The best team in hockey, again, was a team that did things totally its own way. The Florida Panthers went to Finland early in the season and wore the robes they got as gifts from that trip to the next few games instead of suits and didn’t care how ridiculous that looked.

It was the third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup finals for the Panthers, with the team’s only loss coming in 2023 against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

The Florida Panthers have won the Stanley Cup in 2025, becoming the first team to secure back-to-back title wins since the 2020/21 Tampa Bay Lightning.