Panthers cancel Stanley Cup ring ceremony due to weather conditions

Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

Terrible weather in the southeastern U.S. continues to affect the sporting world.

The Florida Panthers announced on Sunday that they have canceled the team’s Champions Ring Ceremony. The decision comes “out of an abundance of caution” to the looming effects of Hurricane Milton.

The recent storm has placed several counties in Florida in a state of emergency, including Broward, Palm Bech and Miami-Dade–counties around the Panthers’ home in Sunrise.

“As this event would take resources from first responders and service providers,” President and CEO Matt Caldwell said in a release. “We have made the tough decision to cancel our Champions Ring Ceremony out of an abundance of caution for the safety of all involved. We will instead distribute our championship rings privately. Along with state and local authorities, we are closely monitoring the situation.”

Caldwell and the Panthers emphasized that the team’s season opener against the Boston Bruins is still scheduled to go on as planned. The NHL has yet to comment on whether the game will be played.

While hurricanes have caused many changes to sporting events around the United States, hockey has also been affected by the awful weather. Hurricane Helene forced the Tampa Bay Lightning to postpone their preseason game against the Nashville Predators. With Hurricane Milton on the horizon, the game has ultimately been scrapped, with the regular season set to begin on Tuesday night.

The Panthers are scheduled to raise their Stanley Cup banner on Tuesday, Oct. 8, before facing the Boston Bruins in a rematch of last year’s Atlantic Division Final.

The aftermath of Hurricane Helene has led many teams around the NHL to step in and help their communities, including the Lightning, Predators, and Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes raised $300,000 during a game against the Predators last Thursday for hurricane relief, while the Lightning foundation announced it will donate $2 million toward relief efforts and those impacted by Helene.