Panthers' Kyle Okposo devastated after public Stanley Cup appearance gets called off due to Global IT outage

By Evan Bell

Modified Jul 19, 2024 15:18 GMT

Former Florida Panthers winger Kyle Okposo was set to have his day with the Stanley Cup on Friday; however, due to a global IT outage that has impacted airlines and businesses, the Stanley Cup is stuck in St. Louis. The delay marks just one of many as a result of the global IT outage, which has impacted computers running Windows OS.

The news was broken early Friday morning by NHL insider Michael Russo, who revealed that Okposo would be unable to make a public appearance with the Stanley Cup at Pagel Arena in Minnesota.

According to Russo's report, Okposo was devastated by the delay and the cancellation of his event at Pagel Arena. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he relayed an update on the situation:

"'I’m crushed,' a very disappointed Okposo tells me. They’re currently trying to figure out how to get the Cup here so Okposo can still have some semblance of his day with the Cup."

It's unclear who is scheduled to have their day with the Cup next or if the team will be able to push back Kyle Okposo's day with the Cup to a later date once the Cup can complete its journey to Minnesota. In the meantime, fans planning to see the Cup at Pagel Arena will likely miss out on a chance to do so on Friday.

How Matthew Tkachuk spent his day with the Stanley Cup before Kyle Okposo's day in Minnesota

As previously mentioned, the Stanley Cup is currently stuck in St. Louis and is unable to complete its trip to Minnesota as of Friday morning. The Cup was last seen in the possession of Matthew Tkachuk, who spent his day with the Cup in St. Louis, visiting with friends and family.

His day with the Cup was chronicled on his Instagram story, where he shared photos. It started with the Stanley Cup Champion waking up to the Cup on his doorstep, before then traveling all around St. Louis.

His first destination was the Brentwood Police Department, followed by the Brentwood Fire Department, where first responders celebrated Tkachuk's special day. The winger then carried the cup to St. Louis Children's Hospital to convey joy to the children being treated there.

There, Tkachuk posed for photos with children and their families, injecting some joy into their day with an experience they likely won't forget. After his stop at the St. Louis Children's Hospital, Tkachuk took the Cup to Chaminade College Preparatory School, where he and NBA star Jayson Tatum went to high school.

Later, Tkachuk took the cup to several local establishments before hitting the Anheuser-Busch Brewery to wrap up his big day. While the Cup was supposed to travel to Minnesota, there have been no further updates on Kyle Okposo's day with the Cup.