Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour speaks about his Nick Cousins T-Shirt following Game 3 against Tampa Bay. Nick Cousins spent two memorable seasons with the Florida Panthers. The NHL veteran of nearly 600 games initially joined the Panthers during the summer of 2022. It was a transitional offseason, as Florida had just won the Presidents’ Trophy and a playoff round for the first time in decades, but made a move at head coach and were looking to shift the way the team played. With the hiring of Paul Maurice came the transition from a high-flying rush game to a physical, tight-checking, five-man defensive scheme that Cousins was an excellent fit for. While he may not have had the skillset of a Sasha Barkov or Matthew Tkachuk, Cousins’ high hockey IQ and tireless work ethic allowed him to fill multiple roles for the Cats. His time with Florida may best be remembered for Cousins’ physicality and some of the controversial plays that he was involved with, whether on the giving or the receiving end. After entering this summer as an unrestricted free agent, Cousins signed a one-year deal with the Ottawa Senators last week. Speaking about the decision to TSN 1200 [https://omny.fm/shows/tsn-1200-the-drive/nick-cousins-august-30-2024], he explained that a big part of his decision to sign with the Sens came from a couple of former teammates. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] Former Panther Claude Giroux, who was Cousins teammate in Philadelphia, and Brady Tkachuk, brother of Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk, each played a part in Cousins signing with Ottawa. "I've been talking with Brady (Tkachuk) and (Claude) Giroux probably since free agency started," Cousins said during the interview on TSN 1200. “They've been pulling for me to play here, and I've talked to them numerous times over the last day or so, just trying to figure out when I’m coming in and where to live, stuff like that and all the other logistics that come with going to a new city.” As those who have been following the Panthers’ Stanley Cup celebrations know, Brady Tkachuk has been a big part of everything that his big brother Matthew has been up to, both in South Florida immediately following the Final and in the days and weeks that followed. While they say lifetime bonds are forged in battle, some pretty good friendships have been born while partying. "I know 'G' from my time in Philly and then I actually got to know Brady pretty well over the last two years,” Cousins explained. “He was down for the parade in Florida. Matthew (Tkachuk) obviously has great things to say about Brady. Those two guys (Brady and Giroux) have been really welcoming and I'm obviously excited to meet everyone else as we move forward." During the interview, Cousins also spoke about the celebrating at Amerant Bank Arena after Florida defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. We’ve known that the party kept going inside the arena until around 4-5 a.m., but the details of what happened to the Panthers locker room are becoming legendary in their own exhilaratingly gross way. “That was probably my favorite part, just being able to celebrate in the room after we won with all the guys, family, friends, we got everybody in the locker room,” Cousins said. “Guys still had their gear on at 4 in the morning, where we just hanging out the room. You couldn't even see the person next to you because there's a cloud of smoke, the boys had the cigars going. The champagne…I don't even know how much champagne we went through, but it felt like there was a foot of champagne on the dressing room floor, which I think they actually had to tear up the carpet afterwards.” The Panthers have had countless players come and go over the years, many of whom played more than the 148 games that Cousins donned a Florida sweater, but few left a bigger impact. One of the most popular guys in the dressing room and someone who would do whatever was asked of him on the ice, Cousins was a glue guy in South Florida. His brand of hockey will be missed by the Cats, but we’ll all be cracking smiles when Cousins is stirring things up with Florida when the Panthers and Senators meet next season. 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