steve Goldstein, the team’s longtime play-by-play voice on Bally Sports, who then alluded to the Panthers' opponents during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. “But we’re not afraid of the lightning. Or the Bruins!’’
A total of 13 buses transported the Panthers down A1A on a wet, 2-mile parade route.
Some players wore clear plastic ponchos over their championship shirts, while others went bare-chested as they interacted with fans.
Forward Nick Cousins was on one of the first buses to arrive at the rally and was certainly in the spirit of the celebration.
Wearing nothing but a pair of board shorts, Cousins joined the party by jumping onto a piling in the sand and waving a fan’s Panthers flag as he and patrons shared beverages.
Cousins then went up onto the rain-slicked stage and recreated the Tom Cruise scene from "Risky Business," sliding across before grabbing the Stanley Cup and raising it high to raucous applause.
Ryan Lomberg, shirtless as usual, jumped off the stage into the massive crowd and went
body surfing.