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.
Barkov and other famed Panthers’ players, each soaked from the thunderstorm, took turns hoisting their first winning Cupover 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)
Florida Panthers' Carter Verhaeghe carries the Stanley Cup down A1A in the rain during the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky greets fans as he runs down A1A in the rain during the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Fans gather to claim a spot for the Panthers Championship Celebration parade and rally on the beach, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Fans wait outside Elbo Room to grab a spot to watch the Panthers Championship Celebration celebration parade on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers fans cheer as the team passes down A1A in the rain during the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers fans wait for the Elbo Room to open before the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A Florida Panthers fan runs down A1A in the rain during the team's championship celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky carries the Stanley Cup down A1A in the rain during the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Nick “Bratty Ratty” Smith shows his support before the Florida Panthers Championship Celebration on Sunday, June 30, 2024 near Fort Lauderdale beach. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Yusef Elhaddad and Kieth Feller sell merchandise to Colt Sherman and Mason Berg before the Florida Panthers Championship Celebration on Sunday, June 30, 2024 near Fort Lauderdale beach. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
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)
Florida Panthers' Ryan Lomberg carries the Stanley Cup along A1A in the rain during the team's championship celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
A firefighter works to keep the American flag flying during intense rain at the corner of Las Olas Blvd. at the ocean during the Panthers Parade celebration. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)
Florida Panthers fans seek shelter from the rain during the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The intense rain during the day didn't stop Florida Panther fans from making the most of the wet day with the Stanley Cup champions on Sunday, June 30, 2024.(Scott Luxor/Contributor)
The intense rain during the day didn't stop Florida Panther fans from making the most of the wet day with the Stanley Cup champions on Sunday, June 30, 2024.(Scott Luxor/Contributor)
Jackson Castellano
Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers pours champagne on fans during the team's championship parade on Sunday. (Jackson Castellano / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Traffic backs up on the Las Olas bridge before the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers fan Paul Stampahar waits on the beach at A1A and Las Olas for the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers fan Christina Casarta was first to get nto the Elbo Room for the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Fort Lauderdale Police help fans cross A1A in the rain during the Florida Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers fans wait for the team on A1A in the rain during the team's championship celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers fans cheer as the team passes down A1A in the rain during the team's championship celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Fort Lauderdale Police scan the route prior to the Panthers Championship Celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers fans cheer as the team passes down A1A in the rain during the team's championship celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers fans cheer as the team passes down A1A in the rain during the team's championship celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers fans try to stay dry as they wait for the team team on A1A in the rain during the team's championship celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Florida Panthers fans cheer as the team passes down A1A in the rain during the team's championship celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The intense rain during the day didn't stop Florida Panther fans from making the most of the wet day with the Stanley Cup champions on Sunday, June 30, 2024.(Scott Luxor/Contributor)
The intense rain during the day didn't stop Florida Panthers fans from making the most of the wet day with the Stanley Cup champions on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Scott Luxor/Contributor)
The intense rain during the day didn't stop Florida Panther fans from making the most of the wet day with the Stanley Cup champions on Sunday, June 30, 2024.(Scott Luxor/Contributor)
The intense rain during the day didn't stop Florida Panther fans from making the most of the wet day with the Stanley Cup champions on Sunday, June 30, 2024.(Scott Luxor/Contributor)
The intense rain during the day didn't stop Florida Panther fans from making the most of the wet day with the Stanley Cup champions on Sunday, June 30, 2024.(Scott Luxor/Contributor)
The intense rain during the day didn't stop Florida Panther fans from making the most of the wet day with the Stanley Cup champions on Sunday, June 30, 2024.(Scott Luxor/Contributor)
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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, adorning a blue Aleksander Barkov jersey. “I started going to the games four years ago. It really pushed me to want to play hockey.”
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.
“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.
