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Former Vancouver Canucks Forward Opens Up After Hoisting the Stanley Cup As a Florida Panther
Former Vancouver Canucks forward Jonah Gadjovich shared how he felt after winning the Stanley Cup on Tuesday night as a member of the Florida Panthers.
For the second year in a row, the Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions after dispatching the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers enroute to claiming hockey's greatest trophy.
The Vancouver Canucks had direct connections to Florida's win this year, as they did last year too, with Roberto Luongo, Nate Schmidt and Jonah Gadjovich all hoisting the Stanley Cup last night.
Jonah Gadjovich shares how he feels after winning the Stanley Cup
Last year, Jonah Gadjovich was a member of the Florida Panthers organization when they won their first championship in franchise history, however, he never met the necessary requirements to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup as he suited up in just 39 games and none in the playoffs.
The 2024-25 Stanley Cup run was completely different, with the Whitby, Ontario native appearing in 42 regular season games and 16 in the playoffs, including all six in the Final.
After hoisting the Stanley Cup, Gadjovich was interviewed by TSN's Mark Masters where he shared how he felt winning for the second consecutive year and playing a much bigger role in 2025 than he did last season.
"It's just so incredible. It bring back a lot of memories from last year, but to be on the ice and to be battling with the boys this year is so incredible and I'm so grateful for this experience and the opportunity." Gadjovich said.
He went on to add, "It's hard to put into words really. It's something you fight for your whole life. As a kid, you're playing on the pond, you're playing street hockey, you're always playing for the Stanley Cup. To be out here and to have this opportunity, to be doing it with this group of guys, to be able to get the job done, it's so special. I'm just so blessed."
He went on to add, "It's hard to put into words really. It's something you fight for your whole life. As a kid, you're playing on the pond, you're playing street hockey, you're always playing for the Stanley Cup. To be out here and to have this opportunity, to be doing it with this group of guys, to be able to get the job done, it's so special. I'm just so blessed."
Gadjovich, 26, was a second round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and after parts of three seasons in the AHL, he finally got his opportunity with the big club, making his debut on May 16th, 2021 against the Calgary Flames.
That game, which he suited up for due to a covid outbreak among Vancouver's roster, ended up being his only contest with the Canucks as just five months later, he was placed on waivers and claimed by the San Jose Sharks.
Gadjovich has one year remaining on his contract with the Florida Panthers, which comes with a cap hit of $775,000 USD, before becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, 2026 - where there likely won't be a shortage of teams that'll attempt to bring him in to solidify their fourth line.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
| POLL | ||
JUIN 18 | 1623 ANSWERS Former Vancouver Canucks Forward Opens Up After Hoisting the Stanley Cup As a Florida Panther Do you think the Vancouver Canucks made a mistake by placing Jonah Gadjovich on waivers in 2021? | ||
| Yes | 881 | 54.3 % |
| No | 742 | 45.7 % |
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