Whoever charters the planes for the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers during this year’s Stanley Cup Final better ensure the seating is extra comfortable.
And that’s putting it lightly.
As Connor McDavid’s Oilers get set to square off against Matthew Tkachuk’s Panthers during Game 1 of the NHL’s championship round later this week, both teams will have much more to contend with than just the on-ice battle.
According to ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark, the travel distance between the city of Edmonton and the town of Sunrise, Florida (which is just north of Miami) is 2,541 miles. That is officially the longest travel distance in Stanley Cup Final history, surpassing the trek the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins had to make all the back in 2011.
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: pic.twitter.com/vvilygdn60
— Ryan S. Clark (@ryan_s_clark) June 3, 2024
The NHL appears to have accounted for this distance by giving the Oilers and Panthers at least three segments of three-day rest between games if the Stanley Cup Final goes seven games. Even still, traveling that far multiple times in a 2-2-1-1-1 series format is just wild to consider.
Whoever can beat jet lag best will probably hoist the Stanley Cup.
