Traditionally, NHL general managers tend to thank both the host city as well as the Stanley Cup champions. In this case, that would be the Florida Panthers, as they took down the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the finals just a few days ago. However, none of the teams around the league elected to give them a shout out this year.
According to multiple sources, the league not only told teams not to thank the Panthers, but they were also given a couple other instructions. First, they were not to thank the city of Vegas. Second, they were not to bring, "the entire front office on stage." It was not uncommon in years past for teams to bring ten or more people on stage for their first round picks.
These changes seem to have been in an effort to make the draft go by quicker. That being said, the first round still took more than three hours to get through. So it seems the Panthers lost their shoutouts for nothing.
