>>Golden Knights Defeat Panthers To Win First Stanley Cup
(Las Vegas, NV) — The Las Vegas Golden Knights are the 2023 Stanley Cup champions. The Knights beat the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of the Cup Final Tuesday night in Las Vegas to capture the franchise’s first title. Vegas struck the back of the net four times in the second period and cruised to victory. Captain Mark Stone led the way with a hat trick while Adin Hill made 31 saves. The Golden Knights are the fastest expansion team to win the Stanley Cup after spending just six seasons in the league. Florida’s star forward Matthew Tkachuk missed the game due to an undisclosed injury. He led the team in playoff scoring.
>>Report: Rangers Hire Peter Laviolette
(New York, NY) — The Rangers have their next coach. According to ESPN, New York is hiring Peter Laviolette as its next head coach. The deal is for three years. The 58-year-old has coached 21 years in the NHL and was most recently with the Washington Capitals. The Caps did not renew Laviolette’s contract after missing the playoffs last season. His 752 career wins are the most of any American-born coach in NHL history. The Rangers parted ways with Gerard Gallant after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the New Jersey Devils.
>>Odell Beckham Jr. Returns To Practice
(Owings Mills, MD) — Odell Beckham Jr. was back on an NFL field for the first time in 16 months. The Ravens wide receiver participated in a handful of team drills at mandatory minicamp Tuesday, which marked his return from injuring his left knee in Super Bowl 56 in February 2022. The 30-year-old sat out the entire 2022 season with the knee injury before signing a one-year, 15-million-dollar contract with Baltimore in April. Head coach John Harbaugh said that Beckham is “full go” in terms of health but that the team would monitor his reps during the three-day minicamp.
>>Reports: Victor Wembanyama Headlines NBA Draft Invitees
(Brooklyn, NY) — The NBA Draft is quickly approaching. ESPN is reporting that a total of 19 prospects have received invitations to attend the 2023 NBA Draft in Brooklyn next week. Projected first-overall pick Victor Wembanyama headlines the group of potential future stars in the league to have been invited to the event. The list of invites also includes projected lottery selections Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller, Amen and Ausar Thompson, Cameron Whitmore, Jarace Walker, Anthony Black, Taylor Hendricks and Gradey Dick. The report also states that “four or five” other players may receive invites in the days leading up to the draft.
>>PGA Tour Commissioner Blames Congress For Saudi Merger
(Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) — The PGA Tour’s commissioner says Congress left the PGA to fend for its self. Jay Monahan wrote to Senators in a letter and said their inaction was key to them agreeing to the controversial LIV Golf merger. He wrote that the idea of “another decade of expensive and distracting litigation” pushed them to partner with LIV. Monahan suggested the federal government avoided the issue because of its “complex geopolitical alliance” with Saudi Arabia. The PGA announced last week that it would form a new entity with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.