The NHL Stanley Cup Finals kicked off in Miami on Saturday with the Florida Panthers taking on Canada’s Edmonton Oilers.
An elected official in Canada challenged Ron DeSantis to bet on the winner.
And Ron DeSantis called Alberta premier Danielle Smith’s Stanley Cup Finals bet and raised her a key lime pie.
Baseball, basketball, and football have always been wildly popular professional sports in the United States.
But professional hockey is becoming increasingly popular, with the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup playoffs enjoying its best ratings streak in eight years.
According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, the 2023-24 regular season averaged 504,000 viewers per game across ABC, ESPN, and TNT.
The opening weekend of the Stanley Cup playoffs saw 2.6 million people tuned in, which is an 11% increase over the previous year.
The Florida Panthers are currently taking on the Edmonton Oilers in this year’s Stanley Cup Finals.
The Panthers are leading the series by one game to none.
But Alberta premier Danielle Smith is confident that the Oilers have what it takes to defeat the Panthers and bring home the Stanley Cup.
In fact, she is so confident that she challenged Ron DeSantis to a liquor wager over the outcome of the finals.
Smith wrote on X, “Dear Governor @RonDeSantis, This is for all the marbles. . . The Stanley Cup. Our Edmonton Oilers are going to beat the Florida Panthers and when we do, would you send some of your finest Florida rum to Alberta for us to celebrate with? If by some miracle the Panthers win the series, then I will send some fine Alberta-made whiskey down to Florida.”
“Do you agree?” she asked DeSantis.
Dear Governor @RonDeSantis,
This is for all the marbles…
The Stanley Cup! 🥅 🏒Our Edmonton Oilers are going to beat the Florida Panthers and when we do, would you send some of your finest Florida rum to Alberta for us to celebrate with?
If by some miracle the Panthers win… pic.twitter.com/8qH1AbP6kH
— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) June 8, 2024
DeSantis accepted the bet.
But not only did he take Smith up on her wager, but he raised her a key lime pie.
“With this Stanley Cup, I just want to let everybody know, I actually have a bet with the premier of Alberta,” DeSantis said. “The Florida Panthers have a 1-0 lead over the Edmonton Oilers in the best-of-seven series to decide this year’s champion.”
“So, if the Oilers win, then I’ve got to send Florida rum up to Alberta,” he said. “But if the Panthers win, then she’s got to send some nice Canadian whiskey down to Florida,” he continued. “So, we’re going to do that.”
He then raised her the key lime pie.
“And I also said, ‘You know what I feel good about how the cup is going to proceed, so if somehow the Oilers win, I’ll not only send the rum, I’ll also throw in a key lime pie to boot,’” he promised.
The Panthers are leading the series 1 to 0 with game two set for Monday night in Miami.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
