Wayne Gretzky Applauded Panthers' Classy Move for First-Time Stanley Cup Winners

Florida celebrated its milestone win in style.

Nate Schmidt controls the puck during Game 5 against the Oilers. / Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Over the last decade, back-to-back champions have become a bit of a habit in the NHL.

The Florida Panthers downed the Edmonton Oilers 5–1 Tuesday to win Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, joining the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017 and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021 as recent back-to-back winners. Accordingly, many players on the Panthers' roster already had a Cup victory to their name in 2024.

When it came time to hoist the Stanley Cup, then, Florida's returnees ceded first dibs on the trophy to those winning the Cup for the first time.

All the first-time Cup winners got to take a spin before everyone else 🥹 pic.twitter.com/XLmPnxcRYK

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 18, 2025

That supremely sporting move drew praise from TNT analyst and Hall of Fame center Wayne Gretzky.

"It just shows you how unique this hockey club is that they’ve handed the trophy to every first-time player," Gretzky said on the broadcast. "I thought for sure (left wing Brad) Marchand would be the first guy to get it, but they went completely the opposite direction and made sure the guys that had never won it before got to lift the Stanley Cup first. That just shows you the uniqueness of their team."

Notable first-time winners included 12-year veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt, one-time Columbus Blue Jackets star defenseman Seth Jones (whose father has an NBA title as a Denver Nuggets assistant), and well-traveled goalie Vitek Vanecek.

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