Montour signed autographs and took pictures with fans and friends who gave him a heroes welcome home
Florida Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour received a hero's welcome when he returned to Six Nations of the Grand River last Thursday.
During an event at a local banquet hall, Montour spoke to community members he's known for decades, signed autographs and posed for pictures.
The people of his hometown had been following Montour and the Panthers as close as any die-hard fan during the team's improbable march to the Stanley Cup Final earlier this year.
Elected Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Mark Hill held a fundraising initiative in which lawn signs featuring Montour's jersey were sold during Florida's playoff run.
Hill said more than $10,000 was raised, and that it would be divided among five Six Nations sports organizations.
Montour was there to help present each group with a giant check.
He will stay home with his family for much of what's left of the offseason before returning to South Florida to start preparing for the season.
During an interview on the Cam and Strick Podcast a couple weeks ago, Montour gave an update on a significant shoulder injury he suffered during the Stanley Cup Final.
He'd shed his sling and he would need to take it easy and let the injury recover for the next several weeks before he could start working it out again.
"It's feeling pretty good and I'd like to push it if I could, but obviously I'll be smart about it," he said in the interview.
There is hope that Montour will be back on the ice when Florida begins training camp next month, but how much he's able to do will be anyone guess. It all depends on how much his injury has healed and what he's able to do when he arrives at camp.
For now, he's enjoying his time back home with his family, his wife and their new baby boy.