Panthers players greet fans amid final preps for parade and rally on Fort Lauderdale Beach

The wait is almost over Crews are making final preparations for a massive parade celebrating the Florida Panthers second consecutive Stanley Cup win but the company s players are not waiting for Sunday to share in the excitement with their loyal fans Ever since they clinched the Stanley Cup Final for a second year in a row the Panthers have been Group No Sleep On the eve of a parade that s expected to draw tens of thousands of people to Fort Lauderdale Beach they kept that spirit going Saturday afternoon rookie Seth Jones joined Brad Marchand and other players at MAI-KAI Restaurant Polynesian Show in Fort Lauderdale to sign autographs and hang with fans It feels great It s the first Stanley Cup I won it was an awesome experience The city s on fire right now Everyone is enjoying it with each other disclosed Jones Very excited to be doing this two years in a row very fortunate after years and now years to get two back-ro-back wins and we re going to go for a threepeat commented a fan On the other side of Broward County Matthew Tkachuck greeted fans at the Dick s Sporting Goods location in Sunrise As the star sportsman signing hats and shirts fans advised News his appearance was worth the wait Because he just like he s the best contestant out there and I was just so happy to watch them win back to back disclosed a fan We were really excited about the series We re so happy that the Panthers won and can t wait for the parade the upcoming day Woo See you there noted another fan Speaking of the parade the stage is set for the Panthers success parade on Sunday Last year s parade was memorable in part because of specific nasty weather relentless rain and lightning that was nevertheless unable to dampen the good vibes Rain has not been forecast for this year s festivities but the occasion is bringing a whole new challenge We are looking at a wave of extreme heat in the coming days mentioned Dariana Molina with the American Red Cross What s worse than standing out in the South Florida heat Only being in a massive and very excited crowd Organizers and fire rescue personnel urge attendees to plan ahead and stay hydrated Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Gollan addressed the matter at a news conference held Thursday It is also pivotal to make sure you have plenty of water with you We will be handing out water and have hydration stations he mentioned Enjoy our beautiful ocean and take the time to cool down in the shade whenever you possibly can Heat illness and being affected by extreme heat is a very real thing so we just want folks to be prepared reported Molina The parade is set to kick off at noon at Riomar Street before heading south along A A to Southeast Fifth Street where the stage is located Along with the heat parking will be a whole other trouble as there won t be much of it Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bill Schultz listed the options drivers will encounter on Sunday The options to the north will be Galleria Mall the Bonnet House Museum Birch State Park and the Las Olas parking garage here to the south that s it he stated That s very scant spaces for the amount of thousands of individuals coming Police disclosed downtown parking garages will also be available for attendees opting to park their vehicles and grab a rideshare The water taxi is another option Traffic is also expected to be a headache as one lane of westbound Sunrise and Las Olas boulevards will be closed for pedestrian use Above all organizers remind paradegoers to have fun and be safe For more information on parking locations road closures and shuttle services click here