Panthers’ plans for long Stanley Cup Finals flights. Plus Lorentz’s journey, watch parties
The Florida Panthers have come a long way to make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals for a second consecutive year.
Now, as they try to wrap up the season with the first championship in franchise history, they will have to travel a long way when the series shifts from home to road against the Edmonton Oilers.
How far exactly?
The distance between Sunrise and Edmonton is 2,541 miles. That’s the farthest between two teams competing in a Stanley Cup Finals in NHL history.
The flight between the two cities the teams will take between Games 2 and 3 (and potentially between Games 4 and 5, 5 and 6, and 6 and 7) is about six hours.
So how will members of the team kill time during the flight? Here’s what some of them had to say this week:
▪ Forward Carter Verhaeghe: “It’s gonna be a long flight. I think it’s [about] getting rest when you need it. We like to play cards sometimes. Recovery’s the biggest thing. Whenever you get on the plane and when you get there, you’ve kind of got to get your body right to what it needs for the day or what you need to do to feel good the next day.”
▪ Forward Matthew Tkachuk: “I play poker. We have a good group. Cuzzy [Nick Cousins] definitely is the last guy that’s taking the cash in poker, but I don’t know if I could play poker for six hours, to be honest. I’ll probably do some poker, a little bit of a fake nap, walk around, back to playing poker. It is a long flight. You only do it a couple times a year. That part is going to be a little different this series, definitely.”
▪ Defenseman Brandon Montour: “That’s going to be, what, six hours or so? You try to stay busy. Some guys play poker, watch movies, hang out. Guys like to sleep. I don’t play poker, but I like to have conversation around that table. I’ll watch probably a movie or two.”
▪ Forward Sam Reinhart: “Honestly, I’ll have a lot of time to catch up on some sleep, especially on this flight. Nothing changes from a recovery standpoint. You kind of learn what works for you from a recovery standpoints. It’s so important, especially during a playoff run, to take care of yourself.”
▪ Coach Paul Maurice: “I used to hate flying. Like absolute, full-blown sweat, agonizing before I get on the plane. And then after a while, you just don’t care. It’s normal. I can sleep on a plane pretty good, but it’s the best place to get work done. You can watch as much hockey as you can stand on an airplane and read a little bit, too.”
Steven Lorentz stays the course
Forward Steven Lorentz had a smile on his face after practice this week when he thought about the moment.
He’s playing hockey in June.
“That’s pretty neat,” Lorentz said, “especially just reflecting a little bit.”
Lorentz didn’t take the easy road by any means to get to this point.
He was a seventh-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015 by Carolina, cut twice in the American Hockey League and spent two years playing in the ECHL. He didn’t make his NHL debut with the Hurricanes until 2021.
After two years with Carolina, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks, a team in the midst of a full-blown rebuild, ahead of the 2022-23 season.
“There is always adversity,’’ Lorentz said. “Being told no — one door may close, but another one may open. Sometimes, they don’t open on their own and you have to kick it down yourself. I think that never-quit attitude has gotten me to this point.’’
“This point” is his opportunity with the Panthers, who acquired him in a trade with the Sharks over the offseason.
Lorentz has bounced between being a healthy scratch and playing on Florida’s fourth line all season. It hasn’t always been the easiest to sit out, but he has made the most of his chances when he does play.
The long road has paid off.
“I am so excited to take another step toward my dream, and that is to win the Stanley Cup,” Lorentz said. “To do it with a group of guys like this, it would be so special. ... We all know the end goal. As much as I want it to get started, I just want to enjoy it day-by-day, keep things in perspective. You don’t know if you’ll ever get back again.”
Watch party at the arena
Not going to Edmonton for the Panthers’ road games of the Stanley Cup Finals?
Well, at least for the first of those games, you can watch it from the comfort of Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena.
The Panthers announced they will hold a watch party at their home arena for Game 3 on June 13.
Tickets are $10, with proceeds benefiting the Florida Panthers Foundation. They go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday at 10 a.m.
Fans can enter the building starting at 7 p.m. ahead of the 8 p.m. puck drop in Edmonton.
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