SUNRISE, FL–The Florida Panthers honored former Penguin and Panther Patric Hornqvist prior to Friday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Amerant Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

Hornqvist, who finished his career in Florida and just recently retired as a Panther, spent the last three seasons of his NHL career with the team. Injuries heavily limited him in his final season, where he played only 22 games, but he continued to be a positive impact on the roster and in the locker room.

Prior to the start of the game, Hornqvist, along with his wife and their two daughters, appeared on the ice, where he was greeted with a roaring ovation by a Panthers crowd with several pockets of Penguins fans (yours truly included).

They played a tribute video to his career, which included quotes from former teammates and people who knew him well.

Captains Sasha Barkov and Sidney Crosby then joined Hornqvist at center ice for the ceremonial puck drop.

It was a wonderful ceremony for a wonderful Penguin.

Hornqvist is forever etched into Penguins lore. He won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2016 and 2017, including scoring the Cup winning goal in 2017 against his old team, the Nashville Predators.

The very last pick of the 2005 draft, Hornqvist spent the first six years of his career with the Nashville Predators. Making his debut in the 2008-09 season, Hornqvist established himself in his sophomore season, where he put up 51 points in 80 games for Nashville.

Ahead of the 2014-15 season, then-new Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford swung a trade to bring Hornqvist to Pittsburgh.

It was a huge risk for Rutherford in just his third week on the job; to get the Swede (along with Nick Spaling), the team had to give up James Neal. At the time, Neal had 20+ goals in every season of his NHL career, and was a former 40-goal scorer.

The move paid off, as Hornqvist was exactly the type of player the Penguins needed then, and is still the kind of player they need today.

Hornqvist and Neal would meet face to face as their teams met in the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals, and even though they put up the same amount of points in the Finals, Hornqvist made his count, including that famous behind the net goal to win it all.

Pittsburgh would be the team he played the most games for, but ahead of the 2020-21 season, he’d be heading south. As the Penguins sought to make changes after disappointing playoff results, Rutherford decided to make the iffy move to send Hornqvist to Florida in exchange for defenseman Mike Matheson and forward Colton Sceviour.

Hornqvist agreed to waive his no trade clause to go to Florida, where he would finish out his NHL career with the Panthers. Hornqvist would be the first addition made by new Panthers general manager Bill Zito, and he wad acquired to help change the culture of the Florida Panthers.

And change the culture he did. In his three seasons with Florida, the Panthers made the Stanley Cup Playoffs all three seasons, including a Presidents Trophy and a Stanley Cup Finals run.

Pittsburgh would go on to miss him dearly, not just for what he did on the ice, but off it too. But they will always have the amazing memories they brought him, and the two Stanley Cups he helped them win.

All the best in retirement, Patric!