In the NHL, as in other sports, trophies are awarded for conference titles—much in the way that hardware is given to the AFC and NFC champions, American League and National League champions, and so on.
However, only hockey’s conference trophies have elaborate lore surrounding what you can do and not do with them.
Superstition generally holds that you should touch neither the Eastern Conference’s Prince of Wales Trophy nor Western Conference’s Clarence Campbell Bowl, instead saving your adulation for the Stanley Cup. However, the Florida Panthers bucked that tradition in 2023, embracing the Prince of Wales Trophy after their Eastern Conference title.
With a loss in the 2023 Stanley Cup finals to the Vegas Golden Knights fresh in mind, Florida made no such mistake after its 2–1 clinching win over the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday.
They aren’t superstitious, but they are a little stitious… 🤷♂️
A video posted by the NHL showed the Panthers handling the trophy after beating the Carolina Hurricanes in ’23—and then avoiding it like the plague in 2024.
Whether this hands-off approach will benefit Florida going forward remains to be seen.
The NHL's Florida Panthers and NFL's Carolina Panthers came into existence around the same time—the teams began play in 1993 and 1995, respectively—but they sit at opposite ends of the success spectrum in 2024.
The hockey Panthers, after Saturday’s Game 1 victory, are three wins away from their first Stanley Cup title. The football Panthers are licking their wounds after a 2–15 season, their worst since going 1–15 in 2001.
However, differences in fortunes have never stopped some sports fans from mistaking the two teams for each other. It happened again Saturday in Los Angeles, when KABC-TV put up a graphic depicting the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Panthers meeting in the Stanley Cup finals.
KABC in Los Angeles was getting viewers ready for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and -- Carolina Panthers? pic.twitter.com/asevhg8ZmC
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 9, 2024
Credit to the anchor here for proceeding as if nothing was amiss—gamely avoiding the urge to throw whoever handled the graphic under the bus.
Interestingly, the Oilers' last trip to the Stanley Cup finals saw them meet the Carolina Hurricanes, to whom they lost the 2006 championship series four games to three.
Amidst a drama-filled postseason, the 2023-24 NHL campaign is nearing an end. A new champion will be crowned in the upcoming 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final.
The format of the Stanley Cup Final is simple—a best-of-seven series just like the first three rounds of the playoffs. The team with home-ice advantage (awarded based on which team had the better regular-season record) hosts Game 1, Game 2, Game 5 (if necessary) and Game 7. The other team hosts Games 3, 4 and 6.
The Rangers would have home-ice advantage if they advance past the Eastern Conference Final since they finished with the most points (114) in the regular-season standings. The Stars (113 points) would have home-ice advantage if the Panthers (110 points) won the East, and Florida can only have the advantage if the Oilers (104 points) beat Dallas.
Without further ado, here's everything you need to know about tuning in to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final:
The best-of-seven series to crown the 2023-24 NHL champion will begin with Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final on Saturday, June 8.
Every game will be televised exclusively on ABC in the United States. In Canada, the games will be aired on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports.
GAME
DATE
TIME
CHANNEL
Game 1
Saturday, June 8
8 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 2
Monday, June 10
8 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 3
Thursday, June 13
8 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 4
Saturday, June 15
8 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 5 (if necessary)
Tuesday, June 18
8 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 6 (if necessary)
Friday, June 21
8 p.m. ET
ABC
Game 7 (if necessary)
Monday, June 24
8 p.m. ET
ABC
Every game of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final will be available for fans in the United States to stream on ESPN+ and the ABC app. Both will require a TV provider login.
Streaming options that don’t require cable include FuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. For fans not looking to spend exorbitant amounts on a streaming service, FuboTV offers a free one-week trial to new subscribers.
The 2024 Stanley Cup Final is ready for the puck drop, as the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will battle in the best-of-seven series to decide who will hoist the most important trophy in hockey.
The Panthers cruised through the Eastern Conference bracket, defeating the in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, the Boston Bruins in six and the New York Rangers in six to punch a ticket to their second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance and third in franchise history. Florida is led by 35-year-old goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who has allowed just 2.20 goals per contest across 17 games this postseason.
The Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings in five games, the Vancouver Canucks in seven and the Dallas Stars in six to make their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006. Connor McDavid, the six-time NHL All-Star, five-time Art Ross Trophy winner and three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, is chasing the one piece of hardware that has alluded him his entire nine-year career—Lord Stanley's Cup.
It's shaping up to be a memorable Stanley Cup Final. So, what's the ticket price to get in the door? Here's a breakdown for each game (ticket prices as of June 5):
Most expensive tickets
If you're looking to buy a ticket to Saturday’s Game 1 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., and have some cheddar to spend, look no further than the second row in Section Club 29. Tickets there are going for $8,642 apiece before fees. Otherwise, most tickets in the lower bowl will cost anywhere between $1,500 and $4,200.
Cheapest tickets
The Panthers have won just one home game in the Stanley Cup Final in the club's 30-year history. They were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in four games in 1996 and won Game 3 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights before losing the series.
If you're looking for the cheapest ticket in the door to witness a chance at history, it'll cost you at least $445 to do so. Those "cheap" seats are located in the upper deck, the 15th row in sections 326 and 310—both of which sit behind each goal.
Most expensive tickets
The Panthers will be looking to either extend their series lead to 2–0 or head to Edmonton with a split series with a win in Game 2 on Monday. The most expensive ticket into the arena June 10 is $6,638 before fees, which will land you in the first row of Section Club 3, located in the club level parallel with the net the Panthers will occupy twice in the game.
Cheapest tickets
The cheapest way to get into Amerant Bank Arena for Game 2 is, once again, $445 before fees. Those tickets will seat you in the 10th row of Section 308, which overlooks one of the nets from an angle in the upper deck.
The least expensive ticket in the lower bowl currently is going for $617—in the 27th row of Section 109.
Most expensive tickets
Both teams will take the eight-plus hour flight from South Florida to Edmonton for Game 3, which is set to begin June 13 at 8 p.m. ET at Rogers Place.
The most expensive ticket listed on Ticketmaster is currently priced at $11,595 in Canadian dollars, or $8,466 in U.S. dollars. Those seats are in the third row of Section 103, right behind the Oilers' bench. Fans sitting there will have a decent chance of being pictured on television behind an elated—or grumpy—Edmonton bench depending on how the game unfolds.
Cheapest tickets
If you thought the $445 from the first two games in Florida was too much to see the Stanley Cup Final in person, we have some bad news. The cheapest ticket for Game 3 is currently going for $1,271.36 in Canadian dollars, or $928 in U.S. dollars. Those seats are located in the eighth row of Section 208, in the upper deck behind the net that the Oilers will attack twice in the game.
Most expensive tickets
The country of Canada is currently in a 31-year drought without one of its teams bringing the Stanley Cup home. The last team to do it was the Montreal Canadiens, who defeated the Kings in five games in 1993. The Canucks (1994, 2011), Flames (2004), Oilers (2006), Senators (2007) and Canadiens (2021) all have fallen just short of hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup since then.
If the Oilers claim the first three games of the series, they can end Canada's drought and claim the Stanley Cup in Game 4 at home on June 15.
Fans in attendance will pay for the chance to witness history, too. Per Stubhub, the most expensive tickets for Game 4 are listed at $18,441 apiece in Section 127. Fans sitting there will get a great view behind the net that the Panthers will shoot at in two of the game's three periods.
Cheapest tickets
Ticket pricing is subject to change based on how the first three games of the series unfold, but as of June 5, hockey fans can buy their way into Rogers Place for $960. Those seats are in the seventh row of Section 215, located in the upper deck over the net that the Oilers will shoot at twice.
