It's Banner Night in South Florida and Aaron Ekblad Wants to Party With Good Ole Nikki Smokes

Larry Marano. Shutterstock Images.

It’s a big night in South Florida as the Florida Panthers finally get to raise their first-ever Stanley Cup banner! That’s right, banner night, baby. The night every fan has dreamed of—the kind of moment when you turn to your buddy and say, “Holy fuck, we actually did this shit.”

Let’s be honest—if you had told me a couple of years ago that the Panthers would be the ones raising a Cup banner before the Heat, Dolphins, or even the Marlins (bless their hearts), I’d have thought you were tripping on acid from a liquid vile. But here we are, watching one of the most unexpected sports success stories unfold. The champions of hockey reside in South Florida. Beautiful, isn’t it?

The vibe at FLA Live Arena will be electric. People can say whatever they want about South Florida sports fans, but we know how to celebrate. There won’t be an empty seat or a half-filled beer can anywhere in the stadium tonight. And the best part about it all? We have an opportunity to raise a banner AND beat Boston on the same night—a South Florida sports fan’s dream.

Personally, as much as I love beating Boston, I couldn’t care less if we win or lose tonight. No one’s tuning in to see who’s going to get two points; we’re here to see history made! Seeing that banner raised after Dave tried to get me to jinx my own team so he could stuff another milly in his pocket will be the cherry on top of an iconic Stanley Cup run. All jokes aside, Dave sending me to every game and having me sell T-shirts was the best thing that ever happened to me—even if he did it to try and make the Panthers lose.

And to anyone who says, “They don’t know you, lil bro” or “Stop saying ‘we,’” here’s what our own captain had to say about good ol’ Nicky Smokes’ Cup run:

“I wanna meet that Nicky Smokes guy—we shoulda brought him out partying with us!”

THANK YOU, EKBLAD!

So tonight, I’ll party with the boys by having a couple of ice-cold beers on my couch, watching our first-ever Stanley Cup Champions banner being raised in South Florida. Cheers to making history!