As the Edmonton Oilers drop the first game in their best-of-seven series to hoist the Stanley Cup, the odds are about as high as they can be.
Despite the pressure reaching its climax, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has added fuel to the Oilers’ flame by betting against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Smith tagged DeSantis in a post to X, saying that if the Oilers won, he would have to send some of Florida’s finest rum to Alberta for her to celebrate with. In the unlikely scenario that the Oilers lost, she promised to send some Alberta-made whiskey to Florida.
DeSantis not only accepted Smith’s wager, but was so confident that his team would win, that he threw in a cherry on top – or a key lime.
“I feel good about how the cup is going to proceed. So if somehow the Oilers win, (I’ll) not only send the rum, I’ll also throw in a key lime pie to boot,” said DeSantis.
Alberta’s premier is currently undefeated in her sports bets for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Despite the Oilers defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 in the first round of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, Smith made no wager with the Governor of the State of California, Gavin Newsom, where the city of Los Angeles is located.
After Smith and the Oilers got the first-round jitters out of the way, the betting began.
On May 3, Smith challenged British Columbia Premier David Eby to a bet. The loser would be forced to deliver a statement in the Legislature written by the winner while wearing the other team’s jersey.
Eby accepted, and the Vancouver Canucks lost in Game 7.
British Columbia’s premier was a man of his word and accepted his punishment with grace. He urged local fans to begin cheering for the Oilers, to bring the Cup home to Canada.
“There are few certainties in this life: death, taxes, Alberta leading Canada in economic growth. But as it pertains to our beloved national sport, we do have many certainties we can rely on. For example, the Toronto Maple Leafs will lose in the first round and the Ottawa Senators will be rebuilding each and every year. The hockey Gods will continue to bless Northern Alberta with the greatest players to ever play the game. And of course, when the Edmonton Oilers face the Vancouver Canucks in the playoffs, the Oilers will win every single time,” said Eby as part of his lengthy speech.
He was further forced to say that Alberta’s record versus British Columbia in the playoffs was six to nothing. However, he added a fun fact: that the Vancouver Millionaires won in 1915 and the Victoria Cougars won in 1925.
Following her bet with Eby, Smith decided to ride the hot streak.
Two days before the third series began, Smith placed a wager against Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Dallas Stars. If the Stars lost, Abbott would be forced to eat an Alberta rib steak on video and offer commentary. Abbott agreed to the bet, countering that if the Oilers lost, Smith would be forced to do the same with the “world’s best ribeye — which is only found in Texas,” he said.
The Oilers won that series even faster, finishing the Stars in only six games.
Like Eby before him, Abbott was a man of his word. He ate what Smith deemed to be the finest Alberta beef from Burgardt’s Butcher Shop in High River, Alberta.
“It is definitely the best steak I’ve ever had from Canada; must be from a cow raised in Texas,” said Abbott while eating his gift received from losing the bet.
Smith’s support of the Oilers has not gone unnoticed by players, as Evander Kane paid her a surprise visit on June 5.
Former President Barack Obama previously lost a bet to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He was forced to pay in cases of beer after Canada beat the United States in an Olympic gold medal match in 2010. They repeated the bet, and Obama lost again in 2014, delivering beer to Harper once more.
The NHL has not participated in the Winter Olympics since 2014.
Canada has not won the Stanley Cup since 1993, the same year the Florida Panthers were founded.
Will Smith’s hot streak continue? Could this finally be the year?