Even during the highest of highs, Matthew Tkachuk couldn’t help himself but to provoke the rest of the NHL like only he knows to. During the Florida Panthers‘ celebrations with the Stanley Cup in Fort Lauderdale, the Cats found a way to stir the pot. Fans didn’t forget about Seth Jones‘ former franchise, sending a mocking message to Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks.
What a career turnaround Jones lived during the 2024-25 NHL season. After enduring years of distress and pain with Bedard and the Blackhawks, the Panthers came knocking on his door. Since, his life changed forever. That’s a sentiment many players in Florida share. Even Tkachuk, who had enjoyed his days in Calgary but unveiled a whole other level of fun after arriving in Sunrise.
The Panthers don’t care about making any friends in the NHL. At the end of the day, all they want is to rule above every single team. So far so good for the reigning back-to-back champions.
Florida has endured a lot of abuse throughout the years, especially during the early 2000s and 2010s. Now, it enjoys the perks of being atop the NHL food chain. Perhaps the Blackhawks are the Panthers’ exact mirror image—having lived their best life in the 2010s but now mired at the bottom of the standings.
With that in mind, it made sense why the Blackhawks and Panthers were involved in a key trade at the deadline—sending Jones to the Sunshine State and Spencer Knight to Chi-Town. After Jones hoisted his first Stanley Cup in Florida, Tkachuk and the fans didn’t forget about the trade, taunting Bedard’s organization along the way.
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“Thank you, Blackhawks,” fans chanted as Jones and Tkachuk joined in, while hoisting the Cup at Elbo Room on Wednesday morning after a long night of celebrations.
Pinching himself
It’s not every day that trade deadline acquisitions play such a big role in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Jones arrived in Florida and established himself as a key blueliner. Such was the Panthers’ confidence in Jones, the 30-year-old defenseman led the team in time on ice.
He averaged 25:30 minutes per game, but during the other 34:30 each night, he was mostly in disbelief at how far he had come and how quickly his career had changed.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Jones admitted after hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time. “It’s just unbelievable, and I think it hasn’t quite hit me yet. In the next little bit here, it’ll really kick in. I don’t know.”
Seth Jones #3 of the Florida Panthers celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game Six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 17, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida.
Not forgetting about Boston, either
The festivities are in full effect in Fort Lauderdale after the Panthers hoisted their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. As expected, nobody on the roster wanted to miss the celebrations at Elbo Room.
Obviously, Brad Marchand didn’t want to miss it for the world, as he showed up to share in the excitement with the fans in attendance. And it didn’t take long before they rubbed the championship in the face of the Boston Bruins.
“Thank you, Boston,” fans chanted, and Marchand absolutely loved it. The Panthers are living their best life in the NHL and the celebrations won’t stop anytime soon. Now looking forward to the championship parade on Sunday, Florida has ordered the DJ to keep the party going.
