The Florida Panthers won it. Finally. After thirty years of waiting, a couple of heartbreaking trips to the finals, and a 2024 series that felt more like a psychological experiment than a hockey matchup, the Cup is sitting in South Florida.
Honestly, the way it happened was terrifying for Panthers fans.
Imagine being up 3-0 in a best-of-seven series. You're planning the parade. You're looking at flight prices for the celebration. Then, you lose Game 4. Whatever, right? Then you lose Game 5. Okay, getting a bit sweaty. Then Game 6 happens and suddenly the Edmonton Oilers have tied the whole thing up.
Basically, Florida was on the verge of becoming the biggest punchline in NHL history. They almost pulled a reverse-sweep collapse that hadn't happened in the finals since the 1940s. But on June 24, 2024, at Amerant Bank Arena, they clutched up.
The Game 7 Heart-Stopper
The final score was 2-1. It wasn't some high-flying offensive explosion. It was a gritty, ugly, defensive grind-fest. Carter Verhaeghe got things moving early in the first period with a redirection that sent the building into a frenzy.
But Edmonton isn't exactly a team that rolls over. Mattias Janmark tied it up on a breakaway just a couple of minutes later. You could practically feel the collective "here we go again" from the Florida crowd.
Sam Reinhart ended up being the hero. Late in the second period, he snapped a shot home to make it 2-1. That was it. No more scoring for the rest of the night.
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The third period felt like it lasted three years. The Oilers threw everything at the net. Connor McDavid was out there looking like he could bend physics, but the puck just wouldn't go in. Sergei Bobrovsky, who had been a bit shaky in the middle of the series, turned back into a brick wall.
When the buzzer finally went off, the relief in Sunrise was louder than the cheering.
Connor McDavid and the Bitter Conn Smythe
Here is something kinda weird: the MVP of the playoffs wasn't even on the winning team.
Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy. He finished the postseason with a mind-boggling 42 points. That is the fourth-highest total in the history of the sport, trailing only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
- He broke the record for most assists in a single postseason (34).
- He dragged a dead-in-the-water Oilers team back from a 3-0 deficit.
- He was the first player from a losing team to win the trophy since 2003.
Watching him accept that trophy was awkward. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else on the planet. Can you blame him? You play the best hockey of your life, you set records that shouldn't be touchable in the modern era, and you still have to watch another guy hoist the silver trophy you actually wanted.
Why the Florida Panthers Finally Won
People ask what changed for Florida. They were in the finals in 2023 and got smoked by Vegas.
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The difference was depth and a specific brand of "jerk" hockey. Matthew Tkachuk brought a certain snarl to the roster that they just didn't have before. He wasn't even their top scorer in the final game, but his presence changed the temperature of every series.
Then you have Aleksander Barkov. He became the first Finnish-born captain to ever lift the Stanley Cup. The guy is a defensive genius. He was tasked with shadowing McDavid, and while you can't truly "stop" a guy like that, Barkov made life difficult enough to win.
The Bobrovsky Factor
Sergei Bobrovsky is 35 years old. He’s making $10 million a year. For a long time, people thought that contract was a disaster.
In 2024, he made it worth every penny.
He had a .953 save percentage through the first three games of the finals. Even though he dipped during the Oilers' comeback attempt, his 23 saves in Game 7 were clinical. He wasn't just guessing; he was reading the play like a grandmaster.
The Canadian Curse Continues
This win also meant that the "Canadian Curse" stayed alive. A team from Canada hasn't won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.
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The Oilers were so close.
It’s actually wild when you think about it. Edmonton had the best player in the world, the best power play, and all the momentum. But the Cup is going to stay in the sun for at least another year.
What This Means for Your Next Season Prep
If you’re a hockey fan or a bettor, the 2024 results taught us a few things that actually matter for the future.
First, the "losing the year before" narrative is real. Florida lost in 2023 and came back harder. They became the first team since the 2009 Penguins to win it all the year after losing in the finals. Motivation is a hell of a drug.
Second, goaltending age doesn't matter as much as rest. Bobrovsky took a day off before Game 7—didn't even skate. He stayed home and played with his daughter. He came back refreshed and won the biggest game of his life.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Study the Salary Cap: Look at how Bill Zito (Panthers GM) built this roster. He moved stars like Jonathan Huberdeau to get the right pieces like Tkachuk.
- Watch the Conn Smythe Odds: Keep an eye on players who dominate early. McDavid’s 2024 run shows that even if a team is down, individual greatness can still be historic.
- Track the Oilers' Recovery: Historically, teams that lose a heartbreaking Game 7 of the finals either come back on a mission or fall off a cliff due to "cup hangover." Monitor their early 2025 stats to see which way they lean.