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Aleksander Barkov celebrated his Stanley Cup win in Tampere, Finland. The Florida Panthers won their first Cup by beating the Edmonton Oilers 4-3. Barkov became the first Finnish captain to win the Stanley Cup.
A Reddit post showed Barkov lifting the 2024 Stanley Cup in front of Finnish fans. Other Finnish players were gathered around him.
The main event was a ceremony at Nokia Arena with 15,000 fans and Finnish hockey stars like Markus Nutivaara and Tuomo Ruutu. Barkov, wearing a “Barkov City” shirt, shared the celebration with junior players to inspire them.
"I myself was once a junior player, and the Cup motivated me,” Barkov said (via NHL.com on Jul. 31). “Every morning, the first thought in my mind was the Cup. I believe that many juniors here today think about the Cup. I want to show them that everything is possible."
Barkov noted that despite the win, the team is focused on repeating their success.
"We won the Cup, the greatest prize, but you want to feel the same feelings again. That leaves you hungry,” Barkov added. "Winning the Cup helps us this coming season, but winning two in a row will no way be easy."
“It wasn't easy to win this one, and the next win will not be easy. Everyone has to give it all, everyone has to play his best game, and of course you need a little bit of luck. That's what it takes to win the Cup."
The team must play its best and needs some luck.
Aleksander Barkov was honored by President Alex Stubb for Stanley Cup win
On Jul. 23, 2024, Finland's president Alex Stubb honored Aleksander Barkov, Niko Mikkola, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. He shared photos from the event on Instagram. One picture showed Barkov signing his jersey and giving it to Stubb. Another photo showed Stubb holding the jersey.
The ceremony also included the players' wives, with defenseman Niko Mikkola featured in the photos. Stubb expressed pride in hosting the winners, writing:
"A joy and honor to host the Finnish Stanley Cup winners. Nice group of people. That's a tremendous accomplishment. We are proud to be."
"It's nice that Grandpa-Göran was there. An honour to host our Finnish Stanley Cup winners. Great gang. We are so proud of you guys. Nice to have my Dad around the table."
The ceremony also inspired future Finnish hockey players.
