There has been a profound shift in the culture of the Florida Panthers in recent years.
This was sparked by two things.
The first was the hiring of General Manager Bill Zito during September of 2020.
The second was Zito’s first big move in his new role: the acquisition of Patric Hornqvist from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Zito knew things had to change with the team, and he wanted to bring in a player who was known for putting in the work and being a leader of men.
In Hornqvist, he knew he’d found both.
It’s been almost four years since the trade went down.
The Panthers have not missed the postseason since.
They’ve won a President’s Trophy and reached the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back years.
Hornqvist’s playing career was cut short due to multiple concussions, but his love for the game was still as strong as ever.
He remained around the Panthers, spending time with the team on and off the ice while helping injured players work their way back.
Zito eventually hired Hornqvist as a scout and development consultant, a move made official back in September.
He was often seen around the team during the season as the Panthers worked toward the first championship in franchise history.
During the playoffs, he was there with Florida’s front office, collectively biting their nails while watching the team they’d built fight for the ultimate prize in all of hockey.
It was a different feeling for the 37-year-old Swede.
“You can’t compare,” Hornqvist told NHL.com. “There is a big difference between being on the ice and being in the management suite. On the ice, you can control what happens… I scored the game winning goal in one of the finals with Pittsburgh and you can’t compare that to what it’s like to win from the stands.”
Over the weekend, Hornqvist spent the day with the Stanley Cup in his native Sweden.
By all accounts, it was a quiet day spent at home with his family.
With Hornqvist’s post-playing career just getting starting, it will be fun and interesting to see how he finds his way and what paths he walks down.
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