Since every Florida Panthers player gets the right to take the Stanley Cup for 24 hours, it seems Mackie Samoskevich knew exactly where to bring it. It’s not just about showing off a trophy, you see; it’s about making a dream a reality.

Growing up in Newtown, Connecticut, Mackie’s childhood was shaped by hockey and heartbreak in equal measure. Skating on the rinks of his hometown was once just a dream, but bringing the Stanley Cup there? That was something else entirely. “I want to represent Sandy Hook. It’s my favorite place in the world,” he said. And if you think that was the most emotional part, wait until you hear what happened next.

In a recent YouTube interview with FloridaHockeyNow, Mackie got real about the emotions tied to his Stanley Cup win and how his family shared in that moment. The interviewer shared a story about Mackie’s sister Melissa, who, when asked about seeing Mackie win the Cup, couldn’t hold back tears. “She started to cry even now,” the interviewer said. Well, Mackie has two sisters: Melissa Samoskevich, the eldest sibling, and Madeline “Maddy” Samoskevich, Mackie’s twin sister. So, Mackie’s reply to the questions was full of love and respect.

“Maddie and looked up to her ever since we can remember. She was our role model and taught us some important things growing up. We’re lucky to have her.” Their sibling bond runs deep, but there’s even more that shaped them, especially at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where Mackie brought the Stanley Cup. So, what’s the story behind that place?

Indeed, Mackie Samoskevich brought the Stanley Cup to the Sandy Hook Elementary School Memorial. And that school was everything to him and his sisters. That is where life had dealt them its worst nightmare. Well, on December 14, 2012, a shooter entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown and killed 20 first-graders and six staff members before killing himself. Mackie and his sister, Maddy, were only 10 years old during the time, and they were already going to school in Reed Intermediate School, in a nearby site. Their elder sister Melissa was already on her way in hockey. However, it was a close family; many of the people who were killed were the classmates of Mackie and Maddy. The 26 lives lost are remembered in the form of a memorial now located close to the old school location, the Sandy Hook Memorial. The heartbreak of that day never really left; however, the Samoskevich siblings did not allow it to break them.

Inside the Samoskevich family that produced three hockey stars with one Stanley Cup

In the case of Mackie Samoskevich, talent was not everything in his rise to stardom; the story starts back at home. The Samoskevich family in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, not only had one but three elite hockey players. Melissa, Maddy, and Mackie practiced their skates on their backyard rink, and this was their daily battlefield. Their father, Fred, had once compared hockey to be like breathing to them. The older sibling, Melissa, was the first to lead the paths and play at Quinnipiac, win an IIHF women’s world championship gold medal in 2019 with Team USA, and recently joined the University of Delaware as a coach.

Maddy, Mackie’s twin, followed suit, playing defense at Quinnipiac and getting drafted by the Vancouver PWHL team in 2025. The pipeline of passion was clear, and Mackie, drafted 24th overall by the Florida Panthers in 2021, tapped into it with every shift. Even now, with Mackie fresh off a Stanley Cup-winning season where he tallied 31 points and signed a one-year extension with the Panthers, he’s the first to credit the support system behind the scenes. After scoring his first NHL goal in 2024, he said, “They have sacrificed so much for me… so many memories of them driving you to the rink… it all leads up to this… It means the world.”

That support wasn’t just logistical; it was emotional, intellectual, and competitive. He often calls Melissa and Maddy his “two best friends at home.” Even now, Melissa keeps an eye on Mackie Samoskevich’s performance and sends texts with pointers because, once a big sister, always a big sister. Whether it was Melissa paving the way, Maddy holding the blue line, or Mackie sniping in the NHL, each sibling played a role in the others’ success.