Stanley Cup hockey in June is becoming the norm. The 2024 Cup Final will be the 14th time since 1993 that the NHL’s championship series will begin in the sixth month of the calendar year.
And should the Panthers and Oilers need a seventh game, we’re talking about Gary Bettman handing the Stanley Cup to Aleksander Barkov or Connor McDavid on June 24. That means the ice maintenance crews in Sunrise and Edmonton will be working even harder to make sure the playing surface is in top shape despite the temperatures outside each building.
These teams are in their 10th(!) month of games this season. Training camps opened in mid-September and here they are, vying for a championship. For the Panthers, it would be their first title in franchise history in their third attempt. Meanwhile, the Oilers are seeking their sixth Stanley Cup title in their eighth trip to the Cup Final.
The last time Edmonton celebrated a Stanley Cup was May 24, 1990 — two seasons after they traded some guy named Wayne Gretzky. Only four players on the current roster — Corey Perry, Derek Ryan, Adam Henrique and Mattias Ekholm — were alive then, with Ekholm being born on that very day.
2024 Stanley Cup Final schedule
Game 1: Oilers at Panthers | Saturday, June 8, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)
Game 2: Oilers at Panthers | Monday, June 10, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)
Game 3: Panthers at Oilers | Thursday, June 13, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)
Game 4: Panthers at Oilers | Saturday, June 15, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)
*Game 5: Oilers at Panthers | Tuesday, June 18, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)
*Game 6: Panthers at Oilers | Friday, June 21, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)
*Game 7: Oilers at Panthers | Monday, June 24, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+)
(*if necessary)
How they got here
Florida Panthers
Regular season: 1st in Atlantic Division (52-24-6; 110 points)
Playoffs: Beat Tampa Bay Lightning (4-1) in First Round; Boston Bruins (4-2) in Second Round; New York Rangers (4-2) in Eastern Conference Final.
Regular season: 2nd in Pacific Division (49-27-6; 104 points)
Playoffs: Beat Los Angeles Kings (4-1) in First Round; Vancouver Canucks (4-3) in Second Round; Dallas Stars (4-2) in Western Conference Final.
11 things to know about Panthers vs. Oilers
1. There has not been a Stanley Cup Final with a greater distance between two cities. The trip from Sunrise, Florida to Edmonton, Alberta is 2,541 miles, per ESPN Stats…