Vegas Takes Game One, Quebec Wins Mem Cup, Bettman Speaks & More

Vegas took the lead in the Stanley Cup Finals while Patrick Roy won another Memorial Cup. This and more in today's edition of Links, News & Notes.

Vegas Takes Game One, Quebec Wins Mem Cup, Bettman Speaks & More

For the Florida Panthers, there was a lengthy wait to get the Stanley Cup Finals kicked off, as they handily swept the Carolina Hurricanes to capture the Eastern Conference title. In game one of the Finals, it sure looked like that time off did more harm than good, as the Golden Knights came out flying while the Panthers sat back.

We've got you covered with a recap of the first game of the Finals as well as Links, News & Notes from around the league.

  • On Saturday night, the Vegas Golden Knights took a 1-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final. While the Panthers were able to get on the board first, thanks to a short handed marker from Eric Staal, the Panthers' lead didn't last for longer than a period as Jonathan Marchessault recorded his 10th of the playoffs to knot things at one.
  • The two teams exchanged goals in the second period as well but it was the third period where Vegas came to play. The Golden Knights put two pucks behind Conn Smythe candidate Sergei Bobrovsky and added an empty netter for good measure.
  • The two teams get back at it for Game 2 tonight, with the Panthers hoping to square things at one before heading back to Sunrise.

Now, for some interesting news from around the league.

  • In case you didn't notice when you hopped onto our site this morning, we have a new logo and a new business model, now that we are an independent blog. You can read more about the Future of Silver Seven here.
  • Ary also had a chance to speak with Alanah Abels, who did some fantastic work in redesigning our logo. If you're interested in learning more about what goes into a project like that, give Ary's interview with Alanah a read!
  • The Quebec Remparts won the Memorial Cup last night in a 5-0 thumping of the heavily favoured Seattle Thunderbirds. This is the fourth straight season that ended with a QMJHL team hoisting the Mem Cup. For Sens fans, rumours swirl about Patrick Roy potentially being linked to one of the potential ownership groups. What kind of NHL interest Roy gets after a very impressive stint behind the bench in the Q remains to be seen.
  • Ian Mendes posted a new edition of his Mailbag over at The Athletic, where he covers everything from the Sens sale to Alex DeBrincat to what the Sens could learn from teams like Florida and Vegas as they battle it out for the Stanley Cup.
  • Gary Bettman held his annual Stanley Cup Final state of the union, of sorts, over the weekend. He talked about a number of different topics, most notably for Sens fans there was some broad discussion of the sale process. The most disappointing, but somewhat expecting, aspect of this availability was Bettman indicating we could still be a few weeks away from knowing the outcome of this long, painful process.
  • It's well known that the Senators have very few selections in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft - a stark difference from the previous few seasons - but Dayton Reimer over at The Hockey Writers put together a great piece outlining some late round gems the Sens have been able to uncover.
  • The NHL revealed their plans for next year's big games which looks a heck of a lot like their plan for this past year's big games and the year before and the year before. Call me cynical but I'm pretty over the outdoor game thing.
  • Connor Bedard continues to make history as he is the first played to ever be named Top Prospect, Top Scorer and Player of the Year in the same CHL season. Just like how a goal, assist and fight is called the Gordie Howe Hat Trick, I guess winning all three of these awards will now be referred to as the Connor Bedard Hat Trick.
  • Paul Maurice has taken his fair share of criticism from the media and fans alike during his NHL career but there's a great piece on him over at Sportsnet, outlining why he's the perfect coach for this particular Panthers team.
  • Stop me if you've heard this one before but the Coyotes are exploring options for a new home in Arizona.
  • Interestingly, the team in blue down the highway let go of their General Manager a few weeks ago after yet another earlier-than-they'd-like exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs but word came out over the weekend that the Leafs may be exploring an extension for Sheldon Keefe.
  • This morning the Montreal Canadiens announced a long term extension for their up-and-coming star scorer Cole Caufield. The American winger will be makming $7.85M per year for the next eight seasons, making him the second highest paid player in the Canadiens organization.

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