The NHL is capping what has been perhaps its greatest season with the possibility of the most improbable of comebacks in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Oilers have forced a Game 7, to be played Monday night in Florida, against the Panthers after dropping the first three games of the series. Just four teams in NHL history have won a seven-game series after first falling to a 3–0 deficit, and just once has it happened in the Final. That was by the Maple Leafs in 1942, before the widespread adoption of television and when the NHL had just seven teams, so what Edmonton is attempting to do is unprecedented in modern history. 

But as historic as that would be, whoever wins the deciding game will conclude a series of significant gains for the NHL throughout the season. Among them:

• A 36% boost in U.S. ratings for the Stanley Cup Final to an average of 3.6 million through the first six games. This year’s series has been aired on Disney’s ABC as opposed to last year’s cable-only coverage on Warner Bros. Discovery networks. But even accounting for that difference, the year-over-year audience gains have been significant
• An average of 1.3 million U.S. viewers per game for the first three rounds of the playoffs, up by 14% from a year ago and the best such figure since 1996 
• Record-level attendance in the regular season of 22.56 million, with games on average played to 97% venue capacity 
• Another league record for annual revenue of $6.2 billion, boosted by that attendance total, as well as gains in media and sponsorship
• The strong initial fan reception for the new Utah Hockey Club, contrasting sharply against rising turmoil for the former Coyotes franchise

Big Stakes

What had been looking like a drama-free wipeout of a series is now culminating in a Game 7 that is one of the most tension-filled settings in all of pro sports. Should the Oilers win, it would also represent the first NHL championship by a Canadian team since the Canadiens in 1993, and that 31-year drought is by far the longest in league history. But if the Panthers prevail, this would be their first title in league history, bringing what’s already been a comprehensive resurgence for the franchise both on and off the ice to a whole new level. 

The last Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final—in 2019 between the Blues and Bruins—drew an average TV audience of 8.7 million and set a mark as the most-watched NHL game on record, suggesting another big number to come Monday night.

“That’s actually what makes this whole thing awesome—the context of it,” said Panthers coach Paul Maurice. 

Tiger Woods (above, left) and Rory McIlroy (above, right) won’t hit golf shots in their new alternative league for at least another six months, but their unique business venture is already worth a lot of money.

Front Office Sports can confirm that TMRW Sports, the parent company of the tech-centric golf competition TGL, is valued at nearly $500 million in a Series A funding round announced Monday. Led by investment firms Dynasty Equity and Connect Ventures, the new money means Woods and McIlroy have built a half-billion-dollar company without staging a single event.

Ready for Action

TGL, which has 24 PGA Tour players committed for its first season, is set to debut in January, after venue problems pushed back the original start date, scheduled for earlier this year, by 12 months. SoFi Center, the new 1,500-seat South Florida stadium that will host all TGL matches, had a power failure last fall that led to its air-supported dome collapsing. Now, a permanent roof is being built.

ESPN is signed up as TGL’s media-rights partner under a multiyear deal that should put the league in front of mainstream sports fans beyond just a golf-centric audience—all in prime time. Golfers will hit some shots using a simulator and others at the venue’s 22,475-square-foot green and short game area.

Dollars and Cents

The new league will start with six teams of three players each. Franchise owners include well-known sports team owners like Arthur Blank (Falcons, Atlanta United) and Steve Cohen (Mets), and Woods himself, among others.

Most team owners are also investors in TMRW Sports, which has a long list of athletes, celebrities, and major investment firms with stakes in the company. New investor Dynasty Equity last year made its entry in sports by purchasing a minority stake in Liverpool for $200 million (the Premier League club is owned by Fenway Sports Group, another TMRW investor and TGL team owner).

Scottie Scheffler (above) is having a historic season on the PGA Tour. So good, in fact, that he’s on pace to outearn every single NFL quarterback, NBA star, and maybe even baseball’s $70 million man, Shohei Ohtani.

Sunday’s victory at the Travelers Championship, Scheffler’s sixth of the season, brought his 2024 prize money total to $27.69 million. Pending performance bonuses alone could easily double that sum—not to mention further checks the golfer may collect on the course.

What Lies Ahead

Scheffler has a huge lead in the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 standings, which will pay out $8 million to the winner after the regular season. There’s virtually no way second-place Xander Schauffele can catch him. When the PGA Tour’s playoffs start, this year’s Masters champion will be the favorite to win the FedExCup and its $25 million prize. Those alone would take Scheffler over $60 million in season earnings.

Along the way, he’ll compete at next month’s Open Championship and two early-round postseason tournaments—all of which will award at least $3 million to the respective winners. Scheffler could also cash in on the PGA Tour’s player impact program: Last year, he finished fifth and took home $6 million (this year’s winner is said to be taking home $10 million). 

Those variables could vault Scheffler’s season-long payout to $70 million or more.

Golf vs. Other Sports

With Scheffler approaching $60 million to $70 million this season, take a look at the players with the highest average annual salary values across the four major men’s U.S. sports leagues, according to Spotrac.

• MLB: Shohei Ohtani, $70 million
• NBA: Jaylen Brown, $57.24 million
• NFL: Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence, $55 million
• NHL: Auston Matthews, $13.25 million

What About LIV?

Joaquin Niemann leads LIV Golf players in on-course earnings this season, bringing in $12.9 million so far from league events and major championships. But that’s only one piece of the pie for LIV players, of course. 

Jon Rahm is playing his first season on LIV after accepting a contract reportedly worth anywhere from $300 million to $600 million. Depending on the length of the deal, that could very well put Rahm—and other LIV stars with big signing bonuses—ahead of Scheffler in cash this year. But as far as tournament earnings go, no one is close. 

Last year’s individual LIV champion Talor Gooch won a total of $36 million, including an $18 million title bonus.