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In Photos: Panthers' Aleksander Barkov, Niko Mikkola, and others honored by Finland President Alex Stubb post Stanley Cup success
The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in the final. Captain Aleksander Barkov became the first Finnish captain to win the Stanley Cup. Finland's President Alex Stubb congratulated Barkov and his teammates, Niko Mikkola, Anton Lundell, and Eetu Luostarinen, in a special ceremony.
On Tuesday, President Stubb shared pictures from the joyous events on Instagram. One picture showed Barkov signing his Panthers jersey and presenting it to President Stubb. In another photo, the president proudly held the jersey.
Mikkola, a Florida defenseman, was also featured in the photographs. The event also included the players' wives.
"A joy and honor to host the Finnish Stanley Cup winners. Nice group of people. That's a tremendous accomplishment. We are proud to be. It's nice that Grandpa-Göran was there," Stubb wrote. "An honour to host our Finnish Stanley Cup winners. Great gang. We are so proud of you guys. Nice to have my Dad around the table."
Aleksander Barkov on Panthers extending Anto Lundell and Sam Reinhart's contracts
In July, Florida re-signed forwards Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart to long-term contracts. Team captain Aleksander Barkov praised these moves to keep a successful core together.
"It’s a really big deal whenever you can keep together the same core which has become successful, especially for a long time. That’s the thing, the more players there are, who have gone through the same thing," Barkov said via The Hockey News.
Barkov also talked about Lundell's impressive playoff performance and his crucial role in their Stanley Cup victory.
“He’s a center, so I’m not often on the ice at the same time as him, but he’s a really big part of the team. In the playoffs, he rose to a whole new level and had an incredible spring. He’s a really big reason why we won the Stanley Cup,” Barkov added.
Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk's mouthpiece and skates from Aleksander Barkov and Lundell at HOHF
Matthew Tkachuk’s chewed-up mouthpiece from the 2024 Stanley Cup Final is on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. It’s part of a collection from the Florida Panthers’ championship season. Tkachuk is known for chewing on his mouthpiece during games, and he usually uses a few each season.
The exhibit also included jerseys worn by Aaron Ekblad and Sergei Bobrovsky and sticks used by Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Gustav Forsling, and Vladimir Tarasenko. Other items are Bobrovsky's goalie gloves and water bottle, Sam Reinhart’s helmet, and skates from Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell.
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