SUNRISE, Fla. — Kyle Okposo’s NHL career started with a bang, a goal in his second career game at age 19 with the Islanders against the legendary Martin Brodeur.
That turned out to be nothing compared with the way it potentially ended, with Okposo hoisting the Stanley Cup after the Panthers’ 2-1 victory over the Oilers in Game 7 of the final.
“Just pandemonium, the puck’s in the corner, and you’re looking up at the clock and waiting for it to tick off and once it hits zero, it’s bedlam,” said Okposo, a 17-year veteran who had made the playoffs in only three other seasons. “It’s just pure relief, and I’m so happy I could do it with this group.”
After being a healthy scratch for Game 6, Okposo was reinserted for the winner-take-all showdown in place of Nick Cousins.
Okposo, 36, registered one hit in 7:51 over 12 shifts.
He was center stage in the celebration, though, the third Panther to lift the Stanley Cup after captain Aleksander Barkov and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
“That’s great. I didn’t need it third or anything,” Okposo said. “But for them to recognize me and how long I’ve been around, it’s pretty special. I tried to add something to the group, and I hope I did that, and think I did, and it’s just a special group of guys, and they were able to recognize the career I’ve had.”
Okposo told The Post on the ice after the game he’s not ready to make a decision on his future but, the day before the game, put his journey in perspective.
“I don’t think you can really know how your career is going to go,” Okposo told The Post inside the locker room at the Panthers’ practice facility. “You just do the best you can in the moment you’re provided, and for me, it was nine great years on Long Island and almost eight in Buffalo, and now I’m here.
“I’ve just enjoyed every minute of my career,” he continued, “through the ups and the downs because some of the most challenging times are the ones you’re going to look back on as the most fun.”
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