The Edmonton Oilers finished off the Dallas Stars on Sunday night, winning by a margin of 2-1 to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. They will be the road team for the upcoming series, and will make the flight to South Florida sometime during the coming week to get settled in for Game 1 on Saturday. But it won’t be a short jaunt of any kind, as the flight between the two cities hosting this year’s Stanley Cup is the longest possible trip in the NHL.
Miami To Edmonton Is Longest Possible NHL Flight
No offense to the Dallas Stars fans but if Edmonton wins the Western Conference, the flights for the Stanley Cup finals could be quite fun between the Panthers & Oilers. About a 7 hour flight. pic.twitter.com/6jzpQwnUGx
— 🇲🇨 Sickos Committee 🇲🇨 (@SickosCommittee) June 2, 2024
Edmonton is already considered well out of the way when it comes to the map of North American hockey teams. They are one of seven teams that makes Canada their home, though the rest are relatively close to the international line. But Edmonton is nearly 400 miles from the southern border of the country, making any flight from the US a long one.
When taking on the Florida Panthers, travel fatigue could prove to be a factor. The flight between Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Edmonton, Alberta lasts roughly five full hours, and travels a distance of 2,546 miles. By comparison, had Dallas been the team to qualify, the Panthers’ flight would have been fewer than 2.5 hours and just over 1,100 miles.
Panthers Will Be Home Team, And Will Be Favored
WE ARE BACK-TO-BACK EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPS pic.twitter.com/u6EPnSuR3a
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 2, 2024
The Oilers will have their hands full regardless of the travel situation. The Panthers finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, and appeared to be the better team in their series against the New York Rangers, despite losing two of the six contests.
Florida will be making their second straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, as they came up short against the Las Vegas Golden Knights last season. It will be the third Finals appearance for the team overall, as they also played for the cup back in 1996. They’ve lost all three of their visits.
The Oilers are playing for their first Stanley Cup since 1990, which capped off an era in which Edmonton won 5 titles in 7 years. They haven’t participated in the championship series since 2006 when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.
