Ice hockey centre Aleksander Barkov made Finnish history in the NHL on Monday, when he became the first captain from Finland leading a team to win the championship trophy Stanley Cup.
Barkov's Florida Panthers took down the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in the seventh game of the finals, winning the series 4-3.
After Florida's win, images of the 29-year-old triumphantly lifting the trophy spread around the world.
Besides Barkov, other Finns on the victorious team's roster included Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Niko Mikkola. In contrast, the Edmonton Oilers had not rostered a single Finnish player for the finals.
The Panthers initially came out strong in the series, winning the first three games against the Oilers and only needed one more win to secure the cup. However, the Oilers went on to win the next three games, forcing a winner-take-all match seven to decide the series.
The losses in the previous three games no longer seemed to weigh on the minds of the Florida players during the decisive game.
"We came into this game knowing we had to play our best game and we did," Barkov said.
Barkov received the championship trophy from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. The captain was the first to hold the famous trophy that night, skating around the rink and handing it to goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. The centre said he has dreamt of winning the cup since he was young
"It was a highlight. I've lost many finals in my life, there are roller hockey finals and street hockey finals, but now I can finally say I'm a champion," the smiling Barkov said.
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