So That’s What a Red Wings Player Lifting The Stanley Cup Looks Like

Vladimir Tarasenko got his day with the Stanley Cup on the weekend. One of the free agents who was joining the Detroit Red Wings over the summer, Tarasenko’s final act as a member of the Florida Panthers was to enjoy a personal day with the fruits of their labor last spring.

As a going away present to the Sunshine State, Tarasenko made a $10,000 donation to the Broward Health Medical Center. He brought the Cup there so patients could feel its magic.

The smile says all! Vladimir Tarasenko hoists it high. 2 time #stanleycup champion. @nhl@FlaPanthers @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/U4HDxNHGcn

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) September 2, 2024

“We are very happy and proud to share this moment with you today,” Tarasenko told those who were gazing upon the wonder of Lord Stanley’s cherished mug.

It was the second Stanley Cup win for Tarasenko during his NHL career. He was also part of the St. Louis Blues team that captured the Cup in 2018-19.

The Red Wings haven’t won a Stanley Cup since the 2007-08 season. That was two years before the Blues made Tarasenko the 16th overall pick of the 2010 NHL entry draft.

Tarasenko Coming To Detroit To Keep Winning

While he wasn’t promising to deliver a Stanley Cup to Hockeytown immediately, it’s certainly part of the plan that Tarasenko sees for Detroit. Upon signing his two-year pact with the Red Wings, he let everyone know that he’s not someone who cottons to resting on his laurels.

“I feel like last year was very close,” Tarasenko assessed of the Red Wings 2023-24 season. “I’m not a person who just comes and hangs out, enjoy my time. I try to win. I really like winning, and we just won the second Cup.

“But I will do everything I can to help the organization to take the next step, help the guys, share my experience, just do my best to be able to make a playoffs. And once you make a playoffs, you never know what’s gonna happen.

“So that’s the reason I come, because, like I said, I like the way the team played, and I believe this team can make a playoffs and do some special things.”