People within the NHL’s hockey operations department have been wishful-thinking forever about getting the season wrapped up by the end of May, but the owners don’t want to start in September, still fearful that their product isn’t good enough to compete for even more autumn weeks with high school, college and pro football, baseball pennant races and whatever else might erode the puck ratings.

So they play into June, and now that every month on the planet Earth is the hottest on record, you can pretty much take it to the bank that the NHL’s ice doctor, Dan Craig, is not going to be able to produce a mid-season-quality surface during the annual heat wave, no matter how much cold air he pumps in, how many de-humidifiers he hooks up.

-Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun where you can read more on the ice conditions in the Stanley Cup Final.