When the puck drops Wednesday night, a heated divisional rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers will resume in full force, but for one afternoon, it was all love between the two clubs.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Steven Lorentz and Anthony Stolarz all won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers last season, and received their Cup rings with their former teammates in attendance. The elation and awe was written all over the new Maple Leafs’ faces, as they celebrated the zenith of their careers before Wednesday’s game.
“It was great. A lot of emotions seeing the guys and going through what you went through last year, the battles of the group, a lot of emotions but also a lot of fun,” Ekman-Larsson said of the experience via Rob Darragh of FloridaPanthers.com.
Ekman-Larsson recorded nine goals and 32 points in 80 games during his lone season with the Panthers, adding two goals and six points in 24 playoff games, before signing a four-year contract worth $3.5 million annually with the Maple Leafs in July.
Stolarz effectively served as one of the NHL’s premier backups, sitting behind Sergei Bobrovsky, before joining the Maple Leafs on a two-year deal worth $2.5 million annually.
Lorentz notched a goal and three points in 38 regular season games, then added two goals and three points in 16 playoff games. He joined his hometown Maple Leafs on a professional tryout agreement, then signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the team in October after a stellar training camp.
“We didn’t know how it was going to go, if they were going to get shipped or if we were going to do something like last night when we got into town. But, yeah, it was definitely worth the wait to be able to see everyone, shake everyone’s hands and give everyone hugs and stuff like that,” Lorentz said to David Alter of The Hockey News.
It was a truly special moment and Panthers head coach Paul Maurice happily reflected on the occasion.
“It’s the three guys coming over to get their rings today,” Maurice said. “Whether I get to see them here today or get to see them on the ice, you’ll lock eyes and there will be a little smile and a flood of memories. What an incredible time. You get to keep that. You don’t walk around all day thinking about that stuff, but then every once in a while you get this surprise reminder. You get this 30-second warm bath that you slip into about how nice that was last year.”
It’s a special moment for all three players, and it effectively brings some closure to their Panthers’ tenures. Toronto and Florida are competing again for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, and all pleasantries and fond moments are now in the rearview.