In the NHL, an elongated summer vacation is never something to be desired.

If you’re hitting the beach in April, it also means that, more than likely, you’re begrudgingly watching the Stanley Cup playoffs from your couch.

For the Florida Panthers, a 3-2 loss at home to the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 12 marked the beginning of a nearly five-month hiatus from the game after finishing the regular season outside of the playoffs for the eighth time in their past nine seasons.

Now, as players begin to return to South Florida in preparation for the upcoming season, the team hopes that this past summer will be the last time they are booking tee times in April.

So how did the Florida Panthers spend their time away from the game? FOX Sports Florida’s Jameson Olive took to social media to find out.

NICK BJUGSTAD

A star player during his time with the Gophers, Bjugstad returned to the University of Minnesota to graduate with his former classmates.

ERIK GUDBRANSON AND JONATHAN HUBERDEAU

Selected to compete for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships In May, Gudbranson and Huberdeau combined for two goals, four assists and a plus-12 rating over 8 games.

Guddy and Hubby at Team Canada this morning in Minsk. @FlaPanthers @HC_Men pic.twitter.com/vsyT8glSzz — Wayne Gudbranson (@wgudbranson) May 19, 2014

VINCENT TROCHEK

A Pittsburgh, Pa. native, Trocheck was asked to throw out the first pitch at a Pirates game at PNC Park.

TOMAS KOPECKY

An outdoor enthusiast, Kopecky headed to the Austrian Alps for some high-altitude workouts.

WILLIE MITCHELL

A Stanley Cup champion with Los Angeles in 2014, Mitchell spent his day with the Cup fly fishing with friends in Pitt River, British Columbia.

SEAN BERGENHEIM

Working out his mind while resting his body, Bergenheim hit the books while relaxing in his native Finland.

JIMMY HAYES

On a flight to Myrtle Beach, S.C., Hayes found out the hard way that planes typically aren’t built to accommodate 6-foot-6, 221-pound NHL players.

BRIAN CAMPBELL

Upon his arrival back to Florida, Campbell took his daughter grocery shopping to re-stock the house for the upcoming season.

Just a little grocery shopping with my girl pic.twitter.com/IV3tpUvtdr — Brian Campbell (@bcampbell_51) August 23, 2014

BRANDON PIRRI

While taking in the tropical beauty of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Pirri’s horse may have taken a wrong turn.

Trust me, you'd rather be on Ike then behind him. #turksandcaicos pic.twitter.com/cktlwLi8X5 — brandon pirri (@pirri91) May 20, 2014

SCOTTIE UPSHALL

The Panthers’ offseason MVP, it’s hard to say anyone in the NHL had a better summer vacation than Upshall. From music festivals to a tour of Europe with fellow NHL players Shane O’Brien and Joffrey Lupul, the charismatic winger didn’t have a dull moment.

You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.