After thousands lined the streets of Fort Lauderdale for the team’s back-to-back Cup parade, the Panthers' official X account fired off a direct message to critics who’ve long dismissed the team as a “non-hockey market.”

That’s the standard of excellence. There’s no other course but seeking and winning the championships. Everybody knows that.’

The Panthers won their second consecutive championship on home ice Tuesday night, beating Edmonton in six games. The team, following decades of tradition, partied with the Cup into the wee hours and kept the revelry going in Fort Lauderdale well into Wednesday afternoon.