Florida = State of Hockey
And an Athlete Spotlight on Luke Prokop
The Florida Panthers are back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions after facing the Edmonton Oilers for the second year in a row.
When the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game six of the Final on Tuesday, they became the fourth team in the past 30 years to win back-to-back Cup titles.
They joined the Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998), Pittsburgh Penguins (2016, 2017) and Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 2021) as repeat champs in that span.
Additionally, a Florida-based team has been in the Stanley Cup Final for the past six years. The Lightning had Cup runs in 2020, 2021, and 2022, while the Panthers took over from 2023-2025.
Florida lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023, then regrouped and became the first team since the Penguins in 2009 to win the Cup the season after losing in the championship round. Then, when almost everyone expected the Panthers to run out of gas, when they had an NHL-high eight players play in the Four Nations Face-Off in February, they somehow got stronger when the playoffs began and won again. They’ve played 314 games the past three seasons -- 246 in the regular season and 68 in the playoffs -- a stretch unlike what any of the other recent repeat Cup winners had to endure.
Five Tampa Bay Lightning Players Heading to the 2026 Olympics
Five Tampa Bay Lightning players will be going to Italy next year for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
On Monday, the 12 counties participating in the tournament announced the first six players on their preliminary rosters. This included Lightning Captain Victor Hedman representing Sweden, Bradyn Point representing Canada, Erik Cernak representing Slovakia, Oliver Bjorkstrand representing Denmark, and Zemgus Girgensons representing Latvia.
The hockey events at the Olympic Winter Games will begin on February 11. The teams will play three preliminary games in their respective groups, then all 12 teams will move to a single-elimination playoff that concludes with the gold medal game on February 22. The games will be played at either the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena or the Rho Ice Hockey Arena in Milano.
During the 2022 Winter Olympic games in Beijing, Finland took home the gold medal for the first time in men’s ice hockey history. The Olympic Athletes from Russia received the silver medal, and Slovakia received bronze. It was the first time since 1976 that Canada or the U.S. did not play in medal earning game.
Canada and the U.S. will be looking to return to medal contention, while Finland will be looking to hang on to the top spot. Additionally, the International Olympic Committee has informed the Russian Olympic Committee that they will not be allowed to participate in Milano-Cortina. This means France will replace them in the competition.
Athlete Spotlight: Luke Prokop
Milwaukee Admiral defenseman Luke Prokop is the first openly gay professional hockey player in either the NHL or the American Hockey League (AHL). Speaking to Milwaukee’s WISN 12 News, Prokop shared his personal journey and the positive impact of his announcement.
In 2020, as the world dealt the the COVID-19 pandemic, Prokop’s rigorous hockey schedule went by the way side, and he was able to spend more time with his family.
“My sister, we were doing everything together,” he shared, noting her non-judgmental nature gave him the courage to come out to his family.
In July 2021, Prokop announced his identity on social media, becoming the first openly gay hockey player in a major American league. he admitted he didn’t have anyone to look up to in the sports world, and he wants to be that figure for someone else. He shared it was scary going into, but the response was overwhelmingly positive.
“I think the game of hockey is ready for more individuals to come out,” he said. “There’s a whole community out there, millions of people who will love and accept you for who you are no matter what.
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