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The Florida Panthers are going to the Stanley Cup Final. Few are as hyped as Brooks Koepka

dan rorabaugh, palm beach post
·4 min read
3

Brooks Koepka is having the time of his life right now.

The South Florida native is coming off his third career PGA Championship win, the first major for a golfer on the rogue LIV Golf tour. And he came close to winning the Masters in April, as well.

But enough of all that. It's playoff hockey season, and the Florida Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since their incredible run in 1996. And there are few fans happier than Koepka.

The Jupiter resident has been all over the telecasts lately, showing his fandom is more than just a passing trend. When Matthew Tkachuk scored the deciding goal with 4.9 seconds left in Game 4 to seal the sweep in the Eastern Conference Final, TNT crews found Koepka shouting and jumping with glee — all while wearing an upside-down "TALLY" hat to shout out his alma mater Florida State, whose softball team is also making a postseason run.

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This isn't an example of a celebrity latching onto a team's run of success. Koepka has clout with the Ice Cats.

Where is Brooks Koepka from?

Koepka is a Palm Beach County boy through and through. He was born in West Palm Beach and went to Cardinal Newman High School. He now lives in Jupiter.

He would have been 6 years old when the Panthers made their only prior Stanley Cup Final in 1996. Two years later, the club moved from Miami Arena to their current home in Sunrise, a little more than an hour from where young Brooks grew up.

Brooks Koepka brings in traffic cone to boo Aaron Ekblad

In a March 25 game at FLA Live Arena, Koepka was seen with a rare visual aid at the game against the New York Rangers. Not pleased with the play of Aaron Ekblad, Koepka held up a makeshift traffic cone meant to symbolize the defenseman's less-than-stellar technique.

"I did not bring the cone," Koepka said before a LIV Golf event a week later. "He gave up a bad goal. It was a bad pass in the third. I'm a die-hard P's fan, and he gave up a bad goal."

He did, however, admit to being "hydrated."

Brooks Koepka celebrates PGA Championship by bringing Wanamaker Trophy to Panthers game

While Koepka was preparing for another run at a major, his Panthers went on a torrid streak through the Eastern Conference. They stunned the Boston Bruins, owners of the greatest regular-season record in NHL history, in seven games before taking out the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games. According to TSN reporter Bob Weekes, Koepka went to two playoff games in Toronto.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final was a four-overtime instant classic that started Thursday night, May 18, and ended around 2 a.m. Friday. This happened between the first and second days of the PGA Championship, and Koepka says he fell asleep on the couch trying to watch it all.

After winning the PGA Championship on May 21, Koepka celebrated by bringing the trophy to the arena the following night.

He then went viral again for clapping very, VERY intently during the Panthers' 1-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

And afterward, he let Matthew Tkachuk's brother Brady, who plays for the Ottawa Senators, drink from the Wanamaker Trophy.

Brooks Koepka on hand for Miami Heat playoff run, too

The Panthers might be No. 1, but Koepka is celebrating the rest of South Florida's sports success, too. The Miami Heat, the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, are a game away from staking their own surprising place in the NBA Finals. Koepka was there for Game 4 in Miami, one day after bringing the Wanamaker Trophy to the Panthers game.

We're still awaiting word on whether Bryson DeChambeau will be rooting on Vegas or Dallas in the Stanley Cup Final starting June 3.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brooks Koepka loves Florida Panthers: A look at LIV Golf star's fandom