The Stanley Cup is back on the south side of the U.S.-Canada border. For its latest visit with a Florida Panthers player, the Cup was in New England for some special time with forward Mackie Samoskevich. The young Florida sniper brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Newton, Connecticut. “I always love coming back here every year,” said Samoskevich. “It’s super special and a lot of fun.” Among the stops were a visit at his childhood hockey rink, the Northford Ice Pavilion, where he brought the Cup onto the ice he skated on as a youngster. At one point, Samoskevich posed for a photo next to the Cup while holding a sign that he made while in kindergarten that read, “When I grow up, I want to be a hockey player.” The photo was shared by Keeper of the Cup Phil Pritchard on social media. While 24 hours with the Stanley Cup may seem like a lot of time, it goes by quickly. “It’s a busy schedule for sure,” he said. “You try to enjoy the moment as much as possible because I’ve been told it goes by quick, and it really does. I’m just trying to stay in the moment and make it last as long as possible.” A significant part of Samoskevich’s day with the Stanley Cup was when he brought the historic trophy to the Sandy Hook Elementary School Memorial. He was just 10 years old when the horrific mass shooting occurred at the school in 2012. “I thought we’d bring it back and honor them,” he said. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Pair Of Former Panthers Defenseman Invited To Canada's Olympic Orientation Camp [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/pair-of-former-panthers-defenseman-invited-to-canada-s-olympic-orientation-camp] Team Canada invites 5 Florida Panthers players to Olympic orientation camp [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/team-canada-invites-5-florida-panthers-players-to-olympic-orientation-camp] The Hockey Show: Key Daneyko sees a lot of his Stanley Cup Devils teams in current Panthers squad [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/the-hockey-show-key-daneyko-sees-a-lot-of-his-stanley-cup-devils-teams-in-current-panthers-squad] Florida Panthers to unveil new scoreboard, additional upgrades installed at Amerant Bank Arena [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/florida-panthers-to-unveil-new-scoreboard-additional-upgrades-installed-at-amerant-bank-arena] Brad Marchand joined by Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon for Stanley Cup day in Nova Scotia [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/brad-marchand-joined-by-sidney-crosby-nathan-mackinnon-for-stanley-cup-day-in-nova-scotia] Photo caption: Florida Panthers forward Mackie Samoskevich shares the Stanley Cup with children from his hometown during a visit to Newton, Connecticut. (Source: Florida Panthers)
