There aren't many insults worse in hockey than calling someone a traffic cone. So when noted Panthers fan Brooks Koepka hurled that insult at Florida defender Aaron Ekblad in 2023, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2014 NHL Draft did not take it well.
Ekblad got the last laugh Sunday. During the Panthers' 2024 Stanley Cup parade, the 10-year Florida veteran took to the microphone on stage with a traffic cone on his head and delivered a message to the LIV golfer.
"F— you Brooks Koepka," Ekblad shouted into the mic, followed up with a cheer.
“F*** YOU, BROOKS KOEPKA”
— jeremy chandler taché (@jeremytache) June 30, 2024
— Aaron Ekblad, wearing a traffic cone on his head
INCREDIBLE. pic.twitter.com/FC9hOL5X3Q
Why do Ekblad and Koepka have beef? Here's what you need to know.
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Aaron Ekblad-Brooks Koepka beef, explained
It all started on March 25, 2023. In what wound up being a 4-3 loss to the Rangers, Koepka perceived a goal surrendered by the Panthers as Ekblad's fault.
Koepka lifted a cone and pointed at it as he reportedly shouted obscenities at Ekblad.
LIV Golf Superstar Brooks Koepka has a message for Aaron Ekblad.
— David R (@David954FLA) March 25, 2023
“F’ing traffic cone” #TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/j2y7dJio0g
Asked later by reporter Matt Vincenzi to explain the altercation, Koepka said he did not bring the cone to the game himself but felt Ekblad "gave up a bad goal."
"It was a bad pass in the third. I'm a die-hard P's fan, and he gave up a bad goal," Koepka reportedly told Vincenzi. "Yeah, he gave up a bad goal I think midway through the third, and I just felt like if they didn't win that game, they weren't going to make the playoffs. Dedicated fan, man."
Ekblad was asked about the altercation afterward, and he made it clear he was not a fan of Koepka's antics.
"We're not buddies. Never be buddies," Ekblad said, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox.
MORE: Everything to know about the Panthers' 2024 Stanley Cup parade
The Panthers did wind up making it to the playoffs despite the loss — and they reached the 2023 Stanley Cup Final to boot. But even before that postseason run, Ekblad admitted the two had put the incident behind them.
Ekblad told TSN that Koepka had apologized for the incident and noted that he was "cool with it."
"He did what he did, and he apologized," Ekblad said, according to The Hockey News. "Holding ill will against somebody and pulling negativity in your body is never a good thing.
"At the end of the day, it's all just sports, right?" Ekblad continued. "We all get intense sometimes. It is what it is."
Koepka even donned an Ekblad jersey ahead of a 2023 Stanley Cup Final game. While the Panthers lost the 2023 championship series to the Golden Knights, they won their first title in franchise history in 2024.
Traffic cone insult, explained
When hockey players work on improving mobility and skating skills, they typically will skate around cones that have been set up on the ice. What does the cone mean as an insult?
Well, it implies that someone is easy to skate around. If your position is defense, where the goal is to get in the way of opposing forwards, being called a traffic cone is an especially sharp jab.
