There is a lot more to being in the Stanley Cup Final than just playing hockey
When it comes to making a playoff run, experience is an invaluable commodity.
Players with a Stanley Cup pedigree are coveted throughout their career, whether a top-six forward or a middle-pair defenseman.
A guy who has won a Cup or two and knows not only of the grind of a long playoff run, but how to come out on top, will always get the benefit of the doubt.
The Florida Panthers don't have a ton of experience in the Cup champ department, but they have some.
Three players in Florida's locker room – Carter Verhaeghe, Eric Staal and Patric Hornqvist – have hoisted Lord Stanley's hardware before.
A handful of other guys have been on playoff runs, but the majority of the Panthers' postseason experience is what they've gained over the past few seasons in South Florida.
To this point, it has certainly appeared that the Cats have done well to survive, and thrive, what was a gauntlet of Eastern Conference opponents.
"I think guys here pretty focused," said Verhaeghe, a Stanley Cup winner with Tampa in 2020. "Making it to the Final is kind of a surreal thing."
Indeed, the playoffs are one thing, but the Stanley Cup Final is another beast entirely.
That's why it's helpful the players can lean on one another, with the players who have been there before providing a preview of the challenges to come, and an understanding on what it will take to succeed.
"There's a lot of, I'd say, distractions," said Staal, who won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. "Just a lot of action all around it, which is what I love about this team and what we've been all year, is there's going to be so many things all around everything, but at the end of the day, we get to play the game and that's all we've done all year."
Several of those distractions can involve things that have nothing to do with the actual games.
These are the most important weeks of each of these players' careers, whether we're talking about the Panthers or Vegas. They want to give each and every inch of themselves to win the Stanley Cup.
But with making the Final comes a bit of excess.
Increased appearances, media obligations, interview requests, some guys have family members that travel…just an overall increase in intensity in just about everything that was once just a normal, everyday, quiet routine.
It's dealing with those extra responsibilities where the veterans who have been through it before can be extremely helpful in navigating it all while remaining focused on the task at hand.
"That's been part of our meetings, those guys are great voices," said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice, a four-time conference finalist about to coach in his second Stanley Cup Final. "Everything changes here now. Tickets are an issue, there's people coming in from all over, there's so many things that, until you're there and you haven't experienced it, it's so much better if it's a player telling the story. It's so much more impactful to them, because they also, as players, have a completely different experience than we (coaches) would, or the other guys on the staff that have been there. So their stories are really important."
To their credit, the Panthers haven't appeared to be fazed by anything that has come their way during this incredible march to the Stanley Cup Final.
It's a group that is battle tested. They have been through it.
"Everyone's got experience now," said Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour, who reached the conference final with Anaheim as a rookie in 2017. "You go this far in the playoffs, guys know what to expect, the magnitude of it all."
There are so many things to take into consideration.
It's almost not fair. At the end of the day, all these guys want to do is play hockey.
"Whenever guys are looking to get some intel, I'm always there," said Panthers forward Nick Cousins, a conference finalist with Vegas in 2020. "We just want to make sure we keep going here. Obviously the first few rounds were really good for us, and our team's clicking right now, we just have to make sure that we pick up where we left off."
When Florida hits the ice for Game 1 on Saturday in Las Vegas, 10 days will have passed since they carried the Prince of Wales Trophy off the ice at FLA Live Arena.
They have had plenty of time to recharge batteries, heal all wounds and prepare themselves for any and all that will be encountered on the path they hope will lead to a Stanley Cup.
"Guys are just itching to get going again," said Montour. "We've been off for a little while here so guys are rested and recovered, and if we keep playing the same way, we'll be good."
"The best part is playing," added Staal. "I guess the best advice I have is enjoy that part of it, because it's the best part. That's the part you'll miss when it's over, is that actual playing part. It's special when you're doing it along with the guys you care about."