Stanley Cup champion Panthers getting back to work, insisting it's time to look forward

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Stanley Cup is still making its championship tour of South Florida. It was on a basketball court with the Miami Heat this week, is going somewhere else on Thursday and there’s a few more appearances to make after that. So, in some respects, the party that comes with winning the NHL title is still going strong.

That is, except at the Florida Panthers’ practice facility. The champs are back to work.

Florida opens training camp on Thursday and coach Paul Maurice is making this much clear: It’s time to start building for the next title run, not time to keep reveling in the title run that was completed in June.

“There are going to be, and rightfully so, some backward-looking things. We’ll deal with the banner raisings, ring ceremonies, all those good things you get to enjoy,” Maurice said Wednesday as the team gathered for its annual media day. “But we’ll be very sure that our day is completely focused on what we’re doing, not living in the past.”

Evidently, that message is already getting through.

Players have been back in South Florida for at least a couple weeks, for the most part. And Maurice said the returning Panthers all came back in better shape than they were at this time last season, as proven by the pre-camp conditioning tests. The real test comes Thursday with the first practices, and Maurice’s training-camp sessions are notoriously tough.

“The hangover concept, we won’t believe in it,” Maurice said. “It’s certainly not a physical issue with us. We’re stronger than we were last year at this time and that’s a credit to them because they certainly couldn’t have made improvements without spending the time to do it.”

Florida has its top eight scorers — Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Evan Rodrigues, Gustav Forsling and Anton Lundell — all back from last season. Verhaeghe and Reinhart had the goals in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final when Florida held off Edmonton 2-1 to win its first title and avoid what would have been an epic collapse after winning the first three games of that series, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky returns to begin his sixth year as the Panthers’ go-to guy in net.

There are some roster spots up for grabs, but the core from the title run returns largely intact. And even though the Cup has now been won, capping a lifelong quest for Maurice and the players, there’s a slew of motivation to try to win it again.

“At the end of the day, I love what I do,” Bobrovsky said. “It’s a blessing for me to be here today and I’m excited for compete for the dream again. And yet, you know, it doesn’t really matter what happened in the past. I only care about the moment in my hands right now, and that’s this moment.”

Things will start happening quickly. Practices start Thursday and Florida plays its first two preseason games Sunday — the annual doubleheader against Nashville, where most if not all the 50 or so available players in camp will get some game action.

The Cup banner goes up on Oct. 8 when Florida plays host to Boston and opens the regular season. And with that, the 82-game grind will be off and running. But Maurice insists that he’s not skipping any steps, not even thinking about opening night yet or anything between now and then.

“I’m not ready for anything but Day 1. I don’t want to think about Day 2,” Maurice said. “You can’t win the Stanley Cup on September 19th, the first day of practice. But you can start the process giving yourself a chance. This will be what Day 1 on the ice is. You have to be respectful of exactly how hard it was and do the work and pay the price just to give yourself a chance.”

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Florida Panthers goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky speaks during NHL hockey media day, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

FILE -Fans wait in line to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, at a watch party at Amerant Bank Arena, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, FiIe)

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice speaks during NHL hockey media day, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

LONDON (AP) — The European Union said Thursday it will outline steps to compel Apple to open up its iPhone and iPad operating systems to competing technologies under the bloc's tough new digital rulebook, which threatens hefty fines for breaches.

The EU's executive branch, the European Commission, said it has opened two “specification proceedings” that will spell out what Apple needs to do under the 27-nation bloc's Digital Markets Act.

The DMA is designed to prevent Big Tech “gatekeepers” from dominating digital markets, including by breaking up closed tech ecosystems. It requires tech companies to make their systems operate with rivals, allowing consumers to switch more easily between platforms.

One proceeding will focus on how connected devices like smartwatches and headphones will have “effective interoperability” with Apple's operating system. The other will look at how Apple deals with interoperability requests from software developers for iOS and IPadOS, which should be done in a "transparent, timely and fair" way, the commission said.

During this process, which will take up to six months, the commission will send its findings to Apple. It’s the first time the commission has used this process since the DMA took effect earlier this year. The bloc is already investigating Apple over its App Store rules for developers.

The commission's executive vice president in charge of competition policy, Margrethe Vestager, said in a press release that the process will “provide clarity” for developers and Apple.

Apple said it has “created ways for apps in the European Union to request additional interoperability with iOS and iPadOS while protecting our users.”

“Undermining the protections we’ve built over time would put European consumers at risk," the company said, adding it will continue to “work constructively” with commission.

FILE - People wait in front of the Apple store in Munich, Germany, on Sept. 25, 2015. The European Union’s top court has rejected Apple’s final legal challenge against an order from the bloc’s executive commission to repay 13 billion euros in back taxes to Ireland, bringing an end to the long-running dispute (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

European Union moves to compel Apple to open up operating system to rival tech

European Union moves to compel Apple to open up operating system to rival tech