Prairiebreeze’s Vegas Cannonball (Hit and) Run V Part 1 – June 7-11, 2026
Welcome to Prairiebreeze’s Vegas Cannonball (Hit and) Run V
Exactly 6 months to the day after Cannonball Run IV, we are B
If the eastern final goes 7 games, the last game is June 2.
Based on that I’m theorizing a June 4 or 5 Game 1
Game 2 would be June 6/7
(2 days off to account for travel)
Game 3 June 9/10
Game 4 June 11/12
Vegas would be the host for games 3&4 having fewer points during the regular season than both Eastern teams.
I’m think of betting Vegas ML in game 1 (and maybe 2 as well). I don’t like either eastern team based of what I’ve watched in 3 games and if the longer it goes, the better for VGK.
So we need the East to go 7 games to line up right… or maybe we could catch game 4 if the east finals is shorter
Two Cup-related stories. Neither particularly interesting, but here you are.
Went into our Sears in 2001 on the way home from work to pay my Discover bill. They were having a promotion to get your picture taken with the cup. So I did. I didn't try to lift it, but did put my hand on it.
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Playing the Seniors event ca 2004 at Rio. A guy at my table looked familiar, but couldn't place him. After a while, another guy comes over and starts talking to #1 in French.
Somebody at the table said #2 was Celine Dion's husband, so I put #1 as a Quebecois. After a while, it dawned on me that he was Pierre Lacroix, GM of the Avs.
Thanked him for his part in brining the cup to Denver. Nice guy, not very good poker player.
Found out later one of the execs at the little company I was working at back then lived in Lacroix' neighborhood. He was nice enough to throw a block party with the Cup for everybody.
This is the schedule, according to Yahoo:
2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final schedule:
All times Eastern.
June 3: Stanley Cup Final, Game 1: Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Montreal Canadiens/Carolina Hurricanes (TNT, HBO Max)
June 5: Stanley Cup Final, Game 2: Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Montreal Canadiens/Carolina Hurricanes (TNT, HBO Max)
June 8: Stanley Cup Final, Game 3: Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Montreal Canadiens/Carolina Hurricanes (TNT, HBO Max)
June 11: Stanley Cup Final, Game 4: Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Montreal Canadiens/Carolina Hurricanes (TNT, HBO Max)
June 13: Stanley Cup Final, Game 5: Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Montreal Canadiens/Carolina Hurricanes (TNT, HBO Max) (if necessary)
June 16: Stanley Cup Final, Game 6: Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Montreal Canadiens/Carolina Hurricanes (TNT, HBO Max) (If necessary)
June 19: Stanley Cup Final, Game 7: Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Montreal Canadiens/Carolina Hurricanes (TNT, HBO Max) (If necessary)
You can buy tickets now at around $800 and up.
Kinda want a Montreal/Vegas final... but there are cheaper tickets to be had once Carolina finishes off Montreal. Neither team looks good in this series. Yikes.
Pro move: Wait until the game starts to buy a ticket from after-market sites.
Hoping for a VGK victory purely for financial reasons. Placed a futures bet on them winning the conference championship (paid!) and SCF. If my work schedule firms up enough for me to book a day or three in LV, I might try to hit a game, too.
I saw a Youtube video today where someone was calling the Horseshoe the "Horse's Hoe" and I can't unhear it right now.
Picked up my US Cash today.
It's 95F outside here in Canada.
Saw the long range forecast where one day is 106??
10 days... we're almost there!
Warmer there than here (Phoenix - 90F today) and likely LV - Holy ****! 81F? What? Dang, even the 10-day doesn't have it cracking 100 until Wednesday. Chilly!
Enjoy, and thanks for the TR!
Was just going back through photos from my last trip and I realized I never asked the question…
Is this who I think it might be?
So June 9 is the magic day regardless of when the series ends.
Just have to see who wins tonight first.
never have identified as pro lazy or fair blazer fan yet quite sympathise with their current invietiable knee jerk relocation emotions
would honesstly be a crushing blow to the city if they just got up and go on and went off somewhere else as if some sort of seattle team, which sadistically makes me think statistically that is exactly what will happen
Last pre-trip session is in the books. +442.
Only hand of note, 280 effective (1/3 game):
Raise UTG+1 to 15 w/ red AA, get a call from the HJ and BB (both cover me)
Flop ($45) Qc-5x-4c I bet 20, they both call.
Turn ($105) 9x. I bet 40, HJ folds, BB raises to 115. I call.
River ($335) 4x. I jam the remaining 130. He laments about not wanting the board to pair before eventually calling. I show and he shows me red Q9 before mucking.
Figured I needed the board to pair (he only ever raises with Q9 - sets would have raised on the flop?), but in hindsight, I should be betting bigger on flop (maybe) and turn (for sure), and just jamming the turn when he makes it 115.
My VPIP and card distribution seems pretty below average lately. I've seen more 94off in the last month than I care to acknowledge.
1 week from now we are on final descent. Let's get it!
$6,030 as advertised in the OP.
I do have a December trip dilemma already. For the silliest reason possible.
My original itinerary had me leaving on a 6 am flight to Calgary, a 1:40 stop where I would clear customs and then my flight to Vegas would land at something like 10:30am.
The 1:40 stopover takes advantage of the time change back to Standard time that Alberta did…
… until this year. They’re staying on daylight time for good now so I lose an hour. And by rule/law, you can’t switch planes and clear customs for flights in 40 minutes.
So I have 3, maybe 4 options:
1. Accept their new proposed itinerary where I spend 8 hours in Calgary airport and arrive at 5:15pm
2. Revert to a direct flight to Vegas that ultimately arrives at 4:30.
3. Break up my itinerary and fly to Calgary the day before, spend the night in Calgary and grab that morning flight that I was originally on.
4. Travel to Vegas the day before, eat a Saturday night hotel cost. This might not be too bad depending on how my play on the trip I’m about to take gets viewed.
Also bear in mind that this is Canada in December, so weather is part of the calculus here.
Thoughts?
Getting to the airport early… kicks off the run good?
Got moved up to the 6am flight. A little more free time in Calgary.
LFG!
