Episode 101 - Stanley Cup Final Preview - May 31, 2026

About this episode

Neil and Vic preview the Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights with insights from Craig Button.

It started in early October and are now at the finish line where a new Stanley Cup champion will be crowned within the next two weeks. The Carolina Hurricanes have marched into the Final requiring just 13 games to earn their spot while the Vegas Golden Knights have gotten stronger each round to take their place. Neil and Vic are once again joined by TSN's Craig Button for analysis and predictions as both franchises seek their second Stanley Cups. IN THIS EPISODE: [02:07] - Craig Button joins the show and dives right into the Stanley Cup Final whether Vegas might be more battle tested given their path to the championship series. [06:37] - The prospect of Carolina still being able to execute the relentless style of play against a Vegas team fresh off smothering the Presidents' Trophy-winning Avalanche. [10:19] - The areas that Craig and Neil see where both clubs could be exploited by the other. [14:52] - Intangibles. Something we might see by series end that isn't necessarily visible early on. [17:59] - The ongoing saga with the Golden Knights refusing to allow former head coach Bruce Cassidy to speak with other teams about a head coaching position while still under contract to the…

People in this episode

Hosts: Neil Smith, Vic Morren

Guest: Craig Button

Topics covered

• Stanley Cup Final
• hockey analysis
• team performance
• predictions
• player health
• coaching issues

Keywords

• Stanley Cup
• Carolina Hurricanes
• Vegas Golden Knights
• Craig Button
• hockey predictions
• NHL analysis
• Claude Lemieux
• CTE research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, Avalanche, Boston University CTE Center

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