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What’s a championship in North American pro sports without a little side bet between the political leaders of the places involved?
With the Stanley Cup Final underway between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a wager on their own respective team bringing home the hardware ahead of Game 2 on Monday in Sunrise, Fla.
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But forget the stereotypical package of Alberta beef for a box of Florida oranges. What’s on the line in this one is something that will aid the lucky winner in celebrating and the distraught loser in drowning their sorrows.
https://x.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1800192443679416471
“With this Stanley Cup, I just want to let everybody know I actually have a bet with the premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith,” DeSantis stated in a video posted to twitter.com. “So, if the Oilers win then I’ve got to send Florida rum up to Alberta. But if the Panthers win then she’s got to send some nice Canadian whisky down to Florida, so we’re going to do that.
“And 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 some key lime pie, to boot. So, that’s what we’ll do.”
https://x.com/ABDanielleSmith/status/1800201955303981452
Smith initially proposed the bet ahead of Saturday’s Game 1, which the Panthers won 3-0. The premier is 2-0 so far in friendly wagers throughout this year’s Stanley Cup, having beaten her elected colleagues in British Columbia and Texas with wins over the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars.
But the local leaders and their constituents are hardly the only ones with an eye on the outcome of this year’s title tilt.
With 7.1 million viewers across North America tuning in to Saturday’s game, it was the most watched series opener in a Stanley Cup Final since 2019, representing a 43 per cent increase in viewership over last year.
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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