A bleary-eyed but triumphant Carter Verhaeghe was caught on video making a dash for the bushes after a long night of partying following the Panthers' historic Stanley Cup win.
Video footage obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com captured the aftermath of the team's stunning victory at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday which culminated into a night of boozy celebrations that stretched into the early hours of Tuesday morning.
And as the star forward who scored one of the decisive goals to defeat the Edmonton Oilers in the Game 7 Final, Verhaeghe, 28, was in full party mode, indulging in perhaps a few too many during the post-game festivities that at one point saw him slumped on the grass outside the venue.
Carter Verhaeghe couldn't help but answer nature's call in the bushes after a long night of celebrating the Florida Panthers' historic Stanley Cup win early Tuesday morning
Exclusive DailyMail.com video shows the team's star forward, now dressed more formally in his off-rink attire in a white button shirt, black pants, and loafers,zipping up his pants as he emerged from the wooded area and back onto the sidewalk
The NHL star was among the players filmed trickling out of the arena as the festivities wound down around 4:30am before being met by a few enthusiastic fans outside asking for selfies and autographs.
A dazed Verhaeghe, now dressed more formally in his off-rink attire in a white button shirt, black pants, and loafers, appeared elated but unsteady on his feet as he stopped to pose for photos and sign t-shirts, the clip shows.
The athlete, guided by a fellow teammate, then headed towards the street to catch a ride home, but not before taking a moment to relieve himself in the bushes.
Verhaeghe made no effort to be subtle about his public party foul, with video showing the hockey star zipping up his pants as he emerged from the wooded area and back onto the sidewalk.
He then slumped down on the ground as he waited for his Uber to arrive, much to the surprise of onlookers, including one kind fan who offered him a folding chair for comfort.
The 28-year-old, who scored one of the decisive goals to defeat the Edmonton Oilers, was in full party mode, indulging in perhaps a few too many during the post-game festivities
The NHL star was later seen slumped on the ground outside as he waited for his ride to arrive
A bleary-eyed Verhaeghe seemed amused and touched by a kind fan's gesture offering him a folding chair while he waited for his Uber
Amused and touched by the gesture, Verhaeghe flashed a wobbly smile at the man as he handed him the chair.
He got picked up by a small Ubershortly after, flanked by his friends as he walked towards the car.
Fellow Panthers stars Josh Mahura, Nick Cousins, Ryan Lomberg were also spotted leaving the venue as the night wore on.
Mahura and Cousins had called it a night earlier, while Lomberg left around 4:30am, after signing autographs and taking photos with fans.
The all-nighter and likely subsequent hangover didn't stop the team from continuing the celebrations, however, as the players were seen kicking on the following day at the beach in Fort Lauderdale.
Panthers stars Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekbald and Sam Reinhart took to the Elbo Room Beach Bar with their trophy on Tuesday, with a giant herd of fans surrounding them to get a glimpse of hockey's ultimate prize.
The hockey star appeared elated but unsteady on his feet as he stopped to pose for photos and sign t-shirts, the clip shows
Verhaeghe was among the players filmed trickling out of the arena as the festivities wound down around 4:30am before being met by a few enthusiastic fans outside asking for selfies and autographs
He got picked up by a small Uber shortly after, flanked by his friends as he walked towards the car
Verhaeghe, who scored one of the decisive goals of the game, was seen lifting the Stanley Cup trophy after the Panthers' stunning victory against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday
Beers were poured into the Cup as fans continued to go crazy over their team's clinch of its first ever Stanley Cup title in franchise history.
At one point during the beach outing, Tkachuk decided to go for a swim in the ocean and took the Cup with him in some sort of baptism, as shown in a viral clip posted on social media.
Videos showed Panthers fans screaming in delight as Tkachuk, Ekbald and Reinhart took turns to pose with the Cup in the ocean water.
The Panthers' stunning victory came after the team managed to contain a relentless attack from the Edmonton Oilers in the third period to win Game 7 of the finals 2-1 on Monday.
Both teams split goals at the end of the first period. Carter Verhaeghe gave Florida the 1-0 lead with a tip-in nearly five minutes into the opening stanza.
Minutes later, Edmonton's Mattias Janmark hit a wrist shot to tie the game one-all heading into the second.
Sam Reinhart would be the lone scorer in the middle period, giving the Panthers the 2-1 lead they would hold to secure their first Stanley Cup title as a franchise.
