The Florida Panthers avoided a historic collapse to win the Stanley Cup on Monday night, and Matthew Tkachuk had a hard time describing what the accomplishment felt like.
Tkachuk was interviewed on the ice following Florida’s 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. The star forward seemed to be in genuine disbelief and could barely string sentences together.
“It’s not a dream anymore. It’s not a dream, it’s reality. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it,” Tkachuk said. “I can’t believe how good these two years have been. I’m so thankful for this group of guys. It’s the best place, best guys … it’s something really special here with what we have.”
"It's not a dream, it's reality"
MATTHEW TKACHUK IS A STANLEY CUP CHAMPION pic.twitter.com/OrGhKyqKlD
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 25, 2024
The Panthers came close to winning it all last year, but they lost 4-1 to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Finals. They then jumped out to a 3-0 series lead over Edmonton this year before losing three straight, so you can understand the range of emotions Tkachuk and his teammates must have gone through over the past several days.
Tkachuk also just watched one of his close friends win an NBA title, which probably made the experience that much more surreal for the 26-year-old.
