Finals Fever: Fans at home support Panthers in Stanley Cup Finals opening game

Dana Ross danced in line with her friends at the Amerant Bank Arena concession stand, wearing a custom “Ross” Florida Panthers jersey autographed by players in Sharpie across the large “44” on her back.

She has been a fan of the Panthers for 31 years, she said, and her family were original season-ticket holders back when the team first played in Miami in 1993.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I loved going to the games,” she told the Miami Herald before the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals’ opening game between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers. “I cried like a baby last year when we won. So, anything now is just a bonus!”

The story among many of the Panthers’ long term fans, wearing sombreros lined with stuffed rats and Stanley Cup silver chains, is the same. They lined up in “Barkov” and “Ekblad” jerseys outside of the arena before 7 p.m., eagerly waiting to enter despite the fact that the first game of the playoffs would take place over 2,500 miles away in Edmonton, Alberta.

Before puck drop, they cheered as each of the starting Panthers flashed on the jumbo-tron. Screams erupted for goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, while the boos were deafening for Oilers star Connor McDavid.

After the first period with the Panthers up 2-1, the energy on the concourse skyrocketed. A DJ played hit pop and rock songs in the 21+ Jameson Bar, the line for a Mister Softee sundae in an Aleksander Barkov helmet stretched for three sections, and “go, cats!” echoed all the way into the bathrooms.

“This is my first time at a watch party, my first time in this kind of atmosphere,” lifetime fan Mike Whitt told the Herald. “It’s so much fun watching the game this way, such a great time. With playoff tickets being so expensive, this is a great way to do it. Now I definitely want to come again.”

During the second period, Sam Bennett tacked on another goal to the Panthers’ score, solidifying himself in franchise history by breaking the record for postseason goals. For 10-year-old Tyrel White, it was his favorite part of the whole game so far.

“[I think he’s] gonna score another goal!” he said to the Herald.

When the Oilers tied the score 3-3 in the third period on a shot from the Oilers’ Mattias Ekholm, Amerant Bank Arena went eerily quiet.

The atmosphere inside took a solemn turn as fans filed out of the arena following Leon Draisaitl’s OT power-play goal. Morale still remains high for the Panthers, as fans walking out to the parking lot discussed coming back to the arena watch party for Game 2.

This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 9:42 PM.