re: How is Florida so good at producing Ice Hockey championships and Canada is so putrid

What most people are missing here is the culture that’s been built by our ownership and the organization.

It starts with Barkov’s arrival. We have a bunch of Finnish guys who are talented and bring a tough but loyal approach that has spread to all of the other guys who have come in since. The team is really close knit on and off the ice. They work hard and play hard. And they find a way to win. The whole roster treats each other as equals. Tkachuk playing in the playoffs after what he went through injury wise is a good example of what it means to all of them. Both Paul Maurice and Bill Zito speak on this frequently and just how awesome this group is to be around every day.

These players also get out in the community and celebrated the Cup wins with the people like no south Florida team has before. The new fans are welcomed by all and it’s great to see the fan base grow with the success. There were 500,000 people at the B2B parade. Unthinkable a few years ago.

Every floundering franchise should be taking notes. Vinny Vega has put his money where his mouth is, and unlike the Marlins, shown the fans the team is committed to competing for a long time.

I love this team so much. The haters can suck it. The few of us longtime fans suffered through decades of darkness to get here. Makes me so happy to see the new fans. Playoff hockey is crazy fun and they aren’t going anywhere now that they’ve experienced it and these last few Cup runs.