The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will face off in this year's 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
The 2024 Stanley Cup Final is set with the Florida Panthers taking on the Edmonton Oilers. This year's Final is set to start on Saturday, June 8, with the Panthers having home ice advantage. While Edmonton represents an opportunity for Canada to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993, Vancouver Canucks fans should unite and cheer on Florida.
There are a few reasons why Canucks fans should cheer on the Panthers. The first is the connections between Florida and Vancouver is the amount of former Canucks playing or within the Panthers organization. Starting with the players, there are four former skaters currently listed on Florida's roster. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Gustav Forsling have been critical parts of the team all season, while Jonah Gadjovich and Will Lockwood have been scratched throughout the postseason.
As for the management side, the big name is Roberto Luongo, who is listed as a Special Advisor to the General Manager. Another former Canucks player within the Panthers management group is Bryan McCabe, who is the team's Director of Player Personnel. Lastly, the club employs Goaltending Consultant Maxime Ouellet, who played for Vancouver during the 2005-06 season. Whether on or off the ice, there are strong connections throughout the organization that can be traced back to the Canucks.
The other reason is despite the narrative and continually played advertisement from Boston Pizza saying that fans should unite to cheer on Canada, that is simply not the case. While Edmonton is the last Canadian team, they are also divisional rivals with Vancouver. Whether on the ice or online, it is clear these two teams and fan bases do not like each other, making it very difficult to picture Canucks fans cheering for the Oilers.
While it is not against any laws for fans in Vancouver to cheer on Edmonton, it makes more sense for them to cheer on Florida. As mentioned, there are more connections to the team, plus it means Canucks fans won't have to listen to Oilers fans bring up the fact that they are Stanley Cup Championship in every conversation. Ultimately, when fans in Vancouver decide who to cheer for in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the best option is the Florida Panthers.
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