On Sept. 27, 2013, the day Vincent Viola was introduced as the new owner of the Florida Panthers, he said his goal was to bring a Stanley Cup to South Florida.
More than a decade later, Viola's goal was realized Monday night when the Cats clinched the Cup with a 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Final.
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"It's actually a surreal feeling, we're Stanley Cup champions now and forever," Viola told NBC6 on the ice as the team celebrated.
CATS WIN STANLEY CUP
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Viola spoke mostly of the fans, who stuck with the team for decades before seeing them finally win hockey's ultimate prize in their 30th season.
"It feels so special for the fans," he said. "There's a lot of young men and young women that their lives will never be the same after tonight."
When Viola paid $250 million for the franchise in 2013, they had been to the playoffs only once since 2000.
But the past three seasons have seen the Panthers become one of the top teams in the NHL.
They won the Presidents' Trophy for having the most points in the 2021-2022 regular season, followed by a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2022-2023 which they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights.
And now Viola and the team will have their names engraved on the Cup.
"I'm happy for the people of South Florida, I'm happy for the Florida Panther fans who stuck with this franchise through a lot of tough times," Viola said.
The 68-year-old Viola, who grew up in Brooklyn, has had a life with more twists and turns than the 7-game series that just wrapped up. He graduated from West Point and New York Law School, is a former chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange and after the Sept. 11 attacks founded a center devoted to combating terrorism.
He's also the founder of Virtu Financial and owner of 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming.
But he says at the end of the day he's a Panthers fan.
"You do it for the fans. As as fan, I'm a fan first, you do it for them," he said.
