The Stanley Cup is enjoying a European vacation.
Between this week and next, it’s moving between neighboring Finland and Sweden while visiting the hometowns of several Florida Panthers.
After enjoying ‘Barkov Day’ in Tampere on Wednesday, it was off to Tingsryd, Sweden for a day with defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
The now-former Cats blueliner – he signed a four-year, $14 million deal with Toronto last month – shared the puck with his hometown community at a local hockey rink before enjoying time with friends and family.
He also visited the gravesite of his mother, who passed away from cancer in 2017.
Ekman-Larsson only played one season with the Panthers but the veteran defenseman proved to be extremely valuable, performing at a high level in all situations he was asked to play.
“I felt pretty early that Florida was a good option,” Ekman-Larsson said, per NHL.com. “They had been in the Stanley Cup Final the year before and I felt that they had the experience and the players that was needed, so at the end it turned out to be a great choice. It’s easy to say after, but here we are.”
On Friday, the Cup switched from one Swede to another, this time spending the day with Gustav Forsling.
In addition to visiting with fans at Saab Arena, where Forsling once played for Linkoping HC, he also took Lord Stanley on a helicopter to enjoy some beautiful views of his hometown.
He started the day with some fishing on the water, followed by a family brunch that was prepared by his mother, including some delicious-looking cinnamon rolls that were served out of the Stanley Cup.
“My mom made basically everything, she’s an amazing cook,” Forsling said. “That’s how we grew up, she was cooking food for us and driving us to the rink, so it’s amazing, it’s good to have her cook all the food today.”
Video footage of Forsling’s day with the Cup can be seen at the top of this page.
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