Florida Panthers center Nick Cousins (21) battles Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) for the puck during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

2024 Stanley Cup Final matchup sets NHL record

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated Jun 3, 2024 4:46 PM ET

The road to the Stanley Cup Final may be a long one, but the route the two remaining NHL teams will travel is just as great.

There is going to be a lot of travel for the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers in the best-of-seven battle to raise Lord Stanley's Cup. Make that over 2,540 mile between Rogers Place in Alberta, Canada, and Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

While multiple sources reported slightly different mileage over the weekend, all confirmed that this year's travel is the longest distance between Stanley Cup Final opponents in league history.

At 2,543 miles, the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Oilers and Panthers will be the furthest between two cities in NHL history ✈️ pic.twitter.com/urUMu7b1qg
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 3, 2024

It has been over a decade since the record for the furthest distance between Cup Final opponents has been broken. The honor previously belongest to the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, who traveled roughly 2,500 miles between barns in 2011.

This year’s Stanley Cup final between the Oilers and Panthers will be the furthest between two cities in NHL history, per ESPN Stats and Information.

It’s a distance of 2,541 miles. Here’s a chart previous long-distance Cup finals: pic.twitter.com/vvilygdn60
— Ryan S. Clark (@ryan_s_clark) June 3, 2024

The Panthers are returning to the Cup Final for a second straight season and are looking for a better result after falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. Meanwhile, the Oilers are making their first Final appearance since 2006 when they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Florida is a popular pick to win the Stanley Cup in 2024. DraftKings lists Florida as the -130 favorite to win the series over Edmonton at +110, although Oilers captain Connor McDavid is the +220 favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for series MVP.

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