‘It’s been a long time coming’: Former Panthers Captain Bryan McCabe finally a Stanley Cup Champion

McCabe has been in the NHL for nearly 30 years between his time as a player and an executive

Aleksander Barkov isn’t the only Florida Panthers captain getting his name hammered into the Stanley Cup this summer.

Former Panthers captain Bryan McCabe has been working in the team’s front office for over a decade.

He played for Florida from 2008 to 2011 and was named the sixth captain in Panthers franchise history upon arrival.

McCabe retired from playing in February of 2012 after playing 1,135 career NHL games and another 56 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but never getting farther than the conference finals.

Within five months of retirement, McCabe was working with the Panthers, first as a Manager of Player Development before being promoted to Director of Player Development.

He held that role for two years, but in 2017 was promoted his current role of Director of Player Personnel.

To say he’s had a front row seat to the transformation of the Panthers franchise from one that struggled to make the playoffs to the Stanley Cup Champion it is now would be an understatement.

“It was phenomenal to be a part of it,” McCabe said. “Obviously for me and Lou (Roberto Luongo), it’s been a long time coming. From my first NHL game, it’s been 29 years, so, yeah, it’s a dream come true. Just to be a part of this whole thing with this group, this organization, making my home here, it was very, very special to say the least.”

Being with the same organization for over a decade means you grow a certain bond with the people you go to battle with, day in and day out.

For McCabe, that has meant sharing some very special moments with some of his longtime colleagues over the past couple weeks.

“It means a lot, and it means more to share it with people who’ve been through it with you or made their roots here,” McCabe said. “To see a guy like Duds (Rick Dudley) win it – he has been in the game for 50 years and held every title and is just a living legend – to see his name etched on that cup gives me chills. Nobody deserves it more than that. He’s put his time in over the years and driven millions of miles in his Dodge Ram, and it’s people like that you love to see, people that you really, genuinely look up to, and he’s been a mentor to me here. To see him get his flowers was really nice.”

There are some things that change when you become a champion.

While McCabe will surely enjoy the feeling of having his name on Lord Stanley’s Cup, his day-to-day work will not get any easier or less time consuming.

“My job is to hopefully help get these young guys get a chance to live their dream like I was able to, so whether we won or not, it doesn’t change,” McCabe said. “I still have the same goal for all these guys, just helping them become professionals and good people on and off the ice. They all dream about getting here, and the development staff, along with Geordie (Kinnear) and all the AHL coaches, it’s our job to help them get there. There’s a lot of bumps in the road, but we all are pulling on the same rope, and just try to help them through the process.”