From the frozen ice to the hot and steamy Florida Keys: the Stanley Cup and general manager for the back-to-back champions in the Florida Panthers had quite the memorable weekend in Islamorada.
A tradition unique to the National Hockey League sees members of the championship organization getting the chance to spend time with the shiny, yet hefty trophy. On June 17, the Panthers secured a second straight Stanley Cup, beating the Edmonton Oilers in game six.
Last weekend, it was Panthers General Manager Bill Zito’s turn to take the Stanley Cup on an adventure. He went Keys-style by spending some time in Islamorada.
The cup stopped at several notable establishments, including Florida Keys Brewing Co., Key Lime Pie Factory and Papa Joe’s. The Stanley Cup and Zito also stopped by to see some marine mammals at Theater of the Sea. Video captured of the visit saw a sea lion enjoying some food out of the cup. There were also some acrobatics on display by dolphins.
The visit was capped off with a stop to the sandbar off Whale Harbor. Many people enjoying the day in the knee-deep water came by to get a glimpse and snap a photo as the cup basked in the sun for a few hours.
As Zito said on X, “Everyone in the Keys wanted to see the cup.”
