Primary Country (Mandatory)

Other Country (Optional)

Set News Language for United States

Primary Language (Mandatory)
Other Language[s] (Optional)
No other language available

Set News Language for World

Primary Language (Mandatory)
Other Language(s) (Optional)

Set News Source for United States

Primary Source (Mandatory)
Other Source[s] (Optional)

Set News Source for World

Primary Source (Mandatory)
Other Source(s) (Optional)
  • Countries
    • India
    • United States
    • Qatar
    • Germany
    • China
    • Canada
    • World
  • Categories
    • National
    • International
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
    • Special
    • All Categories
  • Available Languages for United States
    • English
  • All Languages
    • English
    • Hindi
    • Arabic
    • German
    • Chinese
    • French
  • Sources
    • India
      • AajTak
      • NDTV India
      • The Hindu
      • India Today
      • Zee News
      • NDTV
      • BBC
      • The Wire
      • News18
      • News 24
      • The Quint
      • ABP News
      • Zee News
      • News 24
    • United States
      • CNN
      • Fox News
      • Al Jazeera
      • CBSN
      • NY Post
      • Voice of America
      • The New York Times
      • HuffPost
      • ABC News
      • Newsy
    • Qatar
      • Al Jazeera
      • Al Arab
      • The Peninsula
      • Gulf Times
      • Al Sharq
      • Qatar Tribune
      • Al Raya
      • Lusail
    • Germany
      • DW
      • ZDF
      • ProSieben
      • RTL
      • n-tv
      • Die Welt
      • Süddeutsche Zeitung
      • Frankfurter Rundschau
    • China
      • China Daily
      • BBC
      • The New York Times
      • Voice of America
      • Beijing Daily
      • The Epoch Times
      • Ta Kung Pao
      • Xinmin Evening News
    • Canada
      • CBC
      • Radio-Canada
      • CTV
      • TVA Nouvelles
      • Le Journal de Montréal
      • Global News
      • BNN Bloomberg
      • Métro
Florida won the Cup. Again. Now what?

Florida won the Cup. Again. Now what?

CBC
Thursday, June 19, 2025 07:12:13 AM UTC

This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports' daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what's happening in sports by subscribing here.

The Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions last night, destroying the dispirited Edmonton Oilers 5-1 on home ice to finish off their rematch in six games.

The Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP went to Florida's Sam Bennett, who led all playoff scorers with 15 goals, including a record 13 on the road. Matthew Tkachuk scored the second goal last night to tie Bennett for the team lead in points with 23, then revealed that he played with a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia suffered while competing for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

WATCH | Panthers beat Oilers in Game 6 to win back-to-back Stanley Cups:

The Panthers are just the 10th team in NHL history to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, but the third to do it in the last 10 years, joining Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.

On the other side, the Oilers are the first team to lose back-to-back Cup finals since Don Cherry's Boston Bruins fell to Montreal in 1977 and '78. And, we have to bring it up one last time: Canada's Stanley Cup drought will now reach 33 years.

A few thoughts to wrap up the series:

* So much for that "classic" Cup final we thought we were witnessing as the Oilers won the opener in overtime and the Panthers took Game 2 in double OT, with Edmonton superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combining for nine points in those contests. Florida's other three wins were all blowouts (aggregate score: 16-4), while McDavid had just two points over the final four games and finished with one goal in the series.

* Speaking of McDavid, he remains the best player in NHL history to have never won the Stanley Cup. With apologies to 700-goal scorers Marcel Dionne and Mike Gartner, 1,500-point man Joe Thornton, Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla and whichever personal favourite you want to throw in here, the 28-year-old McDavid has already won five Art Ross Trophies, three Harts and a Conn Smythe. Except for Alex Ovechkin, who won his lone championship in 2018, every other player with three or more regular-season MVP awards has hoisted the Cup at least twice.

WATCH | Oilers fans react following defeat in Game 6 of Stanley Cup final:

* After 10 seasons in the league, it feels like McDavid ought to have a ring. Gretzky won his first Cup in his fifth NHL season, and Mario Lemieux broke through in his seventh. But sometimes it just takes a little longer: Steve Yzerman waited 14 years, Ovechkin 13, and Ray Bourque famously didn't win one until his 22nd and final season. McDavid will get his at some point. Right?

* The Corey Perry Curse continues. Despite matching his career high with 10 goals in the playoffs, the 40-year-old Oilers forward lost his fifth Cup final (with four different teams) in the last six years. Perry won a ring with Anaheim back in 2007 (his second year in the league) and added a Hart Trophy in 2011, so he's pretty much done it all. With his modest one-year, $1.15-million US contract about to expire, it'll be interesting to see if he returns (to Edmonton or elsewhere) for another kick at the can.

* Not to go all sports-radio-segment on you, but yes, the Panthers are a dynasty. They've won two consecutive Cups, reached three straight finals, and the year before that they captured the Presidents' Trophy. Sure, it's not quite on par with the early-'80s Islanders winning four Cups in a row or Gretzky's Oilers grabbing four in five years. But the Panthers' four-year run is about as good as it gets in the salary-cap era.

WATCH | McDavid reacts following 2nd straight Cup final defeat to Panthers:

Read full story on CBC
Share this story on:-
More Related News
Canada tops Finland to claim bronze at world junior hockey championship; Sweden wins gold

Zayne Parekh didn't have much interest in the high-water mark he had just surpassed.

Czechs eliminate Canada for 3rd straight year at world juniors

Canada will play for bronze at the world junior hockey championship.

Milan construction workers put on brave face as race to finish Olympic hockey arena comes down to the wire

Chris Jones reports from Milan ahead of the Milano Cortina Olympics.

Canada trounces Slovakia 7-1 in world junior quarterfinals

Cole Reschny tuned into the world junior hockey championship with his family growing up.

Something to prove: How Blayre Turnbull became the ‘glue’ of the Canadian women’s hockey team

On the ice inside a rink in Etobicoke, Ont., where Team Canada was running its second Olympic training camp this past fall, head coach Troy Ryan skated over to Blayre Turnbull.

Canadian ski jumper Abi Strate captures 1st career World Cup gold

Canadian ski jumper Abi Strate started the new year with a bang by soaring to her first career World Cup victory on Thursday.

Talented forward group led by Crosby, McDavid should be Canada's Olympic superpower

It’s been nearly 12 years since an Olympic gold medal was placed around Sidney Crosby’s neck.

Canada's skeleton team denies accusations of Olympic sabotage by U.S. slider

Canada's skeleton team denied accusations by American Katie Uhlaender that Canada's coach sabotaged her chances of sliding in the Olympic Games, while the world governing body of the sport has ordered an investigation.

Canadian ice master makes Olympic history with 1st indoor temporary speed skating rink

No ice is colder and harder than speed skating ice. The precision it takes has meant Olympic speed skaters have never competed for gold on a temporary indoor rink, until the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games.

Ice dance pair Gilles and Poirier lead Canadian figure skating contingent into 2026 Winter Games

The experienced ice dance pair of Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier will headline a contingent of 12 athletes named to Canada's figure skating team for Milano Cortina 2026.

The Canadian ice expert faced with making Olympic hockey arena playable

Chris Jones reports from Italy ahead of the Milano Cortina Olympics.

Canadian women relying on connection and heart to repeat as Olympic hockey champs

Eight straight losses to the Americans.

Canada's Mikaël Kingsbury captures historic 100th World Cup competition with win at home in Quebec

Canadian freestyle skier Mikaël Kingsbury earned the 100th World Cup victory of his career on Friday night.

Everything you need to know before Canada announces its women's Olympic hockey team

Hockey Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee will name the Olympic women’s hockey team on Friday afternoon, less than a month before the Canadians open the tournament against Finland on Feb. 5.

Canadian figure skaters ready to emerge from shadow of vaunted 2018 team

In 2018, at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Pyeongchang, legendary ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir strapped on their skates for the final time at the Olympics.

U Sports can learn something from NCAA's mastery of visibility when marketing its own football product

Shekai Mills-Knight, a freshman running back for Ole Miss, will earn some attention Thursday night when his Rebels take on the Miami Hurricanes in an NCAA semifinal football game in Glendale, Ariz., but he first made news a decade ago as a grade-schooler deemed too big for the local little league.

David-Koné matchup in Italy's premier league shows how far Canadian soccer has come

Not so long ago, the prospect of two Canadians meeting in Italy’s Serie A would have seemed an unlikely turn. But on Tuesday night in Reggio Emilia, in the crisp, anxious minutes before the whistle blew and host Sassuolo dug in against Juventus, Ismael Koné and Jonathan David stood on opposite sides of the pitch, pretending not to know each other.

The Olympics are a month away — here's some stuff to get excited about

This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports' daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what's happening in sports by subscribing here.

Nearing full health, Olympics is No. 1 goal for moguls legend Kingsbury over potential milestone win

Canadian freestyle skier and reigning Olympic silver medallist Mikaël Kingsbury says he’s almost at full health following a left groin injury as he prepares for a return to World Cup moguls this week in Val St-Côme, Que.

© 2008 - 2026 Webjosh  |  News Archive  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us