The 2024/25 NHL season is history and ends with a title defense! On Tuesday night, the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-1, securing a decisive fourth victory in Game 2020 of the final series. This secured the team the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year. The Tampa Bay Lightning last achieved this feat in 2021 and XNUMX.
The Panthers' renewed triumph also confirms that German national player Nico Sturm will be immortalized on the world's most prestigious ice hockey trophy for the second time in his career. The forward first celebrated the title in 2022 with the Colorado Avalanche and now with Florida. Until now, Tom Kühnhackl was the only German player to win the Cup twice (2016 and 2017 with the Pittsburgh Penguins).
The Augsburg-born striker moved from the San Jose Sharks to the Sunshine State in early March and played eight games for the Panthers in the playoffs. The center forward played a total of 15 games for head coach Paul Maurice's team (with one assist). "Just being able to lift this thing again is a privilege. It feels incredible," the newly crowned Stanley Cup winner exclaimed immediately after the game.
Leon Draisaitl stopped in the final
Jubilation on one side, bitter disappointment on the other. Leon Draisaitl and his Edmonton Oilers were again left empty-handed, just like last year. Back then, in a close final series against Florida, they were eliminated in the decisive Game 7 (1:2). Now the DEBThe striker was stopped short of the finish line again despite scoring eleven goals and providing 22 assists in the playoffs. "We didn't score enough goals and made too many small mistakes. Now, unfortunately, we're left empty-handed again," Draisaitl summed up.
In the NHL regular season, the 29-year-old, born in Cologne, became the first German player ever to win the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top scorer, scoring 52 goals in 71 games. However, Draisaitl will have to wait a while longer for his first Stanley Cup.
All German Stanley Cup winners at a glance
1996: Uwe Krupp (Colorado Avalanche)
2011: Dennis Seidenberg (Boston Bruins)
2016: Tom Kühnhackl (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2017: Tom Kühnhackl (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2018: Philipp Grubauer (Washington Capitals)
2022: Nico Storm (Colorado Avalanche)
2025: Nico Storm (Florida Panthers)