logo
A.J. Greer makes his Stanley Cup Final debut for the Florida Panthers in Game 3

A.J. Greer makes his Stanley Cup Final debut for the Florida Panthers in Game 3

Fox Sports19 hours ago

Associated Press
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — A.J. Greer returned for the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night after missing the first two in the series against the Edmonton Oilers because of injury.
Jesper Boqvist came out of the lineup to make room for Greer, who is making his first career appearance in the final.
'It's definitely a dream come true, but I'm not really trying to focus on that,' Greer said after the team's morning skate in Fort Lauderdale. 'It's another game for me and I'm just trying to enjoy it, but I'm not trying to associate anything bigger than just my next shift, really.'
Greer, 28, gutted through injury for part of this playoff run before exiting in the Eastern Conference final against Carolina when it was clear he wasn't healthy enough to stay in. Maurice lauded Greer for his lack of selfishness and an abundance of self-awareness to understand when the pain threshold was reached and do what's best for the team.
'Good on him for recognizing that,' coach Paul Maurice said. 'We were fortunate that we were able to heal A.J. to a place that he's really confident in what he's doing. ... He's been such a positive part of what we do.'
Greer almost wasn't here at all. A little over four years ago, he was languishing in the minors and almost giving up on his NHL dream.
'I was pretty much 24 hours away from just calling it, going to Europe and trying to just get a paycheck, trying to squeeze out every dollar that I can out of this sport and then live my life,' Greer said. 'Fortunately, things kind of bounced my way.'
Greer was essentially a throw-in as part of a trade to the New Jersey Devils that got the New York Islanders Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, who helped them reach the East final. Greer — who was a second-round pick of Colorado in 2015 and played 37 games for the Avalanche from 2016-18 — developed some confidence with the American Hockey League's Utica Comets and cracked the Devils' roster a few times.
Agent Philippe Lecavalier challenged Greer over whether he wanted to be an AHL player or adapt his style to be a role player in the NHL.
'You could say I wanted to try to prove him wrong,' Greer said. 'I kind of just went day by day, got better mentally, physically and matured with my game. I understood if I wanted to ever play in the NHL again, the way I have to play and the things I have to do — and I got a chance, so I'm very grateful for that. It all led up to here.'
At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, Greer has been a physical force for Florida as the Panthers try to repeat as champions. He is one of the newcomers, along with their leading scorer in the final, Nate Schmidt, and teammates are happy to have Greer back.
'He's a pain to play against,' Evan Rodrigues said. 'He's a guy that can change the momentum of a game. He's heavy on the forecheck. For the most part, I don't think you want to get hit by him. He's a really good presence for us. And he chips in offensively. He lays the body. Just overall a pain the neck to play against.'
That came with time and trial and error as Greer learned how to have an impact with limited ice time. This spring brought his first taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and he has made the most of his nearly eight minutes a game.
'My game's grown, especially this year,' Greer said. 'My confidence has grown, and I'm ready to take on the biggest challenge that I've really faced in my career.'
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
recommended

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ex-Detroit Red Wings' Jake Walman fined for squirting water at foe in Stanley Cup Final
Ex-Detroit Red Wings' Jake Walman fined for squirting water at foe in Stanley Cup Final

Yahoo

time30 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Ex-Detroit Red Wings' Jake Walman fined for squirting water at foe in Stanley Cup Final

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final turned out to be an expensive outing for former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jake Walman. The current Edmonton Oilers blueliner was fined by the NHL Player Safety department twice on Tuesday, June 10: The first was a $5,000 hit (the maximum allowable) for roughing Florida's Matthew Tkachuk. Advertisement It's the second $5,000 fine that will linger: It was for unsportsmanlike conduct — specifically, squirting water at an opponent while standing on his bench. Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman (96) defends against Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe (23) during the third period in game three of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on June 9, 2025 BIG POTENTIAL: How Elmer Söderblom can earn bigger role with Detroit Red Wings in 2025-26 The water incident occurred late in the second period of the Oilers' 6-1 loss, which left Walman's squad down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series against the defending champion Florida Panthers. Walman's temper erupted after Panthers forward A.J. Greer swiped one of Walman's gloves and threw it to the Florida bench. Walman stood up on the Oilers bench and squirted a water bottle, trying to hit Greer on the Florida bench. Advertisement Instead, the water ended up on video screens between the benches used for the TNT television broadcast, prompting analyst Brian Boucher to bang on the glass. The Panthers appeared to love it: Defenseman Seth Jones raised his hands in apparent mock confusion. 'Obviously, did that for a reason,' Walman told reporters afterward. 'I won't go into the details. It's just gamesmanship, I guess, you know? Just got to realize there's cameras everywhere that see that stuff.' The beef between the teams spilled out onto the ice midway through the third, as they engaged in a line brawl — albeit with the goalies sitting it out — with 9:31 remaining in the game. Five players — two Panthers and three Oilers — received 10-minute misconduct penalties for the fracas. Advertisement A little over four minutes later, Walman received a double for roughing for going after Tkachuk. He finished with six penalty minutes, while the Oilers took 85 penalty minutes to Florida's 55. Game 4 will be Thursday, June 12, also at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Detroit Red Wings' Jake Walman fined for squirting water at foe

Brad Marchand embraces Panthers' rat-throwing tradition, which goes back 30 years
Brad Marchand embraces Panthers' rat-throwing tradition, which goes back 30 years

Washington Post

time33 minutes ago

  • Washington Post

Brad Marchand embraces Panthers' rat-throwing tradition, which goes back 30 years

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — There's a giant, gold-outlined rat emblazoned on the hat that dangles in Brad Marchand's locker. The scrappy NHL veteran has been likened to the tiny rodent for much of his career, notoriously known as 'The Rat' among hockey fans for his brash play. So when Marchand was traded from Boston to Florida back in March, it didn't take long for him to embrace Panthers fans' longstanding tradition of tossing plastic rats onto the ice after wins.

Deion Sanders absent from football camps in Boulder, Colorado. No reason specified by school
Deion Sanders absent from football camps in Boulder, Colorado. No reason specified by school

San Francisco Chronicle​

time35 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Deion Sanders absent from football camps in Boulder, Colorado. No reason specified by school

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders has not attended football camps in Boulder, Colorado, this spring. The University of Colorado said it couldn't comment on a reason for his absence. ESPN, citing a source it did not name, said Sanders has been ill and out of the office recently. Over the weekend, his son Deion Sanders Jr. posted a livestream video on YouTube in which he said his father remains at his Texas home and 'feeling well," according to USA Today. His son added in the video: 'He'll tell y'all soon enough what he's going through.' Sanders is required to operate a minimum of three on-campus football camps, according to the contract extension he signed in March. Sanders' deal runs through the 2029 season and made him the highest-paid football coach in the Big 12 Conference. The 57-year-old Sanders has struggled with his left foot since having two toes amputated in 2021 because of blood clot issues while at Jackson State. He missed media day in 2023, his first year at Colorado, after a procedure to remove a blood clot from his right leg and another to straighten toes on his left foot. Sanders was a scratch last weekend as a keynote speaker at the Sickle Cell Disease Research and Educational Symposium in Florida. The organization posted on social media that 'due to an unavoidable last-minute scheduling change, our originally scheduled Foundation Keynote Speaker, Deion Sanders 'Coach Prime' is unable to attend.' Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson was his replacement. ___

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store