By Rockin’ Reese
Our Stanley Cup Final is underway. The (Western Conference Champion) Vegas Golden Knights will host the (Eastern Conference Champion) Florida Panthers in what could be the literally hottest Final in NHL history. According to vegas.com, Las Vegas averages a high of 100 degrees & a low of 74, during June.
According to weather.com, Sunrise averages a high of 89 & a low of 75. However, the weather won’t be the only thing hot about this series. The action from the games will also be hot.
The Golden Knights & the Panthers have some similarities. Both teams went to a SCF shortly after they arrived in the league. Knights went in 2017-18 (their 1st season). Panthers went in 1995-96 (their 3rd season). Both teams lost in their respective series (Knights lost to the Washington Capitals in 5 games;
Panthers were swept by the Colorado Avalanche). Both teams are competing in their 2nd SCF. Both teams have made recent trades for players who are now among their leading scorers (Jack Eichel for the Knights & Matthew Tkachuk for the Panthers). Both teams have made the SCF, after failing to make the previous season’s playoffs (Golden Knights did it this season, while the Panthers did it in 1995-96). Both teams won at home, when they played each other in the regular season. If you want an even SCF (on paper), this is it.
In NHL history, 14 teams went to the Stanley Cup Final, after missing the playoffs in the previous season (including the previously mentioned Knights & Panthers). Since the expansion era began in 1967-68, the other teams who did this were the 1970-71 Montréal Canadiens, 1974-75 Buffalo Sabres, 1990-91 Pittsburgh Penguins, 1993-94 New York Rangers, 1997-98 Capitals, 2002-03 Anaheim Ducks, 2003-04 Calgary Flames, 2011-12 New Jersey Devils, 2015-16 San Jose Sharks, & 2018-19 St. Louis Blues.
On a technicality (because of the 2004-05 season being cancelled to lockout), the 2005-06 Carolina Hurricanes & Edmonton Oilers would also make the list, since neither team was in the 2003-04 playoffs..making their series the only Final that involved 2 teams that weren’t in the previous playoff. Of these teams, only the Canadiens, Penguins, Rangers, Hurricanes, & Blues won a Stanley Cup.
No matter how this series ends, one thing will be certain. While the sun will be hot during the day, that heat will pale in comparison to the intensity that each game of this year’s SCF will deliver. Both of these teams are motivated to avoid going 0-2 in SCF appearances & finally bring the Cup to their respective organizations. The only thing left to find out is whether there will be Stanley Cup parties along the Strip or there will be a parade throughout the Miami Metropolitan Area.