A pair of Florida Panthers made an appearance on a national television morning show this week.
Good Morning America correspondent Victor Oquendo and ABC Miami’s Josh Moser were at the Baptist Health IcePlex on Friday Morning.
They had a chance to catch up with Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe and defenseman Aaron Ekblad from a perch overlooking the team’s practice ice.
“They’ve built a world class facility here,” Verhaeghe said when asked by Oquendo about the new facility. “With the two rinks, our gym, our room, it’s honestly amazing. We’re practicing sometimes and the kids are up on the glass asking for pucks, bringing us signs and everything like that, and it’s really special. The support from the community is unbelievable.”
During the interview, a junior hockey camp featuring South Florida youngsters draped in Panthers gear was taking place on the ice below.
When the kids were done, Ekblad and Verhaeghe were set to hit the ice for a workout.
It’s part of the offseason process as the Panthers will be pushing for the extremely rare and elusive three-peat.
“The last few seasons have been amazing,’’ Verhaeghe said. “Going to the finals, winning back-to-back (championships). We’ve built something special here, with all the guys, and the fans are on board. It’s really something special here.”
While Verhaeghe has reached the postseason in each of his five seasons with the Panthers, it hasn’t been pleasant of a path for Ekblad.
A foundational piece of Florida’s core, Ekblad’s Panthers reached the playoffs just once during his first five seasons after making the leap to the NHL as an 18-year-old first overall pick in 2014.
“We have been through plenty of ups-and-downs as a franchise, and to be where we’re at now is pretty special,” said Ekblad. “The fans and everybody in the community are behind us, all the way through two championships and three Stanley Cup Final (appearances) and we’re trying to build on that every day.”
You can check out the full segment by clicking here.
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