Golden Knights defenseman discusses winning championship with Game 5 victory against Panthers

Stanley Cup Final blog: Zach Whitecloud

by Zach Whitecloud / Special to NHL.com

June 14, 2023

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud kept his own blog throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. He checked in regularly with behind-the-scenes access.

In his seventh and final entry, Whitecloud discusses winning the Stanley Cup with Vegas' 9-3 victory in Game 5 on Tuesday.

Proud. That's how I feel right now. That's it.

I didn't start celebrating until near the end of the game. In this League, there is no point where the game's over until it's over. I've talked about that multiple times in this blog, it's really easy to look ahead and get excited and get in that mode where it's right there, but you can't let your guard down for one minute. I'm proud of our guys for playing the way we did, and we came out on the right end.

When I got the Cup, it was everything I thought it would be, and more.

I saw it on video games growing up. You dream of it in the backyard on the outdoor rinks. You never think you're going to be able to touch it and hoist it on the ice in the NHL. It's unbelievable.

I'm just so proud of everyone in our organization and sticking to what we do well and obviously, this organization always puts good people first and hockey takes care of itself.

Seeing the original "Misfits" get the Cup first, that's how it should be. Those guys set the blueprint for what this organization is and what the culture is. You're proud to see those guys lift it because they have been here since Day 1, but you're proud to see everyone get to lift it. Our equipment staff, our training staff, everyone that puts in long hours to make sure we can perform and be our best. They're the real heroes.