Stanley Cup Champions and Captain Aleksander

The captain of the Florida Panthers -- and the most important player on the team -- is a Stanley Cup champion after playing a key role in a 2-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday to help win the first championship in franchise history.

“It was our dream and now it’s our reality,” Barkov said, standing at center ice soon after he received the Stanley Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and took it for the first of what would become countless celebratory spins by his teammates.

Barkov is the first Finland-born NHL captain to win the Stanley Cup.

“It’s a great honor,” he said. “Finland is a huge, huge hockey country and there have been a lot of great captains from Finland.”

It’s becoming harder and harder to argue the fact that Barkov could be the best of the lot.

Especially after his performance across the past two weeks.

His offensive numbers weren’t gaudy. He had five points (two goals, three assists) in seven