The Stanley Cup Final will have a real 1993 vibe to it.

That’s the year that the Florida Panthers played their first season in the NHL and they are still seeking their first championship. That’s also the last time that a Canadian team (Montreal Canadiens) won a Stanley Cup title.

Regardless of whether the Panthers or Edmonton Oilers win the best-of-seven series that opens Saturday in Sunrise, Florida, a long drought will end.

Both teams overcame 2-1 series deficits in the conference final to advance.

‘We always believed in ourselves and each other and knew that putting ourselves in this position was always a possibility and it feel goods to have done that,’ Oilers star Connor McDavid said.

Here is a breakdown of the Stanley Cup Final:

Florida Panthers (Atlantic 1) vs. Edmonton Oilers (Pacific 2)

Regular-season records: Panthers – 52-24-6, 110 points. Oilers – 49-27-6, 104

How Panthers got here: Beat Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1, beat Boston Bruins 4-2, beat New York Rangers 4-2.

How Oilers got here: Beat Los Angeles Kings 4-1, beat Vancouver Canucks 4-3, beat Dallas Stars 4-2.

Season series: 2-0 Panthers, with Florida outscoring Edmonton 10-4

Expected goaltending matchup: Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky (12-5, 2.20, .908) vs. Oilers’ Stuart Skinner (11-5, 2.50, .897)

About the Florida Panthers

The Panthers and coach Paul Maurice are making their second consecutive trip to the Final. They lost last season to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. But the Panthers are deeper and healthier than last season. They added three defensemen, including Oliver Ekman-Larsson, in the offseason to help them cope while Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad recovered from surgery. They also signed forward Evan Rodrigues and added former Stanley Cup winner Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo at the deadline.

The Panthers come at you in waves. Their forechecking make it difficult for opponents to go up the ice. Captain Aleksander Barkov won a second career Selke Trophy as top defensive forward. Sam Reinhart, a 57-goal scorer, finished fourth in Selke voting. Sam Bennett is a hard hitter who scores clutch goals. Feisty leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk is familiar to the Oilers from his days with the Calgary Flames.

Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) candidates: Barkov, Bobrovsky

About the Edmonton Oilers

This is McDavid’s first trip to the Final and the Oilers’ first trip since 2006, when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes. They won championships in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988 with Wayne Gretzky and in 1990 after he was traded.

This team is known for its offense. The Oilers hold four of the league’s top five places on the NHL playoff scoring before Tkachuk comes in at No. 6. McDavid, who recorded a rare 100 assists in the regular season, leads the way with 31 points. Leon Draisaitl has 28 points and Evan Bouchard is the top defenseman with 27. Zach Hyman has a league-best 14 goals.

This season started poorly and Jay Woodcroft was fired with a 3-9-1 record. Kris Knoblauch, the Rangers’ American Hockey League coach, came in and improved the team’s all-around play. They had a 16-game winning streak this season. The penalty kill is perfect in the last 10 games. Knoblauch is willing to make tough decisions. He benched Skinner for two games and his play improved after his return.

Conn Smythe candidates: McDavid, Draisaitl, Bouchard, Hyman

Panthers vs. Oilers statistical breakdown

Goals per game: Oilers – 3.50 vs. 3.24

Goals against per game: Panthers – 2.29 vs 2.61

Five-on-five play: Panthers – 1.29 vs. 1.03

Power play: Oilers – 37.3% vs. 23.3%

Penalty kill: Oilers – 93.9% vs. 88.2%

Hits: Panthers – 739 vs. 563

Blocked shots: Oilers – 305 vs. 267

A 15-year-old will be making his PGA Tour debut this month.

Miles Russell will compete in his first tour event when he joins the playing field at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on June 27-30 at Detroit Golf Club, the tournament announced Monday.

already among the most decorated junior golfers in the country, the teen from Jacksonville, Florida received a sponsor exemption to play in the tournament. Even though he is a freshman in high school, he became the youngest player to make the cut in the Korn Ferry Tour, when he finished 20th in the LECOM Suncoast Classic in April.

In 2023, he as named the American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year, becoming the youngest player to win the award after Tiger Woods held the record.

Last year, he also won the Junior PGA Championship and the Junior Players Championship, and he earned a spot on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team.

‘I am thankful to Rocket Mortgage for giving me the opportunity to make my PGA TOUR debut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic,’ Russell said in a statement. ‘Ever since I first started playing golf, my dream has been to compete on the PGA TOUR and test my game against the best players, and I’m looking forward to making the most of the experience later this month.’

Even though he’ll be in the tournament, he’ll need a ride to get there. Russell’s father is scheduled to drive his son in the courtesy car to the club during the tournament, Rocket Mortgage Classic director Jason Langwell said.

Youngest golfers in PGA Tour history

It may sound ridiculous for a 15-year-old to be playing among the best golfers in the world, but it isn’t uncommon.

Russell will actually be the third teenager to debut on the PGA Tour this year, along with Kris Kim and Blades Brown, who are both 16. Kim also became the fifth-youngest player to make the cut in a PGA Tour event at THE CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May, and a week later, Brown finished tied-26th in the Myrtle Beach Classic.

The youngest player to ever play in the PGA Tour is Michelle Wie West, who played in the 2004 Sony Open at the age of 14 years, three months and four days, while she was also the fourth woman to play a PGA Tour event. Other 14-year-olds to play on the tour include Lorens Chan in 2009, Andy Zhang in 2012 and Guan Tianlang in 2013.

Russell will be the fifth 15-year-old to play in the PGA Tour, along with Bob Pasanik in 1957, Tadd Fujikawa in 2006, John Oda in 2012 and Oliver Betschart in 2023.

The NFL has lost a legend.

The Dallas Cowboys on Monday announced the death of Hall of Fame offensive lineman Larry Allen. He was 52.

‘The Dallas Cowboys are very saddened to share that Cowboys legend, Super Bowl Champion, Cowboys Ring of Honor member and Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Allen passed away suddenly while on vacation in Mexico with his family on Sunday,’ the team revealed in a press release.

‘Larry, known for his great athleticism and incredible strength, was one of the most respected, accomplished offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL. His versatility and dependability were also signature parts of his career. Through that, he continued to serve as inspiration for many other players, defining what it meant to be a great teammate, competitor and winner. 

‘He was deeply loved and cared for by his wife, Janelle – whom he referred to as his heart and soul – his daughters Jayla and Lariana and son, Larry III. 

All things Cowboys: Latest Dallas Cowboys news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

‘The Jones family and the Cowboys extend their deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to the Allen family and grieve along with the many other friends and Cowboys teammates that also loved Larry.’

Allen played 14 years in the NFL, 12 with Dallas and his final two for the San Francisco 49ers. A second-round pick out of Sonoma State (California) in 1994, he became a fixture at guard and was a starter for the Super Bowl 30 champions during the 1995 season, the Cowboys’ most recent title run.

An 11-time Pro Bowler and six-time first-team All-Pro, Allen was named to the NFL’s All-Decade teams in both the 1990s and 2000s. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013, his first year of eligibility, and was voted to the league’s all-century team as part of the NFL’s celebration of its 100th season in 2019.

Known for otherworldly strength, Allen could bench press 700 pounds – which understandably made him one of the most intimidating players to ever grace the gridiron. Yet the 6-3, 335-pounder was exceptionally light on his feet, making him a devastating blocker on sweeps and pulls – and a guy who might even run down a defender after an interception.

Though he spent the bulk of his career at guard, Allen was versatile enough to man left tackle at an elite level when asked. On a team known for superstars like quarterback Troy Aikman, tailback Emmitt Smith, wideout Michael Irvin and cornerback Deion Sanders, Allen had a legitimate case as the Cowboys’ best player during his prime years.

‘I’m at a loss for words right now,’ Smith said on Instagram. ‘Such a good dude. Great player. Super person. … It just breaks my heart.

‘The one thing about Larry Allen I know: He had a big heart. And he lived life to the fullest. A man of very few words but on the football field was a beast.’

Details of Allen’s memorial service will be revealed later.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.

Rare are the instances Stephen A. Smith is left speechless.

ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt did so with a healthy dose of reality Monday on ‘First Take.’

With Caitlin Clark, Chennedy Carter and the WNBA leading the sports conversation following this weekend’s action, ‘First Take’ – Shannon Sharpe and McNutt joined Smith and host Molly Qerim, none of them in the same location – opened with a lengthy first segment covering it all.

As Qerim attempted to steer the back-and-forth into commercial break, Smith said he resented that he needed to ‘watch every syllable’ while discussing the WNBA. To that, McNutt replied: ‘Welcome to the world of being a woman, Stephen A., and how you have to dance about your word choice and how you have to please everybody and anybody as you navigate your being.’

To that, Sharpe and Smith asked McNutt what the difference between being a woman and a Black man is. McNutt explained how the multitudes of the conversations about competitiveness and protections offered to Clark.

When she finished, Smith asked, ‘Who talks more about the WNBA, who talks about women’s sports more than First Take?’

Then McNutt delivered the knockout blow.

‘Stephen A., respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to,’ McNutt said.

Smith and Qerim both appeared shocked. Sharpe remained stone-faced. After three seconds of silence, all Smith could exhale was ‘wow.’

‘You’re my guy,’ McNutt said, ‘but I’m talking to you.’

‘You’re my girl,’ Smith replied, ‘but you’ve missed a lot of episodes of ‘First Take.”

Finally, Qerim moved the program into break, with Sharpe attempting to shout over her that McNutt had somehow made Smith’s entire point.

A field of 10 horses — including Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and Preakness Stakes winner Seize the Grey — is entered for Saturday’s $2 million Belmont Stakes.

Mindframe, who is 2 for 2 for trainer Todd Pletcher, is the second choice in the morning line at 7-2 odds.

Pletcher has won the Belmont four times and has three horses in this year’s edition — Peter Pan winner Antiquarian, Peter Pan third-place finisher Protective and Mindframe.

With Belmont Park being renovated, the Belmont Stakes will be held at Saratoga. The distance for Saturday’s race will be 1 ¼ miles, shorter than the Belmont’s traditional distance of 1 ½ miles.

Post time is set for 6:50 p.m. Saturday. The race will be televised by FOX.

Belmont Stakes 2024 post positions, horse, trainer, jockey, morning-line odds

1. Seize the Grey, D. Wayne Lukas, Jaime Torres, 8-1

2. Resilience, Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado, 10-1

3. Mystik Dan, Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr., 5-1

4. The Wine Steward, Mike Maker, Manny Franco, 15-1

5. Antiquarian, Todd Pletcher, John Velazauez, 12-1

6. Dornoch, Danny Gargan, Luis Saez, 15-1

7. Protective, Todd Pletcher, Tyler Gaffalione, 20-1

8. Honor Marie, Whit Beckman, Florent Geroux, 12-1

9. Sierra Leone, Chad Brown, Flavien Prat, 9-5

10. Mindframe, Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz Jr., 7-2

Contact Jason Frakes at jfrakes@courier-journal.com. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.

For the third time this season, Florida softball played an elimination game.

And for the third time, the Gators emerged victorious.

Florida is now one win away from the Women’s College World Series championship round after defeating three-time defending national champion Oklahoma, 9-3, Monday afternoon at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

The win was Keagan Rothrock’s 33rd of the season and Florida’s 54th in total. It also ended Oklahoma’s 20 game win streak in the NCAA softball tournament. The Sooners last lost in the postseason in 2022 in the WCWS against UCLA.

After a slow start in Oklahoma City, Florida’s offense awoke Sunday vs Alabama with a six-run, 10-hit outing against Crimson Tide to reach the semifinal round.

Monday, that offense did more of the same.

It’s hard to quantify all the ways Florida’s offense exploded, so let’s summarize:

The Gators scored runs in every inning besides the sixth, when the lead was well in hand.

Reagan Walsh and Skylar Wallace served as dual engines.

Walsh, the California native, drove in Florida’s first run in the first inning. She then blasted a three-run homer in the fourth. That home run put the Gators up 7-1.

Wallace, who had struggled at the WCWS compared to her hitting last month, exploded Monday. She homered in the second to dead center. Four innings later, she bombed it to nearly the same spot to give Florida a six-run lead and give Rothrock some much needed breathing room.

The Gators also got a third inning RBI double from Ava Brown, her first in the WCWS, and an inside the park home run from Kendra Falby.

Falby, who hit in the nine spot Monday, garnered the first inside the parker at the WCWS since 2014. She went 2-3 at the plate, her first multi-hit game since May 5 vs Texas A&M, which was UF’s last regular season game. She also snagged a ball in center field early in the game that took the wind out of the sails of Oklahoma.

In the circle, Rothrock’s showing was like Sunday. It was not her best, but she contained a lethal Oklahoma offense to just three runs and did more than enough to keep the lead.

As has become the norm, she escaped numerous jams.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Texas couldn’t get much offense against Stanford All-American pitcher NiJaree Canady. But then again, the Longhorns didn’t need much with freshman phenom Teagan Kavan in the circle.

Kavan threw a one-hit, complete-game shutout against Stanford for the second time at the Women’s College World Series to lift the Longhorns to a dramatic 1-0 win Monday at Devon Park. Top-seeded Texas (56-8) will get a day off Tuesday while Big 12 rival and No. 2 seed Oklahoma meets No. 4 Florida to determine the Longhorns’ finals opponent.

The best-of-three championship series will begin Wednesday, but it will be tough to produce the amount of late drama that decided Texas’ latest game against Stanford.

“Obviously, that was an old-fashioned ballgame right there,” said Texas coach Mike White, a former pitcher for the U.S. and New Zealand men’s national teams who appreciates a pitcher’s duel as much as any coach. “Two tremendous pitchers going at it. Whoever was going to blink first, the other was going to win.”

Stanford’s blink came in the top of the seventh. With both teams locked in a scoreless deadlock, Texas leadoff hitter Alyssa Washington reached first base on the second error of the game for Stanford when second baseman Taryn Kern mishandled the ball. Washington motored to third on a hit by Joley Mitchell, who was credited with a double even though the late relay throw to third allowed her to take second base.

Washington, the team’s senior captain, then tried to reach home on a bunt attempt by Ashton Maloney but got caught in a rundown. However, the wily veteran somehow slid under the tag attempt by first baseman Ava Gall at the plate after the toss to Gall by third baseman Jade Berry to Gall was a little too soft.

“Whatever it takes to score,” said Washington, grinning after the game. “I know in a ballgame like that, it takes one run. It was going through my mind, whatever it takes.”

Washington was certainly correct. The one run held up because Kavan continued her dominance of the No. 8 Cardinal (50-17). In its two games against Kavan in Oklahoma City, Stanford had just two hits and fanned 15 times. According to Stanford coach Jessica Allister, Kavan threw even better on Monday than she did in the WCWS opener last week while giving up one walk and striking out seven.

“I thought Kavan did a fabulous job,” Allister said. “I think you could see a little bit, maybe, of the nerves on Thursday. We maybe didn’t take advantage of that. Then today, you could tell she was settled in and comfortable and pitching aggressively.

“Hats off to her. She threw two good games, kept us guessing. She did a phenomenal job. She’s a great pitcher.”

White agreed with his peer, saying his freshman ace – who led the Longhorns in innings, wins and strikeouts this season – has learned to master the moment as the postseason has gone on.

“Early on, especially going back to regionals and super regionals, she was nervous,” he said. “You could visibly see it. But you couldn’t see those nerves this week.”

Kavan credited her veteran teammates, a handful of whom played in the 2022 WCWS championship series won by Oklahoma. She also cited several defensive gems from the Longhorns, including a pair of diving catches by left-fielder Bella Dayton and a dandy snag by centerfielder Kayden Henry.

“Honestly, I was real calm today,” she said. “I was more in control of my breathing (and) felt more in control of the game. I had no doubt we were going to pull through.”