DANTE LASTING
Assistant Sports Editor
While everyone was away enjoying the dog days of summer, multiple sporting events took place and wrapped up that may or may not have caught your attention. Championships were won, history was made, players got injured and retirements were announced.
- The St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup
The NHL Stanley Cup Finals wrapped up in a game seven spectacular on June 12, 2019. The Blues beat the Boston Bruins to win the cup for the first time in team history. It was also a first for the entire roster, as not a single player on the team had won the cup previously. This is the fourth time in team history that the Blues made it to the Stanley Cup Final, but the first time making it back in 50 years. St. Louis also fired their coach, Mike Yeo, during the regular season after starting 7-9-3. From there, things got worse before they got better. By January, the Blues record was an NHL worst at 15-18-4. They made a change at goalie and decided to start rookie Jordan Binnington, and from then on the team went on a 30-10-5 run to clinch a playoff spot. Former Buffalo Sabres centre, Ryan O’Reilly, went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for the MVP in the 2019 NHL Playoffs.
- The Toronto Raptors won their first NBA Finals Championship
Graphic by Jen Morello
It took six hard-fought games, but the Raptors defeated the Warriors to win the NBA Finals. As of late, taking down the Golden State Warriors has not been an easy task. They have won three out of the past four NBA Finals, only losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by Lebron James in 2016. The Warriors were favorites to win the finals again, but it was Raptors’ first-year Head Coach Nick Nurse who led his team to victory. Toronto could not have made it and won their first finals championship without the help of All-Star Kawhi Leonard. In the finals, the Raptors topped the Warriors in a 4-2 series. Three of those wins came on the road, which was a key factor in their history-making victory. Leonard won his second NBA Finals MVP, but did not stay up north long. He signed a three-year deal with the LA Clippers in July worth $103 million.
- The US Women’s Soccer Team became back-to-back champs
The biggest sports story of the summer might have been about the FIFA Women’s World Cup. For weeks, everyone was talking about the impact that the women’s team had on and off the field. On the field they were as dominant as ever, coming out of the gates with a 13-0 victory over Thailand. They set a new World Cup record for goals scored, but also received backlash from media members for excessive celebrating and running up the score. They beat their next five opponents by a combined score of 11-3. After advancing to their third straight FIFA Cup Championship Game, they came away with a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands. Since 1991, the US Women’s team have won a total of four World Cup Titles, which is the most in league history. After the game, midfielder Megan Rapinoe won two prestigious awards for her efforts in the tournament. The Golden Ball and the Golden Boot were awarded to her for being the best overall player and the top goalscorer. The members of the team have also been strong advocates for equal pay among men and women. They have filed lawsuits and are doing all they can to use their celebrity to make a change for people all over the country.