SCRANTON, Pa. — The Panthers took Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, beating the Oilers on home ice in Florida. As the final seconds of the game ran out, Scranton native Mike Joyce was standing in the tunnel with nervous excitement, as the Panthers won the first Stanley Cup in team history.
"It was an amazing feeling walking out onto the ice and giving all the guys hugs and seeing the crowd roar, being able to look up into the stands and see the passionate Florida fans celebrate something that's been a long time coming," Joyce said.
Joyce has been with the Panthers for the past two years as the team's head strength and conditioning coach and says he never expected this experience so early in his NHL career. Mike says after the celebration, his phone was constantly a buzz with an outpouring of well wishes.
"I've never got so many text messages in my life from people I hadn't talked to in a while, but were thoughtful enough to send through some congratulations. It was a really special moment for sure," Joyce said.
Mike was one of several staff members who spent time with the Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins, to include Wilkes-Barre native Teddy Richards. Joyce says he owes everything he's learned to his first team.
"A lot of people who have supported both myself and Teddy along this way, friends, family, staff from Wilkes-Barre. We definitely wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins," said Joyce.
Each member of the team gets one day with Lord Stanley and Mike has some idea what he wants to do with his time.
"My father always says you can always come home. Scranton will always be my home and I think the trophy needs to come home to Scranton and spend a little time whether that's simply in the parents backyard, spending time together with the people that have made such tremendous sacrifices for me to continue along this journey," Joyce said.