It took Florida coach Paul Maurice 30 years to get a Stanley Cup championship ring. After receiving the box holding his new ring on Monday, he had to wait about 30 minutes before he could finally see it.
The reason for the wait was that the Panthers wanted everyone in the organization to open their rings together. It was worth it.
The Panthers gave out many rings at a private ceremony on Monday to celebrate last season’s Stanley Cup win. This included players, coaches, team executives, and members of the athletic training and medical staff.
However, owners Vincent and Teresa Viola had one rule: since they believed everyone contributed to winning the Cup, everyone had to open their boxes at the same time.
“No peeking,” Vincent Viola said while handing out the rings that their family designed. The rings included 617 gemstones, mostly diamonds, weighing 15.6 carats, all set in yellow gold. Inside the band was an image of a rat, a reference to the plastic toys that fans throw onto the ice after wins.
“It’s incredible. I’ve never seen a piece of jewelry like this in my entire life,” said Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk. “I unfortunately can’t keep the Stanley Cup in my possession at all times. But this will remind me of that each and every day, and it’s incredible.”
Even the ring boxes were special: the inside of the lid has a video screen that shows highlights of last year’s Cup journey, with a small light shining on the spot where the ring sits.
“You can just tell the love they put into making it,” said Panthers hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito, proudly showing his ring. “It’s really humbling and special.”
Executives and staff received their rings first in small groups, and then it was the players’ turn. The Violas wanted the players to come up one by one so they could express their gratitude.
Vincent Viola also hinted to team captain Aleksander Barkov that he’d like to have another ring ceremony a year from now. “We gotta go for No. 2, right?” he told Barkov.
The ceremony continued with messages of thanks and congratulations while a spotlight shone on the Stanley Cup, placed on a table just a few feet from where the red boxes containing the rings were lined up.
To Tkachuk, Viola said, “God bless you.” To Sam Reinhart, who scored 57 regular-season goals and the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, he said, “you chose us, we’re blessed, and we’re humbled.”
To potential free agent Carter Verhaeghe, Viola promised that he would always remain a Panther, showing Florida’s intention to keep him.
Viola also shared a story about how Sam Bennett is his granddaughter’s favorite player. He recalled how Bennett confidently told her at the start of last season that the Panthers were going to win the Stanley Cup.
“You were right,” Viola said. “I never forgot you said that … you were the soul of this team.”
The celebrations have been nearly nonstop since Florida defeated Edmonton 2-1 on June 24 to win the franchise’s first championship, and they will wrap up on Tuesday.
The Panthers will raise their Stanley Cup championship banner in a ceremony before hosting the Boston Bruins in the regular season opener for both teams.
The Violas exchanged their rings last, and then a 10-second countdown took place before everyone opened their boxes. This ended a ceremony that was originally planned to be open to the public but was changed due to concerns about the approaching Hurricane Milton.
“To get this ring, this is the cherry on top,” Bennett said. “It’s a great way to start the new season.”
