SUNRISE, Fla. — Kyle Okposo’s NHL career began with a bang: As a 19-year-old playing for the Islanders, he scored a goal in his second game against legendary Martin Brodeur.
But that was nothing compared to how it ended, with the Panthers beating the Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of the finals and Okposo hoisting the Stanley Cup.
“It’s just chaos. The puck is in the corner, you look up at the clock, waiting for it to count down, and as soon as it hits zero, it’s chaos,” said Okposo, a 17-year veteran who has only made the playoffs three seasons before. “I’m just relieved. I’m just happy to be playing for this team.”
Okposo, who sat out Game 6 for health reasons, returned to play in place of Nick Cousins in the winner-take-all showdown.
Okposo, 36, recorded one hit and played 7 minutes, 51 seconds in 12 shifts.
But the center of the celebration was Steve Kerr, who became just the third Panthers player to hoist the Stanley Cup, joining captain Aleksandr Barkov and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
“It’s awesome. I didn’t need to be third or anything,” Okposo said, “but it’s pretty special that they recognized me and recognized how long I’ve been playing. I tried to add something to the team and hopefully I did, and I think I did. They’re a special team and they recognized the career I’ve had so far.”
Okposo told The Post on the ice after the game that he wasn’t ready to make a decision about his future, but that he took an objective look at his progress the day before the game.
“I guess you never really know what your career is going to be,” Okposo told The Post in the locker room at the Panthers’ practice facility. “You just do the best you can with the moment you’re given. For me, I had nine great years on Long Island, nearly eight great years in Buffalo and now here I am.”
“I’ve enjoyed every moment of my career,” he continued, “there have been good times and bad times, but it’s the most difficult times that I look back on and enjoy the most.”
