SUNRISE, Fla. — It was the day after one of Sergei Bobrovsky’s five shutouts during the 2024-25 Florida Panthers season when Nate Schmidt finally got one.
As the story goes, the goaltender approached Schmidt and extended a hand in gratitude. Shaking it, Schmidt was taken aback by the gesture. But then Bobrovsky went the extra mile for the defenseman, pulling out a handwritten, personalized thank-you note written in permanent marker, along with a gift: a bottle of wine.
“I looked at him and I was like, ‘Damn,’” said Schmidt, now with the Utah Mammoth.
Schmidt is one of many teammates, past and present, who have benefited from the 37-year-old Bobrovsky’s drinkable tradition. The game is simple: If Bobrovsky records a shutout for the Panthers, one of the team’s trainers blindly picks two players’ jersey numbers out of a box held by the goalie. The two lucky raffle winners each receive a bottle of wine — plus the accompanying thank-you note — to savor after a job well done.
“It’s a big moment for a goalie,” Bobrovsky told The Athletic. “It’s tough to (get) a shutout in this league nowadays.
“It’s just my little appreciation for them for their hard work.”
The first bottles of the 2025-26 season were distributed by Bobrovsky this week, after he blanked the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, making 17 saves in a 3-0 victory.
Over the previous two seasons, Bobrovsky recorded 11 shutouts, second among all NHL goalies to Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck, the reigning Vezina and Hart Trophy winner. Six of those clean sheets came in 2023-24, which culminated in his first Stanley Cup, followed by five more in 2024-25 as the Panthers captured back-to-back championships. Since Bobrovsky entered the NHL in 2010-11, his 50 shutouts rank only behind Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Quick, two future Hall of Famers.
Bobrovsky’s wine tradition takes inspiration from another netminding legend with a Dionysian reputation: former New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who held a wine lottery of his own during his playing days. Bobrovsky decided to follow in the Hall of Famer’s footsteps almost three years ago, gifting wine bottles of his own to his teammates.
“I look up to him,” Bobrovsky said of Lundqvist. “I played against him a lot. He’s solid and consistent. He’s a Hall of Famer for a reason. (I’m) a big fan of his game.”
The wine sweepstakes aren’t just for defensemen such as Schmidt. Forwards can win, too, regardless of their contributions to the cause.
“Bobby had a soft spot for me. I was pretty lucky, because I was his warm-up shooter,” said former teammate and current Toronto Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz.
“I got a few bottles from him, and he would sign them all and write a little note on them. So, it was just a nice little touch.”
As for what types of wine are raffled off, Bobrovsky won’t say. But according to his teammates, past brands have included The Prisoner Wine Company and Caymus Vineyards, both based in California’s Napa Valley.
“It ain’t a cheap bottle, that’s for sure,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said.
“I’ve been on a few teams where when there’s shutouts we’d have some sort of tradition,” teammate A.J. Greer added. “In Boston, (Charlie) McAvoy would bring in some doughnuts from this shop that’s really good. But the bottles of wine are a nice touch.
“It’s a nice gift for everyone. It’s a nice touch when the defense and the forwards do their job defensively, and he has a big night in net. For him to do that is very classy.”
While Bobrovsky prefers red wine, another former teammate, Nick Cousins, says the goalie has also given out white wine and champagne. Unlike most players interviewed for this story, however, Cousins never won a bottle of his own.
“Unfortunately,” said Cousins, now with the Ottawa Senators. “Because I do like my red wine.”
The 2024-25 Panthers swarm Bobrovsky in celebration after clinching their second straight Stanley Cup. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
The raffle coincides with a successful back half of Bobrovsky’s career. The 16-year veteran began his career with some promise in Philadelphia, a market that has been starved for an everyday goaltender since the days of Ron Hextall, as well as with a bit of notoriety thanks to a viral call from TSN’s SportsCentre anchor Jay Onrait yelling Bobrovsky’s name. But after two seasons, Bobrovsky was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he spent seven more seasons and won two Vezina Trophies as the league’s best goaltender.
In 2019, he joined the Panthers and signed a seven-year, $70 million deal, but experienced mixed results. “In the beginning, I didn’t have many shutouts,” Bobrovsky said. Just one shutout in his first two seasons, to be exact, along with a career-worst in goals-against average (3.23) and save percentage (.900) during his debut campaign in Florida.
Entering the 2022-23 playoffs, Bobrovsky wasn’t even the Game 1 starter for his team’s opening-round matchup against the league-best Boston Bruins. But he eventually took over for Alex Lyon partway through the series, helping the Panthers upset Boston and eventually powering them to a surprise Cup Final appearance against the Vegas Golden Knights, where they lost in five.
“We have a great group of guys,” Bobrovsky said. “We’ve got great, solid management, great coaches, great staff.
“It’s exciting to be part of this team. I appreciate this opportunity to be the goalie for this organization, and I’m blessed.”
Bobrovsky has been even stingier during Florida’s recent run to back-to-back titles, notching five shutouts over his past six playoff series. Along the way, his play and humility — not just his taste in wine — have endeared him to teammates.
“He’s been unbelievable, and we don’t have our success without him,” said Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe, another past winner of Bobrovsky’s raffle. “He’s such a good guy. If you’re lucky to talk to him, he’s a really, really fun guy to be around.”
Added Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich, “He loves to give back. He’s a very generous guy, and I think he just has some fun with it, too.”
As Bobrovsky cements his own case for the Hockey Hall of Fame, his vinous gifts are stocking up teammates’ cellars. Some players like Schmidt, who won the raffle twice while in Florida, have even unscrewed the cork on one of their winnings. But the defenseman is making sure to save the second bottle.
“I’ll never drink it,” Schmidt said.
There is one group among the Panthers not included in the tradition: the coaching staff. Head coach Paul Maurice understands why. The players do “all the hard things,” he said, such as blocking shots and defending to help preserve Bobrovsky’s shutout bids.
“It’s a smart thing to do,” Maurice said. “And it’s a kind thing to do.”
But, the coach added, “(He) could expand it every once in a while. I’m just saying.”
— The Athletic‘s Peter Baugh contributed to this report