DENVER — Ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the mayors of Denver and Tampa got into a little friendly smack talk on social media and set a wager on whose local team will bring home the Cup.
The Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning face off starting Wednesday night at Ball Arena. While the Lightning are the defending champions, multiple sports betting oddsmakers favor the Avalanche.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock started off the exchange Wednesday morning on Twitter when he tagged his Tampa counterpart, Jane Castor, and put up some local craft brews and Colorado steaks on the best-of-seven series.
And of course, the losing team's mayor wears the winning team's jersey.
"Shame you won’t get to try our beer," Hancock said. "The Avalanche are bringing the Stanley Cup back to Denver!"
A few hours later, Castor responded.
"Alright, Mayor Hancock, the bet is ON!" she wrote on Twitter. "I have no doubt our TBLightning are heading for a 3peat & will crush the Avalanche."
She posted a video of herself walking around Tampa to pick up some "goodies" for the wager.
Earlier this month, Hancock made a similar bet with the mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, Amarjeet Sohi, in the Western Conference Final.
Sohi ultimately had to pay up by wearing an Avalanche jersey, saying "A deal's a deal."
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