CHARLOTTE — It was a bit of whiplash when Chuba Hubbard walked into Bank of America bright and early Monday morning for the annual Carolina Panthers production day.
Just four days earlier, he'd been in Charlotte for OTAs, and two days earlier, Hubbard had been in his hometown of Edmonton, Canada. For those who aren't familiar with Canadian geography, Edmonton is due north of Montana, approximately 2,400 miles away one-way, and a six-and-a-half hour flight. He'd made the round trip in about 72 hours.
"To go to my actual hometown is 10 (hours)," Hubbard explained Monday morning, while waiting his turn on the next set at production day. "But I flew to a neighboring city and then drove like two hours."
Oh, well in that case, the trip is practically easy, right?
It wasn't an easy trip, but it was worth it, as Hubbard got to attend Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. It was a chance to sit on the glass at one of the most storied series in sports, supporting his hometown team...even if he's normally a Panther.
The Oilers have not won a Stanley Cup Finals since 1990, but are back-to-back conference champions. Hubbard has been trying to get home for a game for a while, but again, there is the 4,800 round-trip to consider. Even with the short turnaround over the weekend, this was a trip worth making though.
"They've (the Oilers) have been trying to get me over there for a while and I've been making promises that I'm supposed to go over there, so it was long overdue," Hubbard laughed. "My family went with me so it was good to be back in my hometown, especially with my family."
Bleacher Report mic'd up Hubbard, who took his nephew down to the glass to experience the game up close.
The Oilers and Panthers are tied 1-1 in the series, with Game 3 set for Monday night. Hubbard rejoined the Panthers (of the Carolina variety) in time for minicamp. The team will be on the field Tuesday and Wednesday for work, before a reprieve ahead of training camp.
Check out photos of Luke Kuechly and Greg Olsen as they took the field at Bank of America Stadium to play ball with the Savannah Bananas.
