Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers have captured plenty of attention, even from former players who are no longer on the roster but still hold deep admiration for the team. One of them, now with Utah, recently expressed how grateful he is for his time with the Cats.
Some Panthers players hail from overseas, and during the offseason, they took the Stanley Cup back to their home countries — something their local communities surely appreciated. One of them was a teammate of Marchand who spent just one season in Florida.
That lone season was enough for the European goaltender, who entered the NHL in 2020-21 after more than a decade playing professional hockey, to appreciate the experience. He didn’t hesitate to share a heartfelt message about what his brief stint with the Panthers meant to him.
Who was the former Panthers player who sent a message to the team?
The player no longer skating alongside Brad Marchand in Florida is Vitek Vanecek, who spent last season with the Cats and appeared in just seven games. Recently back in his native Czech Republic, he was welcomed as a Stanley Cup champion.
“Stanley Cup is the one and only, and the NHL is the best league in the world,” Vanecek said. “In Florida, I had a great opportunity to see what it takes to win it — one mistake and it can be all gone. Many great players never won the Cup. And I was so lucky to be on the winning team.”
During his day with the Stanley Cup in his hometown, Vanecek reflected on what the moment meant to him personally and to his community. He noted that he was the second player to bring the trophy to Havlíčkův Brod, paying tribute to the first — the late Josef Vasicek.
“It means a lot to me,” Vanecek said. “I know Josef Vasicek was the first guy to ever bring the Cup to this town, and we still have the photo with the Cup and me as a kid in the basement. Unfortunately, that [the plane crash] happened. But I’m glad I was able to bring the Cup to my hometown as well.”
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