The Florida Panthers have won this year's Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in the all-or-nothing Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals on Monday, June 24, at their home Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
The Panthers captured their first title in franchise history nearly 30 years since they began playing in the NHL in the 1993-94 season.
The team also redeemed itself this year after losing the Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights in five games last year.
"It's not what I thought it would be, it's so much better," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said in the post-game interview.
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The 57-year-old Maurice finally won his first Stanley Cup title after coaching in the league for nearly 30 years, starting in the 1995-96 season.
Panthers nearly blew away Stanley Cup title
The Panthers secured the championship after almost experiencing a historic collapse.
They took the first three games of the series to take a 3-0 lead, but the Oilers responded with three consecutive wins to set up a do-or-die Game 7.
The Toronto Maple Leafs remain the only team in North American sports history to come back from a 3-0 championship series deficit, achieving this feat in the 1942 Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings.
A 3-0 comeback has only been accomplished once in MLB history, during the 2004 American League Championship Series, where the Boston Red Sox came back against the New York Yankees. It has never happened in the NBA at any stage.
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