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Carter Verhaeghe has been here before.
And not just in the Stanley Cup Final, either.
But right here. In Rogers Place. Hoisting hockey’s Holy Grail with the the other Florida-based NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in 2020.
Back then, Edmonton was home away from home for not just the Lightning, but every other playoff team that met in the bubble amid COVID-19.
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Now, making his return as a member of the Florida Panthers for Game 3 of this year’s final against the host Edmonton Oilers, Verhaege is looking for a similar result to the one that saw him win the Cup over the Dallas Stars 4-2.
“Yeah, obviously it was a different experience than it is now,” said Verhaeghe, who played in front of empty stands since crowds were not allowed to congregate back then — not even for the Stanley Cup. “With the fans and everything, it makes a big difference, and travelling to have home-ice advantage and stuff like that.
“Nothing but good memories here, obviously, when you win a Cup with some guys, it’s obviously one of the best memories of my hockey career. Yeah, a lot of good memories here.”
The problem this time around is Verhaeghe will have to contend with an opponent who calls Rogers Place home permanently.
“They’re going to be at their best. They have some good players over there that, obviously, they’re here for a reason too and I think we’re definitely going to get their best game,” he said. “It’s for us to keep going and playing our game, and playing good defensively and kind of stick with it.”
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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