Later this month, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas hockey varsity team will make its way to Minnesota to compete for a national championship.
But before it has that chance, the National Hockey League gave the more than 30 aspiring hockey players with another trophy on Monday, one many hockey players only dream of holding: the Stanley Cup.
“I wasn’t expecting anything like that,” senior captain Matthew Hauptman said. “I was expecting to see maybe Stanley the Panther, not the cup.”
The surprise came minutes after the varsity and junior varsity teams finished practicing at the BB&T Center while the Panthers made their way to Tampa Bay for their Tuesday-night game against the Lightning.