The owners of the two NHL teams fighting for the Stanley Cup have made a bit of a gentleman’s wager.
Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley and Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola have announced a plan that the owner of the team that loses will have to forfeit $100,000. But instead of that money being used to fund the lucky owner’s tropical vacation or the winning team’s championship parade, that cash will go to an organization that supports veterans.
The inspiration for the bet came from the history both men have with America’s armed forces. Foley graduated from West Point in 1967 and served in the Air Force, while Viola also graduated from West Point a decade later and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne, Air Assault, Infantry, and Ranger schools.
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Should Vegas hoist the Cup, Viola will donate his $100,000 stake to the Folded Flag Foundation, a group that raises money to provide “scholarships and support grants” to Gold Star families who have lost a loved one in combat.
If Viola and the Panthers take the title, Foley will make a donation of the same amount to Gold Star Teen Adventures, an organization that seeks to provide care for the children of special operations soldiers.
This is one of the most honorable ways any sports teams have leveraged their position to help others in recent memory. It’s also a bonus that the money will not be going to any woke organization, either.
The Golden Knights took Game 1 by virtue of a 5-2 drubbing. But if these playoffs have shown us anything, it’s that Florida isn’t afraid of playing from behind. The puck drops for Game 2 tonight at 8 p.m.
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— MRCTV (@mrctv) June 5, 2023