‘A bet is a bet’: Mayor Sohi wears Florida Panthers jersey to city council meeting

Edmonton’s mayor spent the NHL postseason cashing in on bets with politicians both sides of the border. And he came one Oilers win away from doing it again.

But Mayor Amarjeet Sohi was on the wrong side of a friendly wager – this time with Mike Ryan, the mayor of Sunrise, Fla. – after the Oilers fell to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.

Sohi made good on the bet by wearing a Panthers jersey to city hall Wednesday.

“In the end, the Florida Panthers were victorious,” Sohi wrote on his X account. “And so, I am here wearing a Florida Panthers jersey to congratulate Mayor Mike Ryan and his team on winning the Stanley Cup.

“The Florida Panthers played great hockey, and I hope that Sunrise is enjoying their celebrations. But don’t get too comfortable, Mayor Ryan… Next year, the Oilers are coming back for the Stanley Cup!”

The mayor of the losing team agreed to wear the winning team’s jersey.

The Oilers came close, though, clawing their way back from an 0-3 deficit to force a winner-take-all Game 7, which they lost 2-1.

“It was an incredible finals,” Sohi wrote. “The Oilers are the Western Conference champions for the first time in almost two decades. That is a huge accomplishment!

“We proved, without a doubt, that Edmonton has the best fans, who cheer the loudest.”

In his X post, Sohi said the Stanley Cup playoffs generated nearly $200 million for the city.