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The Florida Panthers have managed to keep pretty busy while celebrating their Stanley Cup victory, and sleep has been few and far between for at least one player based on what Matthew Tkachuk had to say about the toll the festivities have taken.
On Monday, the Florida Panthers were able to avoid a reverse sweep at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers with a 2-1 win in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals that brought the iconic trophy to Sunshine for the first time in the team’s 30-year history.
Most players who’ve earned hockey’s ultimate prize would tell you it’s difficult to describe the feeling that comes with realizing you’ve won the Stanley Cup, although it’s obviously accompanied by a surge of euphoria that can provide some much-needed energy after the hard-fought battle you need to endure to secure it.
Prior to Monday night, Vladimir Tarasenko and Carter Verhaeghe were the only players on the Panthers who’d had the chance to experience that feeling, but the rest of the roster was welcomed into the fold—including star forward Matthew Tkachuk, who was understandably emotional while celebrating the win with his family on the ice.
The Panthers wasted no time making the rounds with the Stanley Cup, which made an appearance in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday before ending up at a popular nightclub in Miami on Wednesday night. Aleksander Barkov also woke some of his neighbors up at 4 A.M. in the immediate wake of the victory so they could get a moment with the trophy, and they’re not the only ones who’ve seen their sleep impacted thanks to the Stanley Cup.
On Thursday, Tkachuk revealed he’s slept a grand total of three hours since Monday night, which is pretty impressive when you consider more than 60 hours elapsed between the start of Game 7 and the time he shared that piece of information (I have no idea if he’s a Pregame Nap Guy, so it’s not entirely clear when that three-day period officially commenced).
Matthew Tkachuk told CBS Sports that he’s slept about three hours in three days.
— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) June 27, 2024
I can only hope Tkachuk manages to get some much-needed shuteye before the Panthers hold their victory parade in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, as he’s definitely going to want to make sure he’s well-rested before the procession kicks off.