Hear ye, hear ye
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy June!
And happy Pride! Feeling FOMO after our Love is a Team Sport pop-up in LA this weekend? Have no fear, we still have one more event on the docket.
- P.S. GIST HQ will be hanging out IRL for the next few days, so there’ll be no regular newsletter on Wednesday. Today’s edition has highlights from the weekend, plus a team-by-team Stanley Cup Final preview before the puck drops tomorrow.
- And with playoff season in full swing, we’ll discuss the NBA Finals later this week as the battle for the Larry O’Brien begins on Wednesday. Without further ado, let’s scroll.
— Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen, paying homage to his agent, the late NHL legend Claude Lemieux, after the Canes’ series-clinching win on Friday. A four-time Stanley Cup winner, Lemieux’s brain will be donated for CTE research.
🎾 Defending French Open champ and world No. 4 Coco Gauff fell in the third round on Saturday then No. 3 Iga Świątek lost yesterday, so there will officially be a new women’s Roland-Garros champ this year.
- Potential candidates include No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 16 Naomi Osaka, who face off in the fourth round today at 2:15 p.m. ET — the first women’s night match at the major since 2023.
👀 As for the men’s side, No. 4 Félix Auger-Aliassme is the highest remaining seed The Canadian continues the quest for his first Grand Slam today at 9:30 a.m. ET.
🎓🥎 And then there were four. Defending Women’s College World Series champs No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Tennessee, No. 1 Alabama, and No. 3 Texas Tech are the last four standing in Oklahoma City, with spots in the best-of-three championship series on the line today.
⚽ World No. 30 CanMNT and all-time leading goal scorer Jonathan David kick off their first of two World Cup tune-ups vs. No. 50 Uzbekistan tonight at 9 p.m. ET.
🦅 Midfielder Christian Pulisic looked sharp in the No. 16 USMNT’s 3–2 friendly win against No. 14 Senegal yesterday, notching a goal and an assist. No pressure, no diamonds.
🏆 French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain gave the world déjà vu, securing back-to-back Champions League titles with Saturday’s 4–3 penalty kick shootout win over English club Arsenal.
🏀 Action for the sixth WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, the annual in-season tourney with a $500K pay day, begins with two star-studded games tonight: The Dallas Wings take on the Seattle Storm at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the Minnesota Lynx vs. Phoenix Mercury at 10 p.m. ET.
Together With Toyota
🏆 Doing it for the extra hardware
📍 Banners aren’t won from the couch, so load up a 2026 Toyota RAV4 and hit the road like you’re chasing that title yourself. With room for the entire starting five, everyone’s got a role:
- ⭐ The veteran leader, confidently navigating with all-terrain tires from the (eight-way adjustable) driver’s seat.
- 🎧 The vibes specialist, an Apple CarPlay aficionado blasting the beats.
- 🧃 The glue, ensuring everyone’s well-fed and appropriately equipped in the spacious backseat.
With road-trip-ready tech and over 70 cubic feet of cargo space with the second row folded down, the 2026 Toyota RAV4 is built for marathon drives and buzzer-beater detours. Dynasties aren’t built until you pull out of the driveway, after all.
Carolina Hurricanes
🌀 Sound the siren
The GIST: Six goals from six different Canes helped Carolina clinch the Eastern Conference crown in Friday’s 6–1 Game 5 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Now proud owners of the Prince of Wales trophy — but of course never touching it — the Canes are hoping to leave their prints all over some different hardware, the Stanley Cup.
▶️ How they got here: The Hurricanes have been, ahem, a force of nature throughout the playoffs, sweeping the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in the first and second rounds, respectively. They went on to drop just one game to the Canadiens, following an 11-day break between series, and notably were 5-0 in overtime games this postseason. Pressure? What pressure?
❤️ Defenseman K’Andre Miller finally found a home in Carolina: After a tough start to his career, the 2018 first-round draft pick has blossomed into a top-tier defenseman and leads all Canes blueliners in scoring this postseason. Taking it all in.
☝️ One more thing: Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour is synonymous with Carolina hockey, having coached or played in 98 of the franchise’s 100 playoff games. The Rodfather played for the Hurricanes when they won the Stanley Cup in 2006 — 20 years later, he’s behind the bench with all the pieces to help the Canes bring a second trophy home.
Together With Toyota
🏆 Every great road trip deserves an MVP. Let the 2026 Toyota RAV4 be yours. This utility player does it all:
- Primed for away game adventures with all-wheel drive and all-terrain tires
- Boasts over 70 cubic feet of cargo space (with the second row folded down) for bags, snacks, and all that extra hardware
- Tows up to 3500 pounds without breaking a sweat
🚙 The 2026 Toyota RAV4’s the ultimate road trip teammate.
Vegas Golden Knights
🏰 Hear ye, hear ye
The GIST: The Vegas Golden Knights are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in just nine years of existence. And while folks often love to root for an underdog, this squad isn’t getting that same love for good reason. Let’s discuss their quest to hoist Lord Stanley for a second time.
▶️ How they got here: With just eight regular-season games remaining, Vegas shockingly fired head coach Bruce Cassidy (who won a Cup in Vegas in 2023) and hired another Stanley Cup–winning head coach, John Tortorella.
- It was a savvy move — the Knights have thrived under Torts, defeating both the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in six games before sweeping the Presidents’ Trophy–winning Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals.
💪 Can right winger Mitch Marner lead the Golden Knights to victory?: To the dismay of Toronto Maple Leafs fans, playmaker Marner has excelled in the postseason: He’s the league’s playoff points leader (seven goals, 14 assists), just ahead of his teammate Jack Eichel, another favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
- But Marner’s true lieutenant is linemate Brett Howden, who boasts 10 postseason goals, six of them assisted by Marner. A match made in icy heaven.
☝️ One more thing: We have to talk about Vegas’ starting goaltender Carter Hart, who, along with four other Canada world juniors players, was acquitted of sexual assault in July 2025. The fact that he’s in the NHL at all, especially after the league itself called the 2018 events “deeply troubling and unacceptable,” has led to massive outcry. We still have a long way to go.
Together With Toyota
🚙 Women’s sports fans know the drill: Every away game requires one playlist curator, one overpacker, and one 2026 Toyota RAV4 with enough cargo space for that “accidental” merch haul. *winks*
Question of the Day
New month, same packed sports calendar. Which event are you most looking forward to in June? Choose from the options below or reply with your top pick.
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Rachel Fuenzalida, Lauren Tuiskula, Grace DePaull, Charlotte Mackenzie, and Caroline Price. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Elisha Gunaratnam and Briana Ekanem. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.
