Sam Reinhart On Florida Panthers Repeating As Stanley Cup Champions: ‘'There's No Better Place To Play Hockey'

Forbes

4 hours ago

Sam Reinhart celebrates the Florida Panthers' latest Stanley Cup win with local fans at Raising ... More Cane's.
Sam Reinhart has emerged as quite the force in hockey over the past couple of years.
The 29-year-old forward has turned in two of the more clutch performances in the NHL over the past couple of Stanley Cup Finals, hitting the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals and scoring four goals in the series-clinching Game 6 over the Edmonton Oilers in this year's rematch.
'I think being there before, every time you go through something, you're that much more comfortable the next time,' says Reinhart of his and the Panthers' performance in the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. "You just kind of enjoy the moment. It was such a battle again, but we felt confident the whole time. It's nice not to be in Edmonton (for Game 7)."
Reinhart became the first player since 1957 to score four goals in a Stanley Cup Finals game.
'A whole lot of nothing, a little bit of a blackout,' Reinhart says when asked what was running through his mind. 'You're just feeling that energy, you're kind of in the zone and that was probably the fastest game I've ever been a part of. It was a pretty cool experience.'
Behind the play of Reinhart along with the rest of the core – Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett, Aleksander Barkov and Sergei Bobrovsky – the Panthers have emerged as the NHL's powerhouse team. Considering the franchise didn't win a playoff series for 26 years until 2022 and when factoring in that they're the southernmost team in the NHL, it's quite the accomplishment.
The Panthers have quickly emerged as South Florida's most adored team, especially when considering the other major pro sports teams of the area – the Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat and Miami Marlins – have struggled to win championships in recent years.
'Over the last 10 years since I've been in the league, the transformation that's happened in South Florida has been pretty special,' says Reinhart. 'So to be a part of it over the last couple of years is something we're not taking for granted and we're going to enjoy every second of it.'
While the shift in South Florida becoming a hockey town has been dramatic, it didn't happen overnight. The additions of Bennett during the 2020-21 season and Reinhart before the 2021-22 season helped get the Panthers to a competitive level. However, they still struggled in the playoffs, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in consecutive seasons, including during the 2021-22 season when they finished with a league-best 122 points.
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They've flipped the script completely since the additions of Tkachuk and head coach Paul Maurice before the start of the 2022-23 season, winning 11 of 12 playoff series.
'Doing it again, in some instances it was easier and in some instances it was a lot harder,' says Reinhart of winning the Stanley Cup for the second time. 'The mental grind was harder this year, especially during the start of playoffs, end of the season, there are different spurts of the year that are very challenging. Part of it because you know how tough it is and you are so tired at the end of the day. But you keep pushing and we were able to persevere again.'
The Panthers' core is young with the exception of Bobrovsky (36 years old) and they seem poised to continue their run. However, Florida has notable free agents this offseason, including Conn Smythe Trophy winner Bennett, midseason acquisition Brad Marchand – who scored multiple game-winning goals in the playoffs – and their second-longest tenured player, Ekblad, who joined the team in 2014.
'I think everyone in the league knows you want to be in Florida,' says Reinhart. 'There's no better place to play hockey, there's no better place to live. Whether you go through something like this or not, everyone's aware of that. We're fortunate to be here, we're fortunate to live here. Those guys know that. I'm confident those guys are coming back, whether it happens, I'm not sure. They've got a spot here in history forever, love those guys, and hope they're back for sure.'
Just days after winning the Stanley Cup for the second time at Amerant Bank Arena, Reinhart celebrated the team's latest cup win with local fans just minutes away from the Panthers' arena at Raising Cane's.
It was the second consecutive year that a Panthers star celebrated a Stanley Cup win at Raising Cane's, with Tkachuk doing so last year. Last year's event drew around 2,500 fans.
'It's everything,' says Reinhart of Raising Canes' support. 'Since coming down to Florida, we've had that support for years. To be able to give back to this whole brand and something that is very special for us.'
Sam Reinhart celebrates the Florida Panthers' latest Stanley Cup win with local fans at Raising ... More Cane's.
Reinhart names the chicken fingers and an Arnold Palmer as his go-to items on the menu.
'My go-to Cane's order has to be a four-set of a chicken fingers,' says Reinhart. 'That will do. First time I tried Cane's was in Florida during my first year. My wife and I were hung over -- it was a nice order and it saved our day.'