There aren’t many in the Florida Panthers organization who have endured as much with the team for as long as defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
Selected first overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, Ekblad has spent his entire professional career with Florida. Only Panthers captain Sasha Barkov has spent more time with the franchise.
As it stands, Ekblad has had some ups and downs during his tenure in South Florida, but his consistent, steady play on the back end has played a big role in the franchise’s turnaround.
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Having a reliable, smooth-skating defenseman with high-level offensive skills isn’t easy to come by at the highest level, and Ekblad has been all that and more during his decade in the NHL.
Given his experience and time with the Panthers, Ekblad’s appreciation for what the team accomplished last season…
On Saturday, it was Ekblad’s turn for 24 hours with the Stanley Cup.
Like many of his teammates before him, Ekblad spent much of the day sharing the Cup with his hometown community.
The fun started early Saturday morning, with fans lining up as early as 6:45 a.m. for an event at the Atlas Tube Recreation Center in Belle River that began hours later. according to NHL.com.
“Amazing,” Ekblad told NHL.com“I think a lot of them realize the importance of having someone in town competing and being there, and they were probably sitting in front of their TVs cheering me on at one point or another. Being able to return the favor and that feeling of passing it on to the crowd was a cool experience.”
The 28-year-old ended his Copa day surrounded by close friends and family, sitting by the fire.
His teammate Sam Bennett was among those who stood with Ekblad and the Cup, by George Richards of Florida Hockey Now on X.
You can watch Ekblad’s FHN video of Saturday’s Cup festivities below:
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