Latest news with #NHLFinal
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Playoff MVP Sam Bennett agrees on 8-year, $64 million contract to stay with Florida Panthers
Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) stops Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett (9) during the second period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP) NHL commissioner Gary Bettman presents the Conn Smythe Trophy to Sam Bennett after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett lifts the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett (9) raises the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP) Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) stops Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett (9) during the second period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP) NHL commissioner Gary Bettman presents the Conn Smythe Trophy to Sam Bennett after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett lifts the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett (9) raises the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP) SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sam Bennett walked to the front of the stage at the Florida Panthers' latest Stanley Cup championship parade, and before he could even speak the crowd began serenading him with their request. 'Eight more years! Eight more years!' they chanted, over and over. Advertisement They got their wish. Bennett — who led the NHL with 15 goals in this year's playoffs and became the first Panthers player ever to score that many in a single postseason — is staying with the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. He and Florida agreed Friday to a new eight-year contract worth $64 million, or $8 million per season. 'Sam is a special player who has mastered a unique blend of skill and physicality in his game, becoming one of the most impactful postseason performers of his generation,' Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito said. 'He played an integral role in our two Stanley Cup championships, earning the franchise's first Conn Smythe trophy and is a dedicated contributor to our South Florida community off the ice. We are thrilled that he will continue his career with the Panthers.' Bennett was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as MVP of the playoffs, the first Florida player to ever win that award. The last time a Conn Smythe winner didn't open the following season with the same team he had that playoff run with was 1997, when goaltender Mike Vernon helped Detroit win that year's Cup — and then the Red Wings traded him to San Jose that summer. Advertisement It is the first of three big decisions that the Panthers have been waiting on heading into free agency, the others being what forward Brad Marchand — a trade deadline pickup who became an enormous part of the run to this Cup — and defenseman Aaron Ekblad will do going forward. The Bennett signing is another huge move by general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito, who now has eight players — all of them key parts of the team — under contract with the Panthers through at least the 2029-30 season. Bennett joins Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Seth Jones and Gustav Forsling on that list. The raise is a massive one for Bennett, who just finished the final year of a four-year contract that paid him just under $18 million. He had a postseason like almost none other; the only other player to have at least 15 goals and 48 penalty minutes in the same playoff run was Pittsburgh's Kevin Stevens in 1991. He had given indications throughout this offseason process — including at a nightclub during the Panthers' days-long initial Cup celebration — that he intended to remain in Florida, but nothing got officially done until Friday. Bennett is coming off perhaps his finest season, with 25 goals and 26 assists in the regular season for a career-best 51 points. ___ AP NHL:
Kuwait Times
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Panthers rout Oilers to capture second NHL Stanley Cup in a row
Panthers become the first NHL club since Tampa Bay to win back-to-back titles MIAMI: The Florida Panthers, powered by Sam Reinhart's four-goal effort, captured their second consecutive Stanley Cup on Tuesday, defeating Edmonton 5-1 to win the NHL Final. Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots while Matthew Tkachuk added a goal for the Panthers, who took the best-of-seven series 4-2. 'It's incredible,' Florida's Brad Marchand said. 'It's a feeling you can't really describe... words can't put this into reality how great it feels. Such an incredible group.' After claiming their first crown last year, the Panthers become the first NHL club since Tampa Bay in 2020-21 to win back-to-back titles. Florida beat Edmonton in seven games in last year's Stanley Cup final after squandering a 3-0 series lead, but this time dominated the last two games to hoist the trophy again. 'It's an amazing feeling,' Bobrovsky said. 'They are amazing, the group. I'm so privileged to be their goalie. It's a dream come true and to win that trophy twice, it's amazing.' Not since Montreal beat Boston in 1977 and 1978 had a team defeated the same foe in the final two years in a row. The Panthers, who also lost to Vegas in the 2023 final, obtained Tkachuk in a 2022 trade with Calgary and haven't missed the final since. 'We're a dynasty,' Tkachuk said. 'And I can't believe this is what has happened... It just shows how unbelievable the group is, the depth.' Reinhart became only the fourth player to score seven goals in an NHL Final after Jean Beliveau in 1956, Mike Bossy in 1982 and Wayne Gretzky in 1985. 'It's not easy coming back again,' Reinhart said. 'You know how hard it is to do. Sometimes that benefits you and sometimes it doesn't. 'We just stuck with it. A lot has to go your way to be standing here at the end. We were up to task again.' Florida players took turns skating a lap on the ice after the game with the trophy lifted above their heads. Florida center Sam Bennett, who scored five goals in the final, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup playoffs. 'It's incredible,' Bennett said. 'This was harder than last time. We put in so much work. There are 25 MVPs in this group. It's the best feeling in the world.' The Oilers, seeking their sixth crown overall, have not won the Cup since 1990. No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since Montreal in 1993. Marchand, obtained in a trade from Boston where he won a Cup in 2011, scored six goals in the Stanley Cup Final. 'We just had that fire,' Marchand said. 'We knew we had something special.' Florida became only the eighth NHL team to clinch the Cup on home ice in back-to-back seasons, the first since the Oilers in 1987 and 1988. Reinhart runs wild Just 4:36 into the game, Reinhart stole the puck from Edmonton's Evan Bouchard at the blue line, evaded defender Mattias Ekholm and beat Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner one-on-one to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. It was the 29-year-old Canadian right wing's league-leading 15th goal of the playoffs, coming a day after Reinhart was named to Canada's 2026 Winter Olympic team. Tkachuk, named to the 2026 US Olympic squad, made it 2-0 for the Panthers just 47 seconds before the end of the first period. Reinhart made it 3-0 with 2:29 remaining in the second period, deflecting in an Aleksander Barkov shot. The Oilers pulled Skinner in favor of an extra attacker in desperation and Reinhart made them pay by scoring two goals into the empty net. Vasily Podkolzin scored for Edmonton with 4:42 remaining to avert a shutout. — AFP
The 42
18-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Panthers rout Oilers to capture second NHL Stanley Cup in a row
THE FLORIDA PANTHERS, powered by Sam Reinhart's four-goal effort, captured their second consecutive Stanley Cup on Tuesday, defeating Edmonton 5-1 to win the NHL Final. Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots while Matthew Tkachuk added a goal for the Panthers, who took the best-of-seven series 4-2. 'It's incredible,' Florida's Brad Marchand said. 'It's a feeling you can't really describe… words can't put this into reality how great it feels. Such an incredible group.' After claiming their first crown last year, the Panthers become the first NHL club since Tampa Bay in 2020-21 to win back-to-back titles. Florida beat Edmonton in seven games in last year's Stanley Cup final after squandering a 3-0 series lead, but this time dominated the last two games to hoist the trophy again. 'It's an amazing feeling,' Bobrovsky said. 'They are amazing, the group. I'm so privileged to be their goalie. It's a dream come true and to win that trophy twice, it's amazing.' Advertisement Not since Montreal beat Boston in 1977 and 1978 had a team defeated the same foe in the final two years in a row. The Panthers, who also lost to Vegas in the 2023 final, obtained Tkachuk in a 2022 trade with Calgary and haven't missed the final since. 'We're a dynasty,' Tkachuk said. 'And I can't believe this is what has happened… It just shows how unbelievable the group is, the depth.' Reinhart became only the fourth player to score seven goals in an NHL Final after Jean Beliveau in 1956, Mike Bossy in 1982 and Wayne Gretzky in 1985. 'It's not easy coming back again,' Reinhart said. 'You know how hard it is to do. Sometimes that benefits you and sometimes it doesn't. 'We just stuck with it. A lot has to go your way to be standing here at the end. We were up to task again.' The Oilers, seeking their sixth crown overall, have not won the Cup since 1990. No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since Montreal in 1993. Marchand, obtained in a trade from Boston where he won a Cup in 2011, scored six goals in the Stanley Cup Final. 'We just had that fire,' Marchand said. 'We knew we had something special.' Florida became only the eighth NHL team to clinch the Cup on home ice in back-to-back seasons, the first since the Oilers in 1987 and 1988. Reinhart runs wild Just 4:36 into the game, Reinhart stole the puck from Edmonton's Evan Bouchard at the blue line, evaded defender Mattias Ekholm and beat Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner one-on-one to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. It was the 29-year-old Canadian right wing's league-leading 15th goal of the playoffs, coming a day after Reinhart was named to Canada's 2026 Winter Olympic team. Tkachuk, named to the 2026 US Olympic squad, made it 2-0 for the Panthers just 47 seconds before the end of the first period. Reinhart made it 3-0 with 2:29 remaining in the second period, deflecting in an Aleksander Barkov shot. The Oilers pulled Skinner in favor of an extra attacker in desperation and Reinhart made them pay by scoring two goals into the empty net. Vasily Podkolzin scored for Edmonton with 4:42 remaining to avert a shutout.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Panthers rout Oilers to capture second NHL Stanley Cup in a row
The Florida Panthers, powered by Sam Reinhart's four-goal effort, captured their second consecutive Stanley Cup on Tuesday, defeating Edmonton 5-1 to win the NHL Final. Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots while Matthew Tkachuk added a goal for the Panthers, who took the best-of-seven series 4-2. "It's incredible," Florida's Brad Marchand said. "It's a feeling you can't really describe... words can't put this into reality how great it feels. Such an incredible group." After claiming their first crown last year, the Panthers become the first NHL club since Tampa Bay in 2020-21 to win back-to-back titles. Florida beat Edmonton in seven games in last year's Stanley Cup final after squandering a 3-0 series lead, but this time dominated the last two games to hoist the trophy again. "It's an amazing feeling," Bobrovsky said. "They are amazing, the group. I'm so privleged to be their goalie. It's a dream come true and to win that trophy twice, it's amazing." Not since Montreal beat Boston in 1977 and 1978 had a team defeated the same foe in the final two years in a row. The Panthers, who also lost to Vegas in the 2023 final, obtained Tkachuk in a 2022 trade with Calgary and haven't missed the final since. "We're a dynasty," Tkachuk said. "And I can't believe this is what has happened... It just shows how unbelievable the group is, the depth." Reinhart became only the fourth player to score seven goals in an NHL Final after Jean Beliveau in 1956, Mike Bossy in 1982 and Wayne Gretzky in 1985. "It's not easy coming back again," Reinhart said. "You know how hard it is to do. Sometimes that benefits you and sometimes it doesn't. "We just stuck with it. A lot has to go your way to be standing here at the end. We were up to task again." Florida players took turns skating a lap on the ice after the game with the trophy lifted above their heads. Florida center Sam Bennett, who scored five goals in the final, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup playoffs. "It's incredible," Bennett said. "This was harder than last time. We put in so much work. There are 25 MVPs in this group. It's the best feeling in the world." The Oilers, seeking their sixth crown overall, have not won the Cup since 1990. No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since Montreal in 1993. Marchand, obtained in a trade from Boston where he won a Cup in 2011, scored six goals in the Stanley Cup Final. "We just had that fire," Marchand said. "We knew we had something special." Florida became only the eighth NHL team to clinch the Cup on home ice in back-to-back seasons, the first since the Oilers in 1987 and 1988. - Reinhart runs wild - Just 4:36 into the game, Reinhart stole the puck from Edmonton's Evan Bouchard at the blue line, evaded defender Mattias Ekholm and beat Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner one-on-one to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. It was the 29-year-old Canadian right wing's league-leading 15th goal of the playoffs, coming a day after Reinhart was named to Canada's 2026 Winter Olympic team. Tkachuk, named to the 2026 US Olympic squad, made it 2-0 for the Panthers just 47 seconds before the end of the first period. Reinhart made it 3-0 with 2:29 remaining in the second period, deflecting in an Aleksander Barkov shot. The Oilers pulled Skinner in favor of an extra attacker in desperation and Reinhart made them pay by scoring two goals into the empty net. Vasily Podkolzin scored for Edmonton with 4:42 remaining to avert a shutout. js/rcw
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett wins Conn Smythe Trophy
Panthers centre Sam Bennett was on Tuesday named the most valuable player of the 2025 postseason after Florida retained the Stanley Cup with a 5-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL Final in Sunrise, Florida. Although Bennett didn't record a point in the decisive game of the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final, he finished the series with five goals and one assist against the Oilers. His post-season totals included an NHL-best 15 goals and seven assists in 2025. — NHL (@NHL) by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Elegant New Scooters For Seniors In 2024: The Prices May Surprise You Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Learn More Undo Bennett also set a new NHL record with 13 road goals in a single post-season, finding the net in each of the Panthers' final six away games. The 28-year-old Bennett enjoyed a career-best regular season with 25 goals and 26 assists. Over 11 NHL seasons and 691 games with the Calgary Flames (2014–15 to 2020–21) and Florida Panthers (2020–21 to present), he has tallied 162 goals and 174 assists. Live Events — NHL (@NHL) Florida's postseason success was driven by balanced scoring, with six players reaching at least 20 playoff points. Sam Reinhart led the way with 11 goals and 12 assists, tied at 23 points with Carter Verhaeghe (7G, 16A) and Matthew Tkachuk (8G, 15A). Aleksander Barkov (6G, 16A) and Bennett (15G, 7A) each had 22 points, while Brad Marchand contributed 10 goals and 10 assists.
