In loving memory of Charles A. Campbell (January 12, 1944 to September 10, 2024)

Yes, this is a post that is probably long overdue, but I just didn’t have the right words to make this post as best as I can, and I probably still don’t, but I’m going to try. The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup Champions. This is what it means to me, and why after events that have occurred in the last week, it will remain with me forever.

Back in March 2023, it was a sunny Wednesday morning and I was walking out of my dorm and on my way to class. My phone begins to ring, and I check the Caller ID. It was my Dad. This was unusual as my dad never calls me on weekday mornings, he’s working. I knew the news wasn’t gonna be good as soon as I picked up the phone and my dad told me. My grandfather, his father, had cancer. Later, we would find out it was Stage Four Duodenum Cancer and he had less than two years to live. I was really upset. My grandfather was a constant presence in my life, and my time left with him was going to be greatly limited.

One thing my Grandfather has always done for all of us his grandchildren is take interest in our own interests. For me, that was the Florida Panthers hockey team. I had watched several games at his house over the years, and I enjoyed spending time with him watching hockey. It wasn’t his favorite sport, that being football, and especially his alma matter- Notre Dame, but he would still watch as many Panthers games as we could, and whenever I would call them, we would talk about the Panthers. He didn’t have to do this. He could’ve just feigned interest as I rambled on about the Panthers for hours, while not caring, but deep down, you could tell he enjoyed watching them, not because of his own passion for the sport or team but for me, his grandson. Keep in mind he had 17 grandchildren, so this made it even more special.

During the summer of 2024, I spent a month in Europe. This time overlapped during most of the home stretch of the Panthers playoff run. However, when the trip concluded, the Panthers were still playing. It was a do or die. Game 7. Winner takes all. I would be home for Game 7. Now for Game 7, I probably could’ve watched the game at my own house, or maybe I could try to sell a kidney for seats at the game, but something in my head was telling me not to watch the game at any of those places. Where should I watch the biggest game in Florida Panthers history? My head was pointing me towards the house of my grandparents. It probably helped a bit that every game I had watched that season at their house to that point (I think only two or three) were wins, so maybe their house was a good luck charm.

This was about 15 months after his diagnosis. When I visited him that Monday night, he was doing alright. We watched the game, and at 10:53pm we celebrated the Panthers winning the Stanley Cup. It was a great time that night, and one of my best memories. He was a constant presence in many of my best memories- the birth of my sister, my High School graduation, and now finally witnessing one of my teams win a title. Unfortunately, that would also be one of the last times I would see him in what I could call a good condition.

After the Cup win, the cancer intensified, and it got bad fast. I’m not going to go into the details, but it was shocking how quickly things went from being somewhat stable to completely awful. The last month was especially brutal. Finally, the cancer won early in the morning of September 10th, and he passed away in his sleep. A constant presence in my life for 20 years, whom I only have good memories of, gone like a candle in the wind.

So, when I think back of the Panthers winning the Stanley Cup, this isn’t about my personal joy. It’s about a lasting memory, one of the last great memories I was able to make with someone I deeply loved, and someone who I still love. He may not be here anymore, but as long as the memories remain, he’ll remain with us in spirit, and I have the 2024 Stanley Cup Champions to thank for giving me one last great memory. Thank you for reading.