The Quebec Remparts shut out the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-0 in Sunday's Memorial Cup final.

A QMJHL team has now won four straight Memorial Cups. It's the first time one of the CHL's three leagues has won that many in a row since the round-robin format was introduced in 1972.

The victory is the third in Remparts franchise history, with their previous triumphs coming in 1971 and 2006. General manager and head coach Patrick Roy also guided Quebec to its victory in 2006.

Buffalo Sabres prospect Vsevolod Komarov opened the scoring in the first period. James Malatesta - a Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick - extended Quebec's lead in the second frame.

The Remparts pulled away in the third on tallies from Kassim Gaudet, St. Louis Blues first-rounder Zachary Bolduc, and Charles Savoie.

William Rousseau made 31 saves in the shutout, the first in a Memorial Cup final since the Acadie-Bathurst Titan's triumph over the Regina Pats in 2018.

"I got drafted in Quebec City for the Remparts, told them I was gonna bring back one Cup. I got two Cups for them," Anaheim Ducks first-rounder Nathan Gaucher told TSN.

He added, "Winning the QMJHL was one of our big goals, winning the whole league is something special."

Malatesta was named Memorial Cup MVP with five goals in four games. He was also the QMJHL's playoff MVP, having scored 14 goals en route to the Memorial Cup.

He was joined on the tournament All-Star team by teammates Rousseau and Theo Rochette. Seattle's Kyle Crnkovic and Nolan Allan were also recognized, as was Kamloops Blazers defenseman Olen Zellweger. Allan is a Chicago Blackhawks prospect, and Zellweger was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks.

The 2024 Memorial Cup will be hosted by the Saginaw Spirit next May.

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Head coach Paul Maurice is as cool as a cucumber even though the Florida Panthers dropped the Stanley Cup Final opener 5-2 on Saturday.

Maurice referenced the 3-1 series deficit his club overcame in Round 1 against the Boston Bruins as a reason not to hit the panic button.

"We lost the first game in the Boston series. Well, it got a little better. Then we lost two more, got a little better. Everybody just f-----g breathe, alright," Maurice told reporters postgame, per Sportsnet, as he channeled a foul-mouthed yoga instructor. "I feel like you people have been here, you're tight. Loosen up a little bit."

Maurice also provided an unusual analogy to describe how tough it was to watch Mark Stone's goal that made it 4-2 for the Vegas Golden Knights in the third period.

"Well f--k," Maurice said, according to Florida Hockey Now's Colby Guy. "On a scale of lumpy oatmeal to root canal, it's closer to root canal."

Stone batted down Matthew Tkachuk's high clearing attempt before sniping one past Sergei Bobrovsky.

The Panthers challenged for a high stick, but to no avail. Maurice poked some fun at how brief the review was.

"I think (the refs) were just excited about getting us into the box one more time," Maurice said emphatically, per Bally Sports Florida.

The Golden Knights went 2-for-7 with the man advantage, while the Panthers went 0-for-3.

The Panthers will get a chance to bounce back Monday. They have yet to lose a Game 2 this postseason.

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Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett both saw their Stanley Cup Final debuts end early Saturday after throwing punches in a scrum late in Game 1.

The Florida Panthers linemates were each assessed a 10-minute misconduct after they took free shots on Vegas Golden Knights blue-liner Nicolas Hague in a skirmish shortly after the home side took a 4-2 lead in the third period.

Tkachuk was also assessed a double-minor for roughing, while Bennett got two minutes for the same infraction. Vegas forward Chandler Stephenson was also given a misconduct.

Tkachuk entered the Stanley Cup Final on the shortlist of Conn Smythe favorites after posting 21 points across 16 games in the opening three rounds. He's been a physical presence throughout his breakout spring with 52 hits entering Saturday's contest.

Bennett has stirred the pot numerous times in the postseason. He avoided discipline for cross-checking the Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting in Round 2 and knocked Carolina Hurricanes blue-liner Jaccob Slavin out of Game 4 with a thunderous hit.

The Golden Knights won the series opener 5-2.

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Adin Hill made 30 saves and unheralded defenseman Zach Whitecloud scored the winner at the 6:59 mark of the third period as the Vegas Golden Knights took Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final 5-2 over the Florida Panthers.

More to come.

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly fielded questions on an array of subjects during the league's annual Stanley Cup Final press conference Saturday. Here's what they said ahead of Game 1 between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers.

Salary cap

Bettman said the league is still finalizing figures but estimates $6 billion in hockey-related revenue for the 2022-23 campaign, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. The NHL earned approximately $5.3 billion last season.

Despite the jump, next year's salary cap is likely to increase incrementally to $83.5 million as players still have outstanding escrow debt. A much larger bump is expected in 2024-25, per TSN's Chris Johnston.

The NHL had a flat cap of $81.5 million from 2020-22 due to the pandemic. That increased to $82.5 million this past season.

Coyotes and expansion

In the wake of several relocation questions following a failed arena bid in Tempe, Bettman said the Arizona Coyotes will explore different areas near Phoenix for a new home.

"It's a good market, and if we can make it work, we'll make it work," Bettman said, according to Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. "We've had our challenges."

Daly confirmed that Ryan Smith, majority owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz, has been in contact with the NHL about his interest in bringing a team to Salt Lake City, per The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Senators sale

Bettman stated the impending sale of the Ottawa Senators is likely to take a few more weeks.

"They are trying to move forward as quickly as possible to conclude the process," Bettman said, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

Four bidding groups remain in contention to purchase the club in Canada's capital.

2023-24 events

The NHL will have a busy slate of signature events next season.

MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL's New York Giants and Jets, is set to host contests on consecutive days next winter. The Philadelphia Flyers will take on the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 17 before the New York Rangers battle the New York Islanders on Feb. 18.

The league had previously announced the Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames and the Winter Classic between the Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights.

Ex-Blackhawks request meetings

Former Chicago Blackhawks staffers Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman requested meetings with Bettman that will take place after the Stanley Cup Final, the commissioner said, according to Johnston.

Neither Quenneville nor Bowman are eligible to work in the NHL after a 2021 investigation revealed their roles in mishandling sexual assault allegations from former Blackhawks player Kyle Beach in 2010. In October 2021, Quenneville stepped down as head coach of the Panthers, while Bowman relinquished his role as Chicago's president of hockey operations and general manager.

Canadian junior team investigation

The NHL's independent investigator completed its probe into the 2018 Hockey Canada gala. A woman filed a lawsuit last April alleging that eight CHL players, including several from that year's national junior team, sexually assault her during the event.

The league expects a report to be ready for review early this summer, according to Whyno.

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Connor Bedard will need to clear more room on his trophy shelf.

The projected No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft took home the CHL's Top Prospect Award, Top Scorer Award, and David Branch Player of the Year Award on Saturday. Bedard is the first player to win all three in the same season. The Top Scorer Award was introduced in 1994.

The Regina Pats center is the first player to win three prizes at the CHL Awards since Connor McDavid won Top Prospect, Player of the Year, and Scholastic Player of the Year in 2015.

Bedard led all CHL skaters in goals (71), points (143), shots on goal (360), and points per game (2.51) in 57 regular-season contests in the WHL.

He also made history earlier this year at the World Junior Championship when he set Canadian records for most points all time and most points in a single tournament. The 17-year-old phenom became the youngest player to take home tournament MVP.

The Chicago Blackhawks hold the first overall pick in the 2023 draft.

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