The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will now be facing off to lift a massive cup and wear a humongous belt.
It’s something out of a Viking movie.
World Wrestling Entertainment, in conjunction with the NHL, has created a custom “Stanley Cup Champions” belt which will be delivered to the winner of the Stanley Cup Final, alongside the Stanley Cup itself.
The belt features Lord Stanley’s iconic cup on the center plate overlaying a sheet of ice. The side plates will depict the logo of the winning team.
It would certainly be a sight to see heavyweights such as Edmonton’s Evander Kane or Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk lift both the Stanley Cup and champions belt.
The 2024 Stanley Cup Final begins Saturday with Game 1 in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers have home-ice advantage in the best-of-7 series. They defeated the New York Rangers in six games in the Eastern Conference Final, reaching the Cup Final for the second consecutive season.
The Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars in six games to win the Western Conference Final. Both the Oilers and Panthers enter the Stanley Cup Final having won three straight games.
Related: 2024 Stanley Cup Final: Schedule, dates, time, TV info
NHL teams up with WWE for special Stanley Cup champions belt
It’s not the first time the WWE has done something like this.
The Kansas City Chiefs were awarded a custom belt following their Super Bowl victory in February:
It’s been 34 years since Mark Messier’s Oilers won the Stanley Cup in 1990, while the Panthers have never won the NHL championship it in their 31 year history.
Both teams are itching to hoist the Stanley Cup, and an extra piece of hardware couldn’t hurt.
WWE announced that the belt will also be available for purchase by fans on NHLshop.com following the conclusion of the series.
Given the rarity of the occasion, it stands to reason that diehard supporters would go out of their way to buy this bedazzled piece of memorabilia for their “fan caves”.