This Florida Panthers Player Gave Arizona Their First Stanley Cup

After years of trying, the state of Arizona can finally say they have won a Stanley Cup.  Not with the Coyotes hockey team, but with a player… or should we say, a captain? The forward/ alternate captain for the Florida Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk, was also born in Scottsdale, Arizona.

He came close to winning the Stanley Cup last year, but they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights. This year he is now officially a Stanley Cup champion for the Florida Panthers, and the state of Arizona.

There may not be many players from Arizona in the NHL, but after the Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7, Matthew might just be the best one. Matthew racked up a total of 26 goals & 62 assists in the regular season, while scoring a total of 6 goals & 16 assists during the playoffs.

Matthew Tkachuk wasn't the only player from Arizona who has played in Arizona; Jim Brown from Phoenix played 3 games with the L.A. Kings during the 1982-83 season. Some current players include:

• Phoenix's Sean Couturier for the Philadelphia Flyers
• Phoenix's Tage Thompson for the Buffalo Sabres
• and Matthew's brother, Brady Tkachuk for the Ottawa Senators.

We'll see how many more players from Arizona will join the NHL in the future; but until then, we know that the state has one current champion now. So congratulations to Matthew Tkachuk & the Florida Panthers hockey team for winning the 2023-24 season.

We've seen Texas also win the Stanley Cup (and no we're not just talking about the Dallas Stars either). You can see how many times that state has won a Stanley Cup here.

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