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Good morning! Will you caddie for me today?
Stanley Cupdate: Edmonton finally hits oil
Heading into these playoffs, we all knew about the pressure. Hell, we knew right after the Edmonton Oilers lost in last year’s second round. This team, with Connor McDavid, had to win something.
Most teams don’t survive the pressure of winning at all costs. In fact, it’s usually the loosest teams who tend to play better in these scenarios. But this time, Edmonton rose to the challenge:
- The Oilers squeaked by the Dallas Stars last night 2-1 to advance to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup final since 2006. History will remember this as a crowning night for the Western Conference champions, but don’t miss that they won despite getting outshot 35-10. Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner should have many drinks purchased for him.
- McDavid is so, so good. The superstar is finally within reach of a Stanley Cup, nine years into his sparkling career. How he performs on this stage will define a large part of his career arc. Let’s hope he pulls off a goal like he scored last night:
CONNOR MCDAVID HOW😱
The Oilers’ captain opens the scoring in Game 6 in stunning fashion.
🎥 @Sportsnetpic.twitter.com/qLgujRNQy3
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 3, 2024
I had to watch that a few times to even see how he scored. A wizard.
There is an elephant in this room, though: the Edmonton-Florida matchup will have a hard time reaching the general public. I asked Andrew Marchand, our senior sports media columnist, for his thoughts from a ratings perspective:
“It’s not what you want if you are the NHL. With dreams of New York or Dallas, instead you have Edmonton and Florida. One silver lining? Connor McDavid.”
We can all agree on that last part. It should at least be a tight matchup, as BetMGM has the Panthers as a slight favorite for now. I’m finding it hard to pick against McDavid.
Game 1 is Saturday.
News to Know
WNBA upgrades foul on Clark
Chennedy Carter’s controversial shove of Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark is now a Flagrant 1, the league announced yesterday, though Carter will receive no suspension for the hit, which had social media buzzing throughout the weekend. Clark’s on-court nemesis, Angel Reese, also got fined for failing to do media interviews after that game, the Fever’s 71-70 Saturday win over the Sky. (Clark had a tough Sunday too, scoring just 3 points in Indiana’s 36-point loss in New York.)
Yuka Saso 📈
While I’m sure 22-year-old Yuka Saso would love to have more than two LPGA Tour victories, having both of those wins come in the U.S. Women’s Open is enviable (she’s already in pretty exclusive company as a multi-major winner). She won her first in 2021 and her second yesterday after a steady final-round 68, which might as well have been 62 with how the course at Lancaster Country Club played. She was one of just two players to finish this tournament under par.
Simone Biles 📈📈
There is consistent excellence, and then there is Simone Biles. The 27-year-old, already considered the best gymnast of all time, clinched the top spot in the U.S. Gymnastics Championships last night and swept every individual title for good measure. The national title is her ninth, a record for any man or woman. Can’t wait to see her at the Olympics.
More news
Caddies: Big weekend for bag guys
Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Robert MacIntyre won the RBC Canadian Open yesterday, a nice way for a PGA Tour rookie to earn his first win. The biggest story, however, was the people carrying the bags:
- Let’s start with MacIntyre, whose win came with his father, Dougie, as caddie, a storyline that only could’ve been better on Father’s Day weekend. Dougie, a greenskeeper in the MacIntyres’ native Scotland, was an emergency call for Robert, who’s gone through four caddies this season. The emotion here after the round from father and son is unbelievable. Go MacIntyres.
- Then there is poor C.T. Pan, who finished tied for 37th this week. Early in yesterday’s round, Pan’s caddie, Mike “Fluff” Cowan, fell and was unable to continue his bag duties. Pan then had three other caddies during his final round, including a fan who ducked under the ropes and donned a bib. Luckily, one of Pan’s former caddies lives 15 minutes from the course and made it in time to carry Pan’s bag for the back nine.
Thank a caddie today. Also, Cowan is thankfully expected to fully recover from his fall.
Watch This Game
WCWS: Florida vs. Oklahoma
Noon ET on ESPN
These are two of this tournament’s best teams facing off as stakes get higher. If OU wins here, they’re back in the championship series — with nemesis Texas raking on the other side of the bracket. If Florida wins, these two play again at 2:30 p.m. ET.
MLB: Brewers at Phillies
6:40 p.m. ET on MLB Network
Not only is this a meeting of two NL division leaders, but it also marks the return of Milwaukee’s Rhys Hoskins — author of a fantastic home run celebration in last year’s playoffs — to Philly.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
When the Bears announced Jaylon Johnson’s extension in March, no one expected him to admit he’d been to therapy for sexual addiction. As Dan Pompei wrote today, it was a small public confession indicative of the transformative season Johnson had, both on and off the field.
Officially, Mike Babcock is in hockey exile. But unofficially he remains popular with the game’s power brokers. Dan Robson and Katie Strang took this unique moment to unfurl a better view of Babcock’s place in the sport — and what led to his ouster in the first place.
It feels like Dillon Gabriel has been a college football star for a decade. His sixth-year audible — a surprise stop at Oregon — could set up a big finale.
The promotion happened 50 years ago this week: Cleveland sold beers for 10 cents apiece. It ended with fans descending upon the field in a drunken rage that forced the home team to forfeit the game. Wild, wild, wild.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our initial update on the Caitlin Clark-Chennedy Carter incident.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Tess DeMeyer’s great story over the weekend about how, in gymnastics, leotards bridge fashion and sports. Read it if you missed it.
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(Photo: Codie McLachlan / Getty Images)
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