Florida Panthers draw massive parade crowd despite downpours

Scenes from the Panthers' Stanley Cup victory parade on Fort Lauderdale Beach on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Sun Sentinel staff photos) — Scenes from the Panthers’ Stanley Cup victory parade on Fort Lauderdale Beach on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Sun Sentinel staff photos)

UPDATED: July 1, 2024 at 10:28 a.m.

A massive crowd of fans converged on Fort Lauderdale for the Florida Panthers’ championship parade — their team spirit shining bright despite the heavy rain.

The showers began Sunday, and so did a long-awaited celebration that lasted for hours. Aleksander Barkov, the Florida Panthers’ captain, filled a fan’s shoe with beer and tossed it back for the fan to drink. No cup, no problem — except, of course, for the prized Stanley Cup.

Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov hoists the Stanley Cup alongside his teammates during the team's Championship Celebration on Sunday, June 30, 2024 at Fort Lauderdale beach. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel) — Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov hoists the Stanley Cup alongside his teammates during the team’s Championship Celebration on Sunday, June 30, 2024 at Fort Lauderdale beach. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Barkov and other famed Panthers’ players, each soaked from the thunderstorm, took turns hoisting their first winning Cup over their heads as they stood atop a double-decker team bus during the parade, looking on at the similarly drenched fans below.

“Rain or shine, we’re out here to celebrate the panthers,” said Panthers fan Ashley Arsenal. “We’re just here for the party.”

Avery Sanquist, who had come with Arsenal from Jupiter, ran to an overhang to seek shelter from the rain when it first started. Underneath Panthers baseball caps, their hair was soaking wet, but they chanted with everyone else anyway.

“The rain will not stop us,” Sanquist said.

As the rain cleared, the excitement only became more palpable, especially as more players entered the scene. Players Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett granted high-fives to roaring fans along street barriers, cigars hanging out of their mouths. Nick Cousins, another Panthers’ player, made a show of getting off the team’s bus to chug a beer.

“It’s incredible,” said goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who hopped off the bus with the Cup at one point and decided to walk it down the road. “So many people came out to support us. For us to share this moment with the fans, it’s unbelievable.”

The bus carrying the Florida Panthers team passes the corner of A1A and Las Olas in the rain during the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

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Raheem Mostert from the Dolphins was seen walking along the parade route and high-fiving fans.

At Bo’s Beach, a restaurant and bar across the street from the rally stage, fans chanted, “(expletive) the lightning,” in reference to the storm and the Panthers’ cross-state rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After the rain subsided, a raucous group of people rushed into the Atlantic, hoping for a selfie with or even just a glimpse of Tkachuk, who waltzed into the water just as he had on Tuesday after the Game 7 win.

The storms spurred a delay to the start of the parade, but a little rain and brief holdup were nothing for the fans.

Elena Cohan, who left her home in Redland with her husband at 5 a.m., secured a prime spot in front of the Elbo Room, a fan-favorite bar where a sea of red, blue and white gathered, generating buzz before the parade.

Also early to arrive was Geo Lubbers, 18, who sat on striped towels with his friends, Farrah Sorhage, 17, and Syler Galmiche, 16, facing the ocean. They marked their territory by staking a large Panthers flag in the sand.

The trio, who hailed from Fort Lauderdale, arrived at the beach about 7:30 a.m.

“I want to see the Cup,” Lubbers said, adorned with a blue Aleksander Barkov jersey. “I started going to the games four years ago. It really pushed me to want to play hockey.”

Florida Panthers fans arrived early to claim a spot for the team's onstage appearance during the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel) — Florida Panthers fans arrived early to claim a spot for the team’s onstage appearance during the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Rainy Stetler, also from Fort Lauderdale, took her daughter and granddaughter to the parade.

“I’ve been watching (the Panthers) for years, and to see what they’ve gone through is just, it’s heartbreaking,” she said through tears. “But now that they’ve won the Cup, it definitely calls for a celebration.”

Though there were big crowds, officials didn’t have an attendance tally Sunday. (About 200,000 fans were expected, the mayor had estimated.)

Christina and Bill Curran, along with their son, Cameron, from Plantation, spent Saturday night at the Four Seasons Hotel along the beach in Fort Lauderdale. Plantation would normally be about a 30-minute drive to Fort Lauderdale, but the family’s overnight stay helped them beat the traffic and crowds, without having to wake up before sunrise.

Florida Panthers fans wait in the rain A1A in the rain during the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

“I love the fact we’re all coming together to support and give love and support to the team who fought for the Cup for us,” Christina Curran said.

“We owe it to them,” Bill Curran said about attending the parade.

At the post-parade rally later Sunday, Panthers’ team captain Barkov said, “I never believed that this day would come. There’s just not enough words for me to say how thankful I am for every single person here.”

Sunday’s parade capped a week of celebrations with the Stanley Cup. It was used to hold beer, champagne, apple juice, and pasta topped with freshly grated cheese, a dinner that Panthers legend Roberto Luongo proudly enjoyed.

At Sunday’s rally, team owner Vincent Viola encouraged the crowd to get “crazy,” an offer that coach Paul Maurice took him up on.

Maurice, known for dropping curse words on occasion on the bench and in news conferences, opened his speech with a yell: “30 (expletive) years!”

Maurice’s speech set the tone for the rest of the rally, as players and fans cheered on the team’s historic achievement.

“I heard it’s 70 degrees and sunny in Edmonton,” Tkachuk said. “But they ain’t got no Cup.”

Information from The Associated Press was used to supplement this news article.

Originally Published: June 30, 2024 at 2:49 p.m.

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Roaring fans, high-fives: Florida Panthers draw…

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Roaring fans, high-fives: Florida Panthers draw massive parade crowd despite downpours

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