For Panthers, clinching a 3rd consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final didn't lead to celebrating
The Florida Panthers pose with the Prince of Wales trophy after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the finals at the end of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Florida Panthers fans cheer after the team defeated the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. The Panthers advance to the Stanley Cup finals. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) celebrates his goal with center Brad Marchand, top right, and left wing Jonah Gadjovich (12) while Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) and center Sebastian Aho (20) react during the second period in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) celebrates his goal with center Brad Marchand, top right, and left wing Jonah Gadjovich (12) while Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) and center Sebastian Aho (20) react during the second period in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
The Florida Panthers pose with the Prince of Wales trophy after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the finals at the end of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Florida Panthers fans cheer after the team defeated the Carolina Hurricanes at the end of Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. The Panthers advance to the Stanley Cup finals. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) celebrates his goal with center Brad Marchand, top right, and left wing Jonah Gadjovich (12) while Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) and center Sebastian Aho (20) react during the second period in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Bill Zito didn't do any significant celebrating after the Florida Panthers clinched their third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final. He got some food and went back to work.
At this point, no one around the team would expect anything different.
Advertisement
The franchise that could not win a playoff series for a quarter-century now is in the midst of a back-to-back-to-back run to the NHL's championship round. Florida won 25 playoff games in its first 28 seasons combined; the Panthers have won 41 playoff games — and counting — in their most recent three seasons.
The novelty of winning at this time of year hasn't worn off, but the Panthers have simply become used to it now. The main thing — the Cup — is the main thing. That's why after the most recent win, beating Carolina on Wednesday night to finish off the Eastern Conference title in five games, there were no helmets being thrown in the air, no raucous beer-spraying locker room scene, no thick wafts of cigar smoke. A few handshakes, something to eat, and that was it.
'I think everybody likes it right when people are kind to you and say things that are nice," Zito, the team's hockey operations president and general manager, said before the Panthers flew home from Carolina on Thursday. "But we learned. The journey isn't over and there's work to do and we have to be focused on that and keep your eye on the goal. Don't let success get in your way.'
To be fair, for the Panthers, this is unprecedented levels of success.
Advertisement
They have now played 11 playoff series since the start of the 2023 postseason — their first one with Matthew Tkachuk in a Florida sweater. They have won 10 of those series, only falling in the 2023 final to Vegas. They're 41-21 in playoff games under coach Paul Maurice and actually have a better road record in those games (23-10) than they do at home (18-11).
'I didn't even think about it," Tkachuk said after the Carolina series ended. "Just reacted how I reacted. I mean, I think it was different a few years ago. I remember a few years ago it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point. I know we talked about it last year. It's part of the journey. And same way with this year. It's all business, and we've got a bigger goal in mind.'
When the East title series ended, Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour paid the Panthers — who won their first Cup last season — the ultimate compliment.
"They're the standard now," Brind'Amour said.
Advertisement
It has been a long time since the league has seen a run like this.
Tampa Bay made three straight finals from 2020 through 2022 (with two of those seasons shortened by COVID), but no team — until now — has navigated three consecutive full regular seasons and gotten to the Stanley Cup Final in each of those years since Edmonton from 1983 through 1985. By the time this year's title series is over, the Panthers will have played more games in a three-year span than any team in NHL history.
It's an accomplishment, for certain. Zito wasn't thinking about any of that after the Carolina series. There were travel plans to put together, reports to look at, somewhere between four and seven more games left in this season to think about.
'I don't think that the elation or the appreciation for the moment diminishes," Zito said. "I think perhaps the way it manifests itself, it's just channeled differently. ... That level of respect and appreciation for where you are, in tandem with the hunger, you want to do it again. You want to do it again. What can we start doing now? Don't stop. Don't get content. And those guys, they woke up with 100 texts each from everyone telling them how great they are. Everyone did. And it's not over.'
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
21 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
French Open: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka ends Swiatek's reign and meets No. 2 Coco Gauff for the trophy
Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Flecks of rust-colored clay dotted Aryna Sabalenka's back and caked her white shoes as she ripped big shot after big shot against Iga Swiatek on Thursday, the thud of racket-on-string reverberating off the closed roof at the main stadium at Roland Garros. So used to hearing — and believing — she was a fast-court specialist who couldn't succeed on the slower red clay used at Roland-Garros, the No. 1-ranked Sabalenka showed just how good she can be on the surface by ending Swiatek's 26-match unbeaten streak at the French Open and bid for a record fourth consecutive trophy with a 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 win in Thursday's semifinals. Now Sabalenka will try to win her fourth Grand Slam title — and first not on a hard court — when she takes on No. 2 Coco Gauff in Saturday's final. It will be the first title match in Paris between the Nos. 1 and 2 women since 2013 and just the second in the past 30 years. 'It's going to mean everything to me and my team, because I have to say that almost (my) whole life, I've been told (clay) is not my thing, and then I didn't have any confidence,' Sabalenka said. 'In the past — I don't know how many years — we've been able to develop my game so much, so I feel really comfortable on this surface and actually enjoy playing on clay.' Gauff, a 21-year-old American who was the runner-up in 2022 to Swiatek, reached her second French Open final by beating 361st-ranked French wild-card entry Lois Boisson 6-1, 6-2 in a far-less-interesting, far-less-competitive semifinal. 'My first final here, I was super nervous, and I kind of wrote myself off before the match even happened,' said Gauff, who is 5-5 against Sabalenka and beat her for the 2023 U.S. Open title at age 19. 'Obviously, here, I have a lot more confidence just from playing a Grand Slam final before and doing well in one.' Much to the chagrin of the 15,000 or so locals pulling for their countrywoman at Court Philippe-Chatrier, Gauff vs. Boisson wasn't much of a contest, as might be expected from their rankings and relative experience. Then again, that didn't stop Boisson from eliminating both No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Mirra Andreeva en route to becoming the first woman since 1989 to get to the semifinals in her Grand Slam debut. Loud as the crowd was, repeatedly singing Boisson's first name, Gauff's play spoke volumes, too, as she took 20 of the first 30 points for a 4-0 lead. That pattern held, and by the end, Gauff had claimed 34 of the 51 points that lasted at least five strokes. Most remarkable about Sabalenka's win was the way she dominated in crunch time, racing through the last set. 'I mean, 6-love,' she said. 'What can I say? Couldn't be more perfect than that.' Swiatek's explanation? 'I lost my intensity a bit,' she said. 'Just couldn't push back.' This stat says it all: The third set included 12 unforced errors off Swiatek's racket, and zero off Sabalenka's. This continues a rough stretch for Swiatek, a 24-year-old from Poland, who hasn't reached a final at any tournament since walking away with her third trophy in a row — and fifth Grand Slam title overall — from Paris 12 months ago. She recently slid to No. 5 in the rankings. Her rut includes a loss in the semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Later last season, she was suspended for a month after testing positive for a banned substance; her explanation was accepted that the result was caused by a contaminated medicine. Sabelanka is, unquestionably, as good as it gets in women's tennis right now. 'She didn't doubt,' Swiatek said. 'She just went for it.' Even though Sabalenka broke in the first game and soon led 4-1 — at which point Swiatek was glancing up at her coach, Wim Fissette, in the stands, hoping for some sort of insight that could change things — this was not one-way traffic. Swiatek ended up leading 5-4 in that set, but when they got to the tiebreaker, Sabalenka asserted herself. Did the same in the last set. 'It was a big match, and it felt like a final," said Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open twice and the U.S. Open once. 'But I know that the job is not done yet.' ___ AP tennis:
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Aaron Rodgers ends months-long dance with Steelers, informs team he plans to sign, AP source says
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin are taking their bromance to the next level. The four-time NFL MVP ended months of 'will he or won't he' speculation by informing Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers he plans to join the team for the 2025 season, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because Rodgers has not yet signed a contract. Advertisement The Steelers and the 41-year-old Rodgers had been circling each other for months. Rodgers even visited the team's facility in late March, driving in undercover in a nondescript sedan wearing a hat and sunglasses. While there were plenty of nice words from both sides in the aftermath, Rodgers didn't rush to put pen to paper, telling 'The Pat McAfee Show' in April that his attention was focused on helping people in his inner circle who were 'battling some difficult stuff' and that he didn't want to decide until he knew he could fully commit. With mandatory minicamp coming next week, Rodgers apparently finds himself in a place where he can give the Steelers his full attention. ___ AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report. ___ AP NFL: Will Graves, The Associated Press
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Police consider whether 'King of the Hill' actor's sexual orientation played a role in his killing
HOUSTON (AP) — Investigators are looking into whether the sexual orientation of 'King of the Hill' voice actor Jonathan Joss played a role in his shooting death in Texas, authorities said Thursday, walking back a previous statement about the potential motive. Joss' husband has claimed the person who killed the actor yelled 'violent homophobic slurs' before opening fire outside his home in San Antonio on Sunday night. A day after the shooting, San Antonio police issued a statement saying they had found 'no evidence whatsoever to indicate that Mr. Joss' murder was related to his sexual orientation.' But during a news conference on Thursday, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the statement was 'premature' and that whether Joss' sexual orientation played a role in the shooting 'is part of the investigation.' 'I will own that and simply say again that we simply shouldn't have done that. It was way too early in the process for any statement of that nature to be issued,' McManus said. The police chief said many in the LGBTQ+ community 'are feeling anxious and concerned' after Joss' shooting and that 'a lot of it has to do with that premature statement." 'The loss of Jonathan Joss was tragic, most heavily felt by the LGBTQ+ community,' McManus said. Texas does not have separate hate crimes charges. But if homophobia is found to have been a motive in the shooting, that could result in a harsher sentence at trial under the state's hate crimes law. 'We gather the facts, and we give those facts to the district attorney's office. And then that hate crime designation is determined at sentencing,' McManus said. The actor's home burned down in January. Joss' husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, has said that they were checking mail there Sunday when a man approached them, pulled out a gun and opened fire. In a statement, de Gonzales said he and Joss had previously faced harassment, much of it 'openly homophobic.' Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, who is a neighbor of Joss, is charged with murder in the shooting. Ceja Alvarez has been released on a $200,000 bond. Ceja Alvarez's attorney, Alfonso Otero, did not immediately return an email seeking comment Thursday. McManus said police had been called to Joss' home and his neighborhood about 70 times over the past two years related to 'neighborhood type disturbances.' 'Sometimes (Joss) was the caller. Other times, the neighbors were calling on him,' McManus said. The San Antonio Police Department's mental health unit as well as a unit known as SAFFE that works with residents to help prevent crime 'had extensive engagements with Mr. Joss, making repeated efforts to mediate conflicts and connect him with services that he may have needed,' McManus said. The January fire at Joss' home is still being reviewed by arson investigators, McManus said. Joss lost all his belongings in the blaze and his three dogs were killed. Actors who worked with Joss, along with friends and fans have honored Joss' memory with tributes. 'His voice will be missed at King of the Hill, and we extend our deepest condolences to Jonathan's friends and family,' the show's creators and producers — Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Saladin Patterson — said in a statement on the animated series' Instagram page. ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano:
