FORT LAUDERDALE – For the first time since they hoisted the Stanley Cup in June, the defending champion Florida Panthers will take the ice at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday. Kicking off the preseason with their annual doubleheader against the Nashville Predators, Game 1 is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, while Game 2 will get underway at 6 p.m. ET.

It was an unbelievable feeling,” Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen said. “I think every player lived for that moment and we’re here to work for it.”

The Stanley Cup is still making its championship tour of South Florida. It was on a basketball court with the Miami Heat this week, is going somewhere else on Thursday and there’s a few more appearances to make after that.

“We'll be very sure that our day is completely focused on what we're doing, not living in the past, and maybe more importantly, that whole hangover idea of not living in the future,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.

NHL veteran Kyle Okposo was traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Florida Panthers in hopes of getting the 36-year-old his first Stanley Cup. Not only did the Panthers go on to win the Cup, but Okposo gets to go out on top.

The Florida Panthers pose with the Stanley Cup after beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday, June 24, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. Matias J. Ocner [email protected]

Kyle Okposo is going out as a Stanley Cup champion. Okposo, who played 17 seasons in the NHL and finished that run as part of the Florida team that won a title last season, announced his retirement on Thursday.

Kyle Okposo announced his retirement from the NHL on Thursday after 17 seasons. The 36-year-old forward retires after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season. Okposo had 22 points (12 goals,

We’ll make very sure that our day is completely focused on what we’re doing, not living in the past, and then, maybe more importantly, the ‘hangover idea,’ not living in the future.’