Belle River native and Stanley Cup winner Aaron Ekblad will be celebrating with the community this weekend.
As AM800 news reported on Wednesday, Ekblad is bringing the Stanley Cup to the Atlas Tube Recreation Centre in Lakeshore Saturday morning at 9:10 a.m.
He will celebrate with the community until 10:30 a.m. in the Renaud Room, and will pose for photos with the Cup and fans.
Speaking on AM800's The Morning Drive, Ekblad says it's been an awesome summer and is looking forward to Saturday.
"To show that support obviously means a lot and I know a lot of it comes from my family, the stuff that I see personally but I'll be able to see it on Saturday all the support they're showing and it's not only for me," says Ekblad. "I understand the cup brings a whole new energy to a room. It's pretty incredible, so I'm excited to share that with the people.
He says he's fortunate enough to play 10-years now in Florida.
"We kind of call Florida home now to be honest," he says. "Me and my wife are here full time, year round. I'll come home on weekends for wedding season and to see my family and her family but this is home and it's been a fun ride so far. So hopefully I can keep it going for another 10."
Ekblad says winning the Stanley Cup was an incredible experience.
"To see it through, I have a ton of pride in wearing the jersey and I think that comes from being there so long," says Ekblad. "Seeing it through and finally winning is just an amazing experience and I'm so incredibly proud of our team and proud of myself honestly for the ups and downs that I've been through while I've played for the Panthers."
The Stanley Cup is coming to Lakeshore with an appearance from Belle River-native Aaron Ekblad, of the Championship-winning @FlaPanthers, on Saturday, August 17 at the ATRC!
— Municipality of Lakeshore (@TweetLakeshore) August 14, 2024
Full details at: https://t.co/5gXNxTxirE pic.twitter.com/nVxJW7BVyf
Lakeshore officials say, due to the limited time, the event is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Officials says the public can start lining up at 8 a.m.
Admission to the event will be by donation including non-perishable food items, hygiene products and back-to-school supplies.
The items will be donated to the Community Support Centre of Essex County.
Ekblad played minor hockey in the area before being drafted first overall by the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League.
He spent three seasons in Barrie before being selected first overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
The 28-year-old defenceman has spent his entire NHL career with the Panthers, playing in over 670 games.
In June, the Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history after beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7.