Sam Bennett speaks his mind about Panthers' "we apologize to no one" engravings on 2025 Stanley Cup rings

Florida Panthers star Sam Bennett shared his thoughts about the Cats engraving “we apologize to no one” in their Stanley Cup rings. The Panthers celebrated their 2024 Stanley Cup championship with a private ring ceremony on Monday in Fort Lauderdale.

The custom rings, crafted by Jostens’ Champions Collective, feature over 450 diamonds and rubies, a diamond-encrusted Stanley Cup symbolizing the 2024 and 2025 titles, and palm tree motifs nodding to Amerant Bank Arena.

The rings also featured a hidden black rat as a tribute to the team’s “Victory Rat” tradition from 1996. Inside each ring, the playoff series results are engraved alongside the bold phrase “we apologize to no one.”

When asked about the engravings, Sam Bennett spoke his mind:

"We earned this. We earned these two rings. We put in a lot of effort, a lot of hard work. A lot of people don’t like the way we play, but we did the hard work to earn these titles. We’re not apologizing to anyone," he said.

Inside the ring, just below the engraving, are the names of the teams the Florida Panthers defeated in their run to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

They defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 2, the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Edmonton Oilers in the second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals.

Sam Bennett hails second Stanley Cup ring as superior to the first one

Sam Bennett was a key player for the Florida Panthers during both of their Stanley Cup runs. Last year, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

For Bennett, the second Cup ring is bigger than the first one:

“It feels a little bigger than last year’s,” Bennett said via NHL.com.“ This one has both Cups on it. I didn’t think they could top last year’s ring, but somehow, they did.”

Sam Bennett and the Florida Panthers will aim for a historic three-peat as they take the ice for the first time to defend their title against the Chicago Blackhawks in their season opener at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday. The puck drops at 5 p.m. ET.

About the author

Abhishek is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda with over 2 years of sports reporting experience and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delhi. He became a fan of ice hockey after watching NHL fight videos on YouTube, which led to him professionally writing about the sport and his continued interest in all things hockey.

A fan of the Boston Bruins, Abhishek considers their incredible comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 playoffs as the most iconic moment in the NHL. His admiration for the six-time Stanley Cup winners also comes from the team’s storied history, distinctive black and gold uniform and their success in the sport. His all-time favorite NHL players are Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, for their ability to perform at the highest level consistently.

Abhishek ensures his reporting is fair and balanced by being well-researched in his details, which he expects to be relevant, up-to-date and in line with ethical standards. His specialties are doing detailed match analysis and covering fan reactions.

Abhishek enjoys music, traveling and going on walks with his three German Shepherds in his free time, along with learning about horticulture.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta