Where did the victorious Panthers take the Stanley Cup in Miami? To the club, obviously
The Stanley Cup may be nursing a little hangover right now.
Because the 34.5 pound, 35.25 inch high trophy had quite the night out in Miami Wednesday.
The Florida Panthers, still high off Monday’s victory over the Edmonton Oilers, rolled up to not one, but two clubs, in the 305 — and we got the 411.
We were told the guys first hit up Catch steakhouse in South Beach, to replenish all the calories burned in Game 7 for a four-course “decadent” meal.
When captain Aleksander Barkov made his grand entrance with the Stanley Cup hoisted over his head, the crowd went nuts, applauding, whistling and cheering.
Teammates Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad then took turns pouring beer from the massive tumbler into each other’s mouths, as fellow diners’ cellphone cameras snapped away.
Among the lucky folks at the upscale eatery witnessing the wild scene was pro boxer Ryan Garcia, who reportedly walked over to the Cats’ table for a few selfies.
“The atmosphere was electric,” a source tells Miami.com.
READ MORE: Panthers party at iconic bar on the beach after win
The party didn’t stop there, not by a long shot. The champs traveled en masse across the Causeway to literally always hopping 24/7 ultraclub E11EVEN Miami in downtown.
After posing on the red carpet, the squad took over several tables near the DJ booth as lights flashed, confetti rained down and iconic Queen anthem “We Are the Champions” played.
READ MORE: Fans not happy with this sports channel’s Stanley Cup coverage
The hockey stars eventually jumped on the stage with the Stanley Cup and sprayed champagne all over the crowd of screaming fans.
At around 12:30 a.m., Barkov was spotted sneaking out with the precious hardware to bring it to a “secure” destination, then made his way back in to keep the ballers’ bash going into the wee hours.
Highlights from the rager appeared on E11Even’s Instagram page; e.g., winger Ryan Lomberg crowd surfing on top of clubgoers’ heads is a must-see.
Commenters heartily approved of the Cats’ over the top, raucous celebrations.
“How nice. They deserve it.”
“Just plain old awesome.”
“Love it!”
This story was originally published June 27, 2024 at 4:51 PM.
