Panthers bring Stanley Cup to U.S. Military Academy at West Point

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Aleksander Barkov was preparing to make a speech, but when he raised the Stanley Cup and heard the loud cheers, he quickly realized just four words would do.

“Go Army! Beat Navy!” the Florida Panthers captain shouted throughout Washington Hall at the U.S. Military Academy on Friday.

That got more cheers from the thousands of cadets and others who were in the mess hall having lunch, one of the many highlights of the Stanley Cup champions’ visit to the alma mater of their owner, Vincent Viola.

On a picture-perfect day in the Hudson Valley, the Stanley Cup and the men and women of the organization that won it last spring shined brighter than the fall foliage, touring the academy, mingling with the cadets and visiting some of the historic spots on the breathtaking campus.

“As an American, I have so much appreciation for the Army, for everybody in the military,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said while standing at Trophy Point, the Hudson River providing a perfect backdrop to his question-and-answer session. “But to come here and see it firsthand and just kind of see what they do on a daily basis here, go through their day, it’s been incredible.”

The Panthers’ traveling party, which featured the players, PR staff, team media and front-office staff, arrived in West Point around 11 a.m., coming from New York City after their 4-1 win against the New York Rangers on Thursday.

Viola, a Class of 1977 graduate, is one of four members of the Panthers’ executive team that graduated from West Point. Also there Friday were team president and CEO Matt Caldwell, Class of 2002, chief operating officer Bryce Hollweg, and vice president, programming and development Keith Fine, class of 2008.

“This is truly special,” Hollweg said. “After graduating in 2008, this is my first time back to West Point. And to do it with the team and the Stanley Cup and Army hockey’s home opener (on Friday night).

“This couldn’t be more special.”

After their arrival, the Panthers’ traveling party went to the Thayer Award Room, where Lt. General Steve Gillen, the West Point superintendent, and members of the cadet leadership team presented the Panthers with a cadet sabre. The Panthers, in turn, presented the cadet leaders with a signed jersey and Gillen with a signed stick.

From there the Panthers went to the Washington Hall steps to watch lunch formation before everyone went inside for lunch, but first the players and executives headed up to the Poop deck, a balcony above the mess hall, where Barkov and Tkachuk raised the Cup.

It was a moment that was surreal for Caldwell.

“I spent many breakfasts and lunches in that mess hall,” Caldwell said. "And I always see dignitaries, famous people I know (on the Poop deck) … and I remember being a cadet and being like ‘wow, it must be pretty cool to get up there.’ And here we are and I’m standing there with Vinny and ‘Sasha’ Barkov and Aaron Ekblad and Matthew.

“Sasha was going to make a speech, but then he lifted the Cup and didn’t have to make any speech, the place just went nuts. I said ‘Sasha, you don’t have to say anything, the Stanley Cup on its own is so exciting.’”

During lunch, the players sat amongst the cadets and members of the Army Hockey Team. Others cadets lined up to get their picture taken with the Stanley Cup, while one brought a Tkachuk Panthers jersey to be autographed by its namesake.

Tkachuk said the players can take a lot away from their visit.

“Learning what they do here, really just building character and they are building leaders here,” Tkachuk said. “Talking with them about how they are studying and training and how they look at it, we can learn a lot from them and try to take it into our sport.”

After checking out a few training areas, the Panthers gathered on The Plain for a team photo with the Stanley Cup and a statue of George Washington behind them.

Then it was a walk to Trophy Point for another photo with the Cup and a brief history lesson about the academy.

The stop at West Point is part of what is a whirlwind trip for the Panthers. They play at the New York Islanders on Saturday, then travel to Buffalo for a game against the Sabres on Monday. Following that game, they will charter to Helsinski, where they will play two games next weekend against the Dallas Stars in the 2024 NHL Global Series Finland Presented by Fastenal.

Despite the travel demands, Caldwell said the players loved every minute of the trip to West Point on their off day.

"I keep thanking them. They are in between games, it’s an off day and we’re starting the season," Caldwell said, "and their response has been, 'wow, we should be thanking you, this place is magical.'"