For the Panthers, the day the Stanley Cup was won was somehow normal and marked by confidence

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — A new season for the Florida Panthers has arrived, after the shortest possible offseason that was spent celebrating a Stanley Cup championship.

What happened on the ice on the night of June 24 was something that neither the Panthers nor the Edmonton Oilers will ever forget. Panthers 2, Oilers 1 was the final, and Florida was the team that skated off with hockey's most-prized chalice.

It was a game like none other in Panthers history, where the franchise was not only playing in the ultimate game for a title but was trying to fend off what would have been a historical collapse after winning the first three games of the title series and then losing the next three.

But what was the day of Game 7 like? The Associated Press asked five members of the organization what they recalled about the pregame hours on June 24. The answers were all different, though shared a common thread — there was a calmness and a belief that the Cup was going to be won by Florida that night.