Rain doesn't stop the reign for the Panthers, who celebrate their Stanley Cup with parade and rally

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk was soaked. Such is life when you're out in an absolute downpour for a few hours. He did not seem to be bothered by this whatsoever.

And as the star Florida forward looked out at the crowd of people, tens of thousands of them, packed onto Fort Lauderdale Beach on Sunday afternoon for the Panthers' parade and celebration for winning the Stanley Cup, Tkachuk decided to offer a quick weather update.

“I heard it's 70 degrees and sunny in Edmonton,” Tkachuk said. “But they ain't got no Cup.”

Not even a torrential downpour — so bad that flood warnings were issued — accompanied by a huge lightning storm could stop the Panthers’ Stanley Cup celebration, one that the franchise had waited forever to have. The fans braved the storm, awaiting the champs' arrival on double-decker buses that took a beachfront route before stopping for a rally where the trophy was hoisted time and time again.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice — no stranger to profanity — dropped more than a few bleepable moments in his remarks. He also lauded the fire-rescue officials that worked the event and had to briefly treat one of his daughters, who Maurice said got hit in the head by a flying beer can. She was fine. “God bless 'em,” he said.

“In my wildest dreams I never would have thought I could see this,” Maurice said from the stage, thanking fans and players for making the Cup run possible. “Seriously. Understand this. Everybody that we love in this world is ... happy right now.”

Carter Verhaeghe was the player who got to initially bring the Cup onto the stage, Queen’s “We Are The Champions” blared and nobody minded how soaked they were, nobody minded that it was still raining. The Panthers were champs, after three decades of waiting. The title was won last Monday night, Florida beating Edmonton 2-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

“It’s incredible,” said goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who hopped off the bus with the Cup at one point and decided to walk it down the road for a bit as fans who lined the parade route — some since Saturday night — roared. “So many people came out to support us. For us to share this moment with the fans, it’s unbelievable.”

Bobrovsky had more to say later on stage, draped in a flag of his homeland, Russia. Several players from other countries paid similar tributes to their home nations. The Cup won't be accompanying Bobrovsky to Russia this summer; for the third straight year, in response to the invasion of Ukraine, the NHL isn't permitting the Cup to be taken to Russia or Belarus.

“In my first interview, they asked me why I came to Florida,” Bobrovsky said. “My answer was, ‘Because I want to win the Cup and I’m going to do it here.' And now here we are, five years later, celebrating the biggest victory for this franchise with you guys.”

The parade and the rally capped a first few days of celebration that included the following items, among others, going into the Stanley Cup at various times: beer, champagne, apple juice, no fewer than three human beings — all children of players — and a steaming dish of pasta topped with freshly grated cheese, a dinner that Panthers legend Roberto Luongo proudly enjoyed.

“I can’t put this into words,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said as he surveyed the parade scene.

Panthers owner Vincent Viola danced on the stage as his wife Theresa captured the scenes on her phone. Tkachuk hopped off the route at one point to visit his favorite bar, Elbo Room, which just happened to be adjacent to the buses’ path. Players, one by one, all got their moment to hoist the Cup on stage. There was a campaign T-shirt some players wore — Maurice Zito 2024, a nod to Maurice and president of hockey operations Bill Zito, who masterminded the Cup run. Other fans had a similar shirt — Barkov Tkachuk 2024, a nod to Florida’s stars.

And as if the crowd needed more encouragement, a shirtless Panthers forward Nick Cousins ran over to the fans at one point, chugged a beer in celebration and punched the air.

“This is awesome,” Zito said.

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad got a moment of revenge on golfer Brooks Koepka, who showed up at a Panthers game last season and compared Ekblad to a traffic cone. Ekblad grabbed such a cone on Sunday, and let Koepka know — rather colorfully — that he was getting the last laugh.

“It feels like a culmination of your life’s effort, everything you’ve ever worked for,” Ekblad said. “When you get that trophy over your head, it’s a beautiful feeling. And it’s the pinnacle of hockey. It’s everything you could possibly imagine.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Fans cheer the Florida Panthers hockey team during an NHL hockey parade and rally, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk, left, and Kyle Okposo, right, celebrate with the Stanley Cup during an NHL hockey parade and rally, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win the championship series. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers' Aleksander Barkov, front, gestures while speaking during an NHL hockey rally and parade to celebrate the team's winning of the Stanley Cup, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win the cup. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers' Carter Verhaeghe raises the Stanley Cup during an NHL hockey parade and rally, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Verhaeghe scored the winning goal to defeat the Edmonton Oilers to win the cup. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers' Nick Cousins, front, is greeted by fans as he arrives at an NHL hockey parade and rally to celebrate the team's Stanley Cup win over the Edmonton Oilers, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Fans cheer the Florida Panthers NHL hockey team during a parade and rally to celebrate the team's Stanley Cup win over the Edmonton Oilers, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers players Aaron Ekblad, left, Aleksander Barkov, second from left, and general manager Bill Zito, second from right, celebrate after winning the Stanley Cup, by defeating the Edmonton Oilers, during an NHL hockey parade and rally, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Fans cheer the Florida Panthers team during an NHL hockey parade and rally to celebrate the team's winning of the Stanley Cup by defeating the Edmonton Oilers, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, right, gestures during an NHL hockey rally and parade to celebrate the team's winning of the Stanley Cup by defeating the Edmonton Oilers, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers' Nick Cousins, center, raises the Stanley Cup during an NHL hockey parade and rally, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win the cup. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers' Carter Verhaeghe, left, team owner Vincent Viola, center, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, right, raise their arms during an NHL hockey parade and rally, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

The Florida Panthers team celebrates their Stanley Cup victory over the Edmonton Oilers with an NHL hockey parade and rally Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers' Ryan Lomberg is carried off by fans during an NHL hockey parade and rally to celebrate the team's Stanley Cup win against the Edmonton Oilers, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Fans cheer the Florida Panthers hockey team during an NHL hockey parade and rally, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky raises the Stanley Cup during an NHL hockey parade and rally, Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers to win the cup. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla's global sales fell for the second straight quarter despite price cuts and low-interest financing offers, another sign of weakening demand for the company's products and electric vehicles overall.

The Austin, Texas, company said Tuesday that it sold 443,956 vehicles from April through June, down 4.8% from 466,140 sold the same period a year ago. But the sales were better than the 436,000 that analysts had expected.

The better-than-expected deliveries pushed Tesla's stock up more than 9% in midday trading Tuesday. The stock is down about 8% so far this year, but it has nearly erased larger losses from prior months. Tesla shares had been down more than 40% earlier in the year, but are up more than 60% since hitting a 52-week low in April.

Demand for EVs worldwide is slowing, but they're still growing for most automakers. Tesla, with an aging model lineup and relatively high average selling prices, has struggled more than other manufacturers. Still it retained the title of the world's top-selling electric vehicle maker.

For the first half of the year, Tesla sold more than 910,000 vehicles worldwide, handily beating China's BYD, which sold 726,153.

Tesla also sold over 33,000 more vehicles during the second quarter than it produced, which should reduce the company's inventory on hand at its stores.

Tesla's sales decline comes as competition is increasing from legacy and startup automakers, which are trying to nibble away at the company's market share. Most other automakers will report U.S. sales figures later Tuesday.

Tesla gave no explanation for the sales decline, which is a harbinger of what to expect when it posts second-quarter earnings on July 23.

Nearly all of Tesla’s sales came from the smaller and less-expensive Models 3 and Y, with the company selling only 21,551 of its more expensive models that include X and S, as well as the new Cybertruck.

The sales decline came despite Tesla knocking $2,000 off the prices of three of its five models in the United States in April. The company cut the prices of the Model Y, Tesla’s most popular model and the top-selling electric vehicle in the U.S., and also of the Models X and S.

The April cuts reduced the starting price for a Model Y to $42,990 and to $72,990 for a Model S and $77,990 for a Model X. Last week, Tesla lopped $2,340 off the $38,990 base price of some newly revamped Model 3s that were in the inventory shipped to its stores.

In addition, Tesla in May offered 0.99% financing for up to six years on the Model Y. In June, it offered interest as low as 1.99% for three years on the rear-wheel-drive Model 3. Typical new-vehicle interest rates average just over 7%, according to Edmunds.com.

Also during the quarter, Tesla knocked roughly a third off the price of its “Full Self Driving” system — which can’t drive itself and so drivers must remain alert and be ready to intervene — to $8,000 from $12,000, according to the company website.

Jessica Caldwell, head of insights for Edmunds.com, said Tesla is having trouble in a market where most early adopters already have EVs, and mainstream buyers are more skeptical that electric cars can meet their needs.

Tesla's “haphazard” price cuts don't work as well as they once did because consumers now expect them, she said. “We’ve seen the automaker exhaust its bag of tricks by lowering prices and increasing incentives to spur demand without much success in the U.S. market,” Caldwell said.

Also, Tesla's aging model lineup doesn’t look much different than it did years ago she said. And with price cuts, used Tesla prices tumbled. Anyone wanting a Tesla can get a far better deal buying a used one, Caldwell said.

Caldwell doesn’t see any big catalyst this year that would boost Tesla sales unless gasoline prices spike, and she said Musk's shift to the right since taking over Twitter has hurt the brand's image.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note to investors Tuesday that second-quarter sales were a “huge comeback performance” for Tesla. “In a nutshell, the worst is in the rearview mirror for Tesla,” he wrote. The company, he wrote, cut 10% to 15% of its workforce to reduce costs and preserve profitability. “It appears better days are now ahead as the growth story returns,” Ives wrote.

In its letter to investors in January, Tesla predicted “notably lower” sales growth this year. The letter said Tesla is between two big growth waves, one from global expansion of the Models 3 and Y, and a second coming from the Model 2, a new, smaller and less expensive vehicle with an unknown release date.

Tesla is scheduled to unveil a purpose built robotaxi at an event on Aug. 8.

This story has been corrected to fix Tesla's second quarter sales number. The company sold 443,956 vehicles from April through June.

Tesla vehicles are stored at a shopping mall parking lot near a closed movie theater Friday, June 21, 2024, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

FILE - Unsold 2023 Model X sports-utility vehicles sit at a Tesla dealership, June 18, 2023, in Littleton, Colo. Tesla, the top selling electric vehicle maker in the world, is expected to report a second straight quarter of declining deliveries on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)