Ekblad savors Cup day with fans at rink near Windsor

LAKESHORE, Ontario -- Fans were supposed to arrive at 8 a.m. Saturday to see Aaron Ekblad bring home the Stanley Cup, but the first showed up about 6:45. The line snaked inside Atlas Tube Recreation Centre and stretched outside onto the sidewalk.

When the Florida Panthers defenseman appeared about 8:45, fans cheered and held up phones. Ekblad raised the Cup and smiled for photos, then lowered it and walked along the line.

"Can we touch it?" a mother asked.

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "Why not?"

"Touch it! Touch it!" the mother yelled.

Kids held out their hands and felt the silver trophy that now has Ekblad's name on it.

"Amazing," Ekblad said. "I think a lot of them realize the importance of somebody in the city competing and being there and probably were sitting in front of their TVs rooting for me at some point or another. …  To be able to give it back to them and that feeling of bringing it through the crowd was a cool experience."

Players traditionally receive a day to spend with the Cup after they win it. Ekblad chose to bring it here. He was born in Windsor, Ontario, and spent much of his childhood about 30 minutes east in Belle River, a community in Lakeshore on the south shore of Lake St. Clair.

He played minor hockey in Belle River and AAA hockey for the Sun County Panthers, a team that drew players from Essex County, before leaving at 15 to play junior hockey for Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League.

"My husband and I reflect back on what our life was like, and it was great," said Lisa Ekblad, his mother. "People used to say, 'Oh, you're on the road every weekend with this minor hockey.' But we loved it. We met lots of great people, and we're still friends with them. I never begrudged it one bit. Not once."

Florida selected Ekblad with the No. 1 pick of the 2014 NHL Draft, and he went through so much in his first 10 seasons with the Panthers afterward. The Calder Trophy winner, voted the NHL rookie of the year. Tough seasons. Good seasons. Injuries. Surgeries. Losing in the Stanley Cup Final in 2022-23. Finally, winning the Cup last season.

"For my first nine years in the League, you almost felt like it was impossible, right?" Ekblad said. "It's so hard to do, and so few do it. … To understand that and feel the weight of what we've done and how amazing it is to be a champion and win this trophy is incredible."

Now the 28-year-old stood in a facility not far from the old arena in which he grew up playing, sharing the Cup with kids dreaming the same dream he once did.

"Honestly, it brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it," said Dave Ekblad, his father, eyes welling up. "It's all been an emotional roller coaster here. It's been a long, long road. Injuries. Countless other things. This is the culmination of everything. Not everybody gets a chance to do this. It's been an incredible ride."

Ekblad posed for fan photos with the Cup from 9 a.m. until he got to everyone about 10:45. He didn't sign autographs. On the way out, kids received an autographed 5-by-7 photo of Ekblad hoisting the Cup. To make sure he would keep the line moving, he had signed 1,000 photos ahead of time.

A 12-year-old defenseman named Owen Sutton wore a Sun County Panthers jersey that looked like a Florida Panthers jersey, with "SUN COUNTY" on the crest where "FLORIDA" usually is.

"He's, like, my idol, because we played on the same team growing up, and we're both defensemen," Sutton said.

After meeting Ekblad in person, Sutton walked into the lobby. There was a life-sized photo of Ekblad hoisting the Cup with the head cut out. Sutton stuck his head through it and smiled for a photo.

"Seeing him, it's really cool, knowing that that could be me someday," Sutton said.

You never know.

"Really cool," Ekblad said. "Growing up a Panther and being a Panther now, it's really cool. It's a fun, kind of full-circle moment. To see a lot of the old faces from the city has been really cool. It's been incredible experience and hopefully can bring a little bit of joy to everybody's life today with this beautiful trophy."

Ekblad planned to spend the rest of the day at private events. He said he was most excited for his grandfather to see the Cup, because he had probably never had the chance before.

"I just want to take it home, sit in the backyard with my closest family and friends, and really kind of soak it in," he said.

As he spoke, Ekblad kept his hand on the Cup the entire time. He didn't want to let it go.

"It's going to be hard at the end of the night," he said.