National Hockey League makes history with 2024 Stanley Cup Final

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Cooper Godin
June 4, 2024 (9:38)

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The 2024 Stanley Cup Final will see the Edmonton Oilers take on the Florida Panthers starting on Saturday night and the NHL is making history in the process.

According to ESPN Stats, this year's Stanley Cup Final is the furthest distance between two cities in National Hockey League history, coming in at 2,541 miles or 4,089.3 kilometers apart.

"This year's Stanley Cup final between the Oilers and Panthers will be the furthest between two cities in NHL history, per ESPN Stats and Information.

It's a distance of 2,541 miles. Here's a chart previous long-distance Cup finals:" Ryan S. Clark of ESPN said.

The previous NHL record is held by the 2011 Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, clocking in at 2,499.8 miles or 4,023 kilometers away from each other. The 1993 Stanley Cup Final between the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings now holds the third spot at 2,466.3 miles or 3,969.2 kilometers apart.

Given how far apart the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, it's a bit understandable that there are two days in between Games 2 & 3, as well as between 4, 5, 6 and 7. The teams will need a travel day then to rest and recover before hitting the ice for practice the following day.

There has also been chatter online with fans complaining and questioning why there's such a big gap between the Conference Final and Stanley Cup Final. To put it in the simplest terms, this was likely the only option for the NHL. The Conference Finals, if both went the distance, wouldn't have ended until Tuesday night. Then on Thursday, there's a concert scheduled at Amerant Bank Arena in South Florida, leaving Friday or Saturday as the NHL's options to start.

This year's battle between the Oilers and Panthers marks the 67th unique Stanley Cup Final in National Hockey League history and for the fourth year in a row, a team from Florida will appear in the Final.

Game 1 between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers is set for Saturday at 8 pm ET on CBC and Sportsnet in Canada, along with ABC in the United States.