FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – After a dominating performance on home ice, the Florida Panthers clinched their second consecutive Stanley Cup Tuesday night. To ring in the big win with players, fans gathered outside of the iconic Elbo Room Beach Bar on Fort Lauderdale Beach, hoping to get a glimpse of the players and the Stanley Cup.
Fans started to line up outside of the Elbo Room. located at 241 S. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., from Tuesday night in hopes of the Fort Lauderdale venue being the hub of a one-of-a-kind celebration. Since then, the crowd has only increased in size.
The Panthers have already proven that they know how to have a good time when they celebrated at the hot spot last year. Late Tuesday night, the owner of the Elbo Room told 7News that the bar is the team’s good luck charm.
Fans awaited the players’ arrival in hopes of kicking off the celebratory weekend into high-gear, Panthers style, with the traditions of nonstop beer and champagne showers from the Cats.
“Elbo Room, South Florida, It doesn’t get any better,” said one fan as others took in the moment. “It’s awesome, it’s back to back. I don’t know ,it’s unexplainable. I hope I can be here next year and do the same thing and ‘three-peat,’ but it’s history.”
“I’m definitely waiting it out. Why wouldn’t I?” said another fan.
It’s a wait that would pay off. Team captain Aleksander Barkov unexpectedly stopped by in an unmarked police car around 7 a.m. Wednesday,before the bar was even open, getting out of the vehicle with the Cup in hand.
The bar opened about an hour later, and Barkov briefly hung out with fans and even stopped for some photos and interviews.
Barkov reportedly told fans he’d be back, adding to the anticipation as many await him and his teammates arrival.
“We were walking down the street, my dad was like, ‘Yo, lets go get some coffee’. All of a sudden, they were yelling ‘Barkov, Barkov,’ so we come sprinting by, and he’s outside hoisting the Cup,” said a fan. “He comes out of the car — he comes out for like a good minute, minute and a half — and then he’s taking like interviews, he keep his door open, and he’s talking with the fans for a good two minutes, and then he closes it. And off into oblivion. I don’t know where he went. I’m not going to lie.”
Barkov kept his promise. He and his fellow teammates were escorted by police to a much larger crowd than before.
7News cameras captured Panthers players Gustav Forsling and Matthew Tkachuk on the Elbo Room’s balcony as they used the Stanley Cup to pour beer onto the crowd below.
Tkachuk reveled in the Cats glory and showed his appreciation for the fans.
“This is what it’s all about here, back-to-back champions; it gets better each and every year. They’re the reason we’re able to do what we do, so I appreciate them so much,” he said. “It’s been a blast. The sun came out early today, and we’re just going to keep the party going.”
Fans lucky enough to celebrate with the Cats spoke on their experience.
“One of the nicest guys ever. It’s organic, it’s good conversation with them, it’s awesome, it’s good for the city. I’m over the moon right now,” said a fan.
“It was amazing. It was so cool. It was worth getting up at 4:50 a.m. this morning,” said another fan.
And when 7New’s Alex Browning asked fans whether they have any plans on leaving, they gave mixed reviews, some stuck between their obligations.
“No, definitely not. We’re staying here. We’re definitely staying here,” said a fan.
“I unfortunately have to work at 8:30 a.m., but my boyfriend will be here all day, and some of my friends will be here all day. That’s why I wanted an early morning start before work,” said another fan.
Players and fans celebrated together for hours, a rarity in major sports.
“Other sports, it’s like sacred. No one can touch the [NBA’s] Larry O’Brien [Championship Trophy], no one can touch the [NFL’s Vince] Lombardi, but they’re pouring beer from the Stanley Cup to the fans. It’s the best tradition,” said a fan on the balcony of the Elbo Room.
Planthers players left the Elbo Room in a gold cart, Stanley Cup in tow, as they headed down Las Oals Boulevard with a police escort, before they pulled into Tkachuk’s home on Fort Lauderdale Beach for a much-needed break.
The celebration won’t stop here, as plans for The Panthers’ championship parade are underway. Fans are invited to join the festivities along the parade route, which will most likely roll down A1A and Riomar Street like last year.
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