Panthers' Stanley Cup handoff goes from Barkov to Schmidt

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Nate Schmidt knew what was coming and Aleksander Barkov didn’t have to say a word.

“He just looked at me,” Schmidt said. “Then he gave me the 'cap’ death stare. You don’t turn those eyes away.”

He didn’t and just like that, the Florida Panthers captain was handing him the Stanley Cup first after getting if from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

“It was the best lap of hockey I’ve ever had in my life,” the veteran defenseman said. “I can’t believe that we are here. I’m just so proud of this group and so happy to be here.”

Schmidt was the first of many Panthers who were holding the Stanley Cup for the first time. After he had his turn with it he gave it to Seth Jones, another longtime NHL defenseman. It then went to forward Tomas Nosek, goalie Vitek Vanecek, forward A.J. Greer, forward Jesper Boqvist, forward Mackie Samoskevich, defenseman Uvis Balinskis, defenseman Jaycob Megna and third-string goalie Evan Cormier.

“There are a lot of guys who play a ton of minutes, that have done it, that are the heartbeat of the team,” Schmidt, 33, said. “And for them to give it to us where, you know, captain, gives it to me and Nosek and ‘Jonesy’ and all down the line, it’s such a selfless act.

“Honestly, it's really impressive.”

Barkov, who last season became the first Finnish captain to lead his team to the Stanley Cup, said the decision to give the Cup to Schmidt first was the payoff for all the work he and some of the other first-timers put in for Florida.

“We knew those guys haven’t won yet, and they came here to do that,” Barkov said. “They put so much effort to that and we’re really happy to see winning and lifting the Cup.”

The moment was extra special for Schmidt and Nosek, who went to the Cup Final with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018 only to lose to the Washington Capitals in five games.

They each signed with the Panthers as free agents last offseason.

The Panthers are Schmidt’s fifth team in an NHL career that started with the Washington Capitals in the 2013-14 season, saw him go the Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, play three seasons in Vegas before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 12, 2020, then traded again to the Winnipeg Jets on July 27, 2021, before singing with Florida on July 3, 2024.

Nosek, 32, began his career with the Detroit Red Wings, was also claimed by the Golden Knights in the expansion draft, then signed with the Boston Bruins as a free agent on July 28, 2021, then with the New Jersey Devils on July 19, 2023, before signing with Florida on July 1 of last year.

“Me and Nate played together in Vegas, we lost in that Final, so it was a special moment for us to get a chance to win together after seven years,” Nosek said. “It's amazing, and it's crazy how sometimes hockey works.”

After Cormier had the Cup, he gave it to starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, and then it went to forward Brad Marchand, defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, defenseman Aaron Ekblad, forward Sam Reinhart, center Sam Bennett, forward Matthew Tkachuk, defenseman Gustav Forsling, forward Carter Verhaeghe, forward Evan Rodrigues, defenseman Niko Mikkola, forward Eetu Luostarinen, center Anton Lundell, forward Jonah Gadjovich and forward Nico Sturm before it went to general manager Bill Zito, owner Vincent Viola and coach Paul Maurice.

Schmidt, who had 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 23 Stanley Cup Playoff games after finishing the regular season with 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 80 games, was still glowing nearly an hour after he first hoisted the Cup.

“It’s surreal,” Schmidt said. “I I don’t’ really know what to feel; laugh, cry, slide on the ice with my belly out. I don’t know. It’s just amazing.”