What do you do when your kid is just one step away from achieving something truly incredible? Well, you try to be as close to them as possible to make sure they have all the confidence and support they need, of course! And that’s exactly what Matthew Tkachuk‘s family members did for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals last week. But for his teammate Sergei Bobrovsky‘s folks, it was a jinx they didn’t want to trigger.

Throughout the entire 2024-25 season, Bobrovsky has been sensational, to put it lightly, in front of the Panthers’ net. Naturally, you’d think your kin would want to be present when such an incredible campaign comes to an end. But no, not Bobrovsky’s parents. But even if they missed out on watching their son from the stands of the Amerant Bank Arena, the goalie’s family made sure they had the right reasons for it.

In an X post by Uggg from June 24, Sergei Bobrovsky’s father’s emotions after his son’s triumphant consecutive Stanley Cup victory were shared. In the social media update, part of Andrei Bobrovsky’s recent interview was translated to talk about why he and his wife, Larisa Bobrovsky, didn’t travel to Florida to watch the Panthers lift their second straight Stanley Cup.

“We watched the entire playoffs in Novokuznetsk, on home soil,” the father of the sensational NHL netminder was quoted as saying in the X post. With that, senior Bobrovsky also revealed why skipping the option to watch the Cats’ postseason campaign from inside the Amerant Bank Arena has sort of become a family ritual. “In 2023 we went to the Final, and the team lost,” Sergei’s dad said, “After that, we decided not to attend the crucial playoff series in 2024 and 2025.” And boy, did it pay off!

The Miami team clinched Lord Stanley by defeating the Edmonton Oilers in both the years that Bobrovsky’s parents chose not to travel to the USA. “Last year we watched in Novokuznetsk. They won!” Bobrovsky said, while underscoring that they will do so the next year in hopes of watching his son and his teammates make the three-peat.

The reporter, understandably curious, asked if the Bobrovskys had any plans to change their plans for the Panthers’ postseason in the future. Andrey flatly denied. “Why break good traditions?” instead, he wanted to know if it makes sense to tamper with a trend that has evidently been rewarding. He does have a point there. But their absence from his side didn’t stop Sergei Bobrovsky from dishing out one of the best performances of his life in the 2025 playoffs.

With a .914 save%, the Panthers’ #72 was undeniably one of the main reasons why the team managed to retain the Cup in Miami. In Game 6 against the Oilers this year, too, Bobrovsky was like a rock in front of the Cats’ net. Making 28 saves, Sergei was the primary reason that Paul Maurice’s boys managed to hold off Edmonton to finish the match 5-1 and clinch the Cup.

Bobrovsky saved 192 of the 209 shots he faced in the Finals this year. His brilliance as a goalie even prompted Stuart Skinner, the Edmonton netminder, to laud the Russian. “He’s one of the best goalies in the world. Nothing but love to him,” Skinner hailed the two-time Vezina Trophy winner before clashing with the Panthers in the Finals for the second straight year. Evidently, is parents’ cheers from afar worked miracles for Sergei, and it’s pretty justifiable why they don’t want to change the current arrangement. However, it does seem like the Bobrovskys’ eagerness to be away from all the spotlight has also rubbed off on their son.

Sergei Bobrovsky remains rooted despite towering stats

In the first three rounds of the 2025 Stanley Cup campaign, the 36-year-old goalie posted a 2.11 GAA and a .912 save%. In the 17 games before the Finals, Bobrovsky bagged 3 shutouts and held off the opponents from scoring more than two goals in 11 of those matches. Quite the statistic to go through, indeed! With all that towering performance under his belt, you’d imagine the Panther star to be one of the athletes to party the hardest to celebrate the triumphant postseason run coming to an end. Not Sergei.

As the champs took over the E11even nightclub in Miami, Bobrovsky was spotted smiling at his teammates from a corner, but not really getting into the thick of things. When asked why he chose to stay away, the goalie said, “I’m not like overexcited about the things. I feel humble,” highlighting how he is different than how his teammates look at life and major milestones.

But while his reluctance to celebrate the win is somewhat understandable, that doesn’t mean that Bobrovsky doesn’t have high hopes for the road ahead. His c7-year contract with the Cats will come to an end next season, and Sergei hopes to finish things off on a high. On being asked if a three-peat could be on the table, the goalie said, “Yeah, for sure.” Do you think his teammates will also lock in on the proposition? Tell us your thoughts on Bobrovsky’s netminding skills in a comment!