LAS VEGAS – Dedicated fans of the Florida Panthers have made the long trip from South Florida to Las Vegas to see their team in the Stanley Cup Final.
Everyone isn’t thrilled with how the first game went but Local 10 News’ Ian Margol has made it his goal to find as many Panthers fans as he could and really get to know some of the devoted supporters who made their way out there, or relocated to Vegas full-time.
Margol first went to the STRAT, the outdoor observation deck. It is the tallest free-standing observation tower in the United States.
The STRAT is more than 1,100 feet tall; that’s nearly four times the height of the Statue of Liberty and nearly twice as tall as the Space Needle in Seattle.
Needless to say, it was a little difficult spotting Panthers fans from that far up.
Back on the ground, Local 10 News’ caught up Linda and Greg Roberts, two diehard Panthers fans who moved from Sunrise to Sin City a few years ago.
“Here you’ve got your Stanley Cup towel from when they played against the Bruins in the very first playoff game in ‘96,” said Greg Roberts, showing off his longtime fandom.
They both said they were thrilled to see the Cats make it to the Stanley Cup Final, but had some inner-conflict once it was known who they’d be playing against, since the couple roots for Vegas in every game, except when they play the Panthers.
“Forty-six years in South Florida, I will always bleed Panthers, Dolphins, Marlins, and Hurricanes,” said Greg Roberts.
Added Linda Roberts: “It’s absolutely great to actually be back in the Stanley Cup. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to be rooting for the Panthers, even if we were playing the Knights, so, yeah, it’s great!”