Kyle Okposo reveals connection between his jersey number, Batman and Stanley Cup glory
Okposo looked to his last championship as a teenager and brought some old routines back to life
An extremely cool video featuring a member of the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers dropped on social media Thursday.
The video, made by Fanatics and posted by B/R Open Ice, shows veteran forward Kyle Okposo explaining why he chose to wear jersey No. 8 with Florida and his connection to Batman.
Okposo explained that his career had been a long and winding road, full of frustration and injuries.
That includes a concussion he suffered six years ago that had Okposo questioning whether he would continue playing hockey at all.
He explained that with time, he eventually began to feel like himself again, but something was still missing.
A championship.
He hadn’t won a title of any kind since he was a teenager.
Back then, he wore jersey No. 8.
He also would watch the 1989 “Batman” film before every game.
As Okposo explained in the video, something started to remind him of those days after he was acquired by Florida at last season’s trade deadline.
To be fair, the jersey number choice probably had something to do with it. Okposo had only worn No. 21 since joining the NHL as a 19-year-old during the 2007-08 season.
Regardless, the reminders were there, nonetheless.
So Okposo started watching Batman again.
During the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs when Florida faced Tampa Bay, Okposo watched the 1989 “Batman” before every game.
In round two, he watched “Batman Begins” before every game.
During the Eastern Conference Finals he watched “The Dark Knight” and during the Stanley Cup Final it was “The Dark Knight Rises.”
Okposo said he felt the final chapter in Christopher Nolan’s epic Caped Crusader trilogy hit home a bit more than the rest.
“For the finals I watched “The Dark Knight Rises” which happened to be a microcosm of what I went through in my career,” Okposo says in the video.
This glimpse into Okposo’s world just makes his winning of the Stanley Cup that much sweeter.
Wherever his career takes him from here, Okposo will always have a special place in the hearts of Panthers fans.
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