Panthers' Aleksander Barkov played through nasty hand injury in Finals
The Florida Panthers put the finishing touches on their second consecutive Stanley Cup victory, becoming the fourth team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998), Pittsburgh Penguins (2016, 2017), and Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 20201).
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While the lack of points from team captain Aleksander Barkov may have concerned some fans, a perfectly valid explanation has since been offered by head coach Paul Maurice: Barkov was playing through a grotesque hand injury.
In the aftermath of winning the Stanley Cup, Maurice gave details on the injury suffered by Barkov and explained that the stitches he had were twice torn out and that he needed to close the cut with glue.
'In Game 1, Sasha split the palm of his hand open,' Maurice said via Yahoo Sports. 'He had those sutures torn out twice 'til he just glued it together.'
Barkov scored six goals with 16 assists during the postseason, but wasn't able to find the scoresheet in the opening three games of the Cup Final.
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In the end, he got the last laugh along with his teammates. While the cut on his hand may have been extremely painful, he certainly didn't feel any discomfort raising the Stanley Cup over his head after receiving it from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman for the second consecutive season.
The Panthers had multiple injuries during the Stanley Cup Playoffs
Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Barkov was not the only notable Panthers player who was trudging through injuries. Matthew Tkachuk disclosed that he was playing not only through a sports hernia but a torn adductor muscle. Additionally, Sam Reinhart had just returned from a Grade 2 MCL sprain.
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All of them played significant factors in Florida's second consecutive championship, which Tkachuk dedicated to the team medical and training staff.
'I wouldn't be here without the trainers and the doctors and those people, and that's what makes this Cup more special for me is how hard it was just to be out there and to get to the point of playing,' Tkachuk said. 'I owe — this Cup is because of them for me. I'm so lucky.'
Professional athletes may receive the most recognition, but they deeply appreciate the extensive work their training staff does behind the scenes.
Related: Conn Smythe voting reveals Sam Bennett's close win over Panthers teammate
Related: Panthers' Sam Bennett takes dig at NHL Scouting Combine critics after winning Conn Smythe
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