Rain doesn't stop the reign for the Panthers, who celebrate their Stanley Cup with parade and rally

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — They waited 30 years. It was going to take more than a massive thunderstorm to deter the Florida Panthers from this party.

Not even a torrential downpour — so bad that flood warnings were issued in the area — accompanied by a huge lightning storm could stop the Panthers’ Stanley Cup celebration on Sunday, one that the franchise had waited forever to have. With tens of thousands of fans estimated in attendance, the team arrived on double-decker buses that took a beachfront route before stopping on the sand for a rally where the trophy was hoisted yet again.

Carter Verhaeghe was the player who got to bring the Cup onto the stage, Queen’s “We Are The Champions” blared and nobody minded how soaked they were, nobody minded that it was still raining. The Panthers were champs, after three decades of waiting. The title was won last Monday night, Florida beating Edmonton 2-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

“It’s incredible,” said goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who hopped off the bus with the Cup at one point and decided to walk it down the road for a bit as fans who lined the parade route — some since Saturday night — roared. “I never thought this many people would come out to support us. For us to share this moment with the fans, it’s unbelievable.”