After Missing Stanley Cup Parade, Sam Reinhart Wants to Give Florida Another One

After missing out on the Stanley Cup parade for his best friend’s wedding, Sam Reinhart wants to give Florida Panthers another one. And he secured himself a shiny new eight-year deal.

Photo via Sam Reinhart (Instagram)

After the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup, nobody was busier than Sam Reinhart.

Reinhart, just after scoring the game-winning goal in Florida’s 2-1 Game 7 victory over the Edmonton Oilers, had a week to negotiate a new contract before he became an unrestricted free agent. He also had his best friend’s wedding to attend the day before free agency opened.

“You’re riding that high, for sure,” Reinhart said. “You know, I think every year, no matter where you end, there’s that physical side of it where you’re just kind of unwinding but there’s that mental side that a lot of people don’t think about. So, that was a nice feeling knowing all the work we’ve been in the 10-12 days prior trying to close it out took such a mental toll on all of us, all our families, so that was kind of a relief that it was all done.

“Knowing we accomplished it helped. And I think from all the contract stuff, I would rather take three days to go through it all before free agency than two months if we had been out a long time before. So, ultimately, it all came quick but I didn’t have to deal with is as long as I probably would have if we had gotten knocked out earlier.”

On the eve of free agency, Reinhart got the contract taken care of, inking an eight-year, $69 million contract to remain with the Florida Panthers after a breakout campaign that saw him score 57 goals and finish fourth in Selke Trophy voting.

“As a player, there are a lot of boxes you try and tick off. Florida, for me, just happened to be at the top of each category,” Reinhart said. “First and foremost, being my life. This is where I want to essentially start a family and live. Florida being at the top of the list. We loved our three years here and we couldn’t see ourselves wanting to go anywhere else.

“Then you add where the organization is. What we’ve done the last couple years, where we’ve got to, and it wasn’t something that we wanted to walk away from. We want to keep putting in the work and we want to keep doing it here. So, those were the two biggest factors for me and my wife and that was to stay here. Ultimately, we were confident it was always going to get done.”

That last day before free agency was hectic for both Reinhart and the Panthers’ brass.

Reinhart had to fly up North for his best friend’s wedding that day, which also happened to be the day of the Panthers’ championship parade.

While the Game 7 hero could not attend the parade, Florida’s front office made sure that he would be back for another run once the festivities surrounding the parade cooled down.

They made sure of just that — and Reinhart wants to make sure he can give South Florida another parade. One that he could actually attend.

“Game 7, Stanley Cup game — That’s something you dream about as a young kid,” Reinhart said. “You couldn’t have scripted it any better. Certainly enjoyed the moment and I think, anytime you go through that as an organization, as a team, you’d love to be there for the parade and obviously celebrate with the fans.

“Certainly, there’s some FOMO there, but I had no thought that it was the wrong decision. I made the right decision. Hopefully, it’s something we can build towards again and I’ll be there for the next one.”

Family is everything to Reinhart, and being there to enjoy the wedding with his best friend and his family was something he could not pass up on.

And that sentiment rang even truer when Reinhart got his day with the Cup back home in Vancouver.

Reinhart comes from a hockey family — his dad, Paul, was a two-time All-Star and his brothers Max and Griffin made it to the NHL as well — and Sam was the first of his family to win the Cup.

When he saw his name on the Cup, he wanted to share that moment with them.

“Just to see the name on there was very cool for my whole family,” Reinhart said. “Being in a hockey family, my dad had been there. He had lost it in the Final. Both of my brothers played, they haven’t quite reached it. So, to be there as a family and to see ‘Reinhart’ on there was pretty cool to experience with them.”