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Watch: Aleksander Barkov makes 4 A.M. surprise visit to neighbor to offer glimpse of coveted Stanley Cup

Modified Jun 28, 2024 07:12 GMT

Aleksander Barkov, captain of the Florida Panthers, led his team to their first Stanley Cup win on Monday. After losing in the final last year to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in seven games this year, sealing the title with a 2-1 win at Amerant Bank Arena.

NHL insider Paul Castronovo, who used to be Barkov's neighbor, shared a video of the Panthers captain visiting his current neighbor at 4 AM to show him the Stanley Cup.

"So I’ve mentioned that @Barkovsasha95 has been my neighbor for about 10 years. Well, we moved out a few months ago, then the @FlaPanthers win the cup. Who shows up knocking on my buddies door at 4am??? Lord Stanley and the Captain himself!” Castronovo shared on X.

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Aleksander Barkov is the first Finland-born captain to lift a Stanley Cup

Aleksander Barkov became the first Finland-born captain to lead his team to a Stanley Cup win. He played an important role in the playoffs, shutting down top players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Barkov's defensive skills were crucial, as he limited other top scorers like Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak and Artemi Panarin.

After lifting the Stanley Cup, the elated captain said:

“It was our dream and now it’s our reality. It’s a great honor, Finland is a huge, huge hockey country and there have been a lot of great captains from Finland.” [H/T NHL.com]

Teammates, including Matthew Tkachuk, praised Barkov's leadership and contributions.

“Best teammate I've ever had,” Tkachuk said. “Best player. Best leader. So thankful that I'm able to ride shotgun with him on occasion. He's the real deal and I'm so happy for him. He's been here for a long time, through the ups and downs, and he deserves this as much as anybody. We're going to party hard tonight.” [H/T NHL.com]

Florida forward Kyle Okposo also praised Aleksander Barkov's exceptional hockey abilities. He pointed out Barkov's unique combination of skills and mindset that sets him apart from other players.

“He's just phenomenal,” Okposo said. “I don't have the physical gifts to do what he does, but just the way that he thinks about the game, you don't see many players that have that, that are so talented offensively as well.” [H/T NHL.com]

Barkov scored 80 points during the regular season and 22 during the postseason which included eight goals and 14 assists.