Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday. This week profiles a defenseman who after playing for two NHL teams found a home with the Florida Panthers and has twice sipped Stanley Cup champagne, and recalls a similar reclamation 75 years ago.

Make no mistake, Mikkola is not a Finland-based soft drink.

Nor is it a Scandinavian nickname for Michael.

Ah, but when you add Niko and it becomes Niko Mikkola , you have one of the best, low-key stories still emerging from the Florida Panthers.

Mikkola is not a headline-grabber for the two-time Stanley Cup champions, at least not yet, but "The Condor" is being appreciated for his size (6-foot-6, 204 pounds), talen

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