Morning Skate: Complete

It is Wednesday, my dudes.

And our long, on-the-outside-looking-in playoff nightmare is over: the NHL has a new champion.

The Vegas Golden Knights, well known as a long-suffering franchise, won their first Stanley Cup last night with a gentlemen’s sweep of the Florida Panthers.

Bruce Cassidy, fired as Bruins head coach prior to this season starting, headed west and got his Cup. I don’t think many (if any) of us around these parts hold any ill will towards Cassidy, so congrats to the former coach.

Former Bruin Reilly Smith will get his name on the Cup as well, as will BU Terrier and Massachusetts native Jack Eichel.

So basically, the Stanley Cup will be making its way to Massachusetts this summer, just not in the way many of us had hoped. Maybe we should have been more specific.

The Panthers bowed out after what was undoubtedly an impressive run, but you knew they were toast heading into Game 5.

Ultimately, both Florida teams that bounced Boston teams out of the playoffs got eliminated in Game 5 of their respective finals, so we can take some hater-ade solace in that.

Now, we move on! The new league year doesn’t really start until free agency opens on July 1, but there are a few other upcoming things on the books:

• The NHL Awards, where the B’s will earn some hardware, are on June 26
• The 2023 Draft is on June 28-29

After that, free agency begins, and we all get back to wondering if Patrice Bergeron will return, if the B’s will trade a goalie, etc.

You know, regular stuff.

What’s on tap for today?