The Golden Knights destroyed the Panthers, 9-3, on Tuesday night at home to deliver the city of Las Vegas its first-ever major sports championship.

Why it matters: The Knights won the Stanley Cup in just their sixth season, becoming the fastest team to win a title in the NHL's modern history.

• Vegas topped the mark held by the Flyers, whose 1974 title came seven years after they were part of the NHL's six-team expansion in 1967.
• The Oilers took just five seasons to win their first NHL championship after joining the league in 1979, but they had already existed for eight years in the defunct WHA.

Between the lines: Six original members of the 2017-18 Knights were on the ice Tuesday, including Jonathan Marchessault, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP (25 points).

What they're saying: "The look in my teammates' eyes when I got [the Stanley Cup] — one of the craziest feelings I've ever had," said captain Mark Stone, who had a hat trick. "To know that I'm doing it with my 25 to 30 best friends makes it that much more special."

The other side: The Panthers fell to 0-2 in Stanley Cup Finals and became the second Miami franchise in the last two days to see their Cinderella run end in five games at the hands of the West's No. 1 seed.

• Miami is the fifth metro area to lose the NBA and NHL championship series in the same year.
• The other four: Warriors and Sharks (2016), 76ers and Flyers (1980), Knicks and Rangers (1972), Celtics and Bruins (1958).

🚑 Of note … Injury reports released as soon as the Cup Final ends are always a great reminder that hockey players are a different breed.

• According to Panthers coach Paul Maurice, Aaron Ekblad broke his foot, popped his shoulder out twice, passed a concussion test and tore his oblique all in the playoffs. He missed one game.
• Matthew Tkachuk, who missed Game 5, played Game 4 with a fractured sternum, Maurice revealed. "They gave everything they had," he said.

Go deeper:

• Why NHL expansion teams are so good, so fast (Axios)
• Inside Vegas' journey from inception to coronation (ESPN)

Speaking of Las Vegas sports, the A's could be relocating there soon. But their Oakland faithful aren't going out quietly.

Driving the news: Fans gathered at Oakland Coliseum on Tuesday for a "reverse boycott" of the team's ownership and its plans to move to Las Vegas.

• 27,759 people showed up, the team's largest home crowd of the season.
• The environment was electric, and fans were treated to a win, as the A's beat the Rays, 2-1, for their seventh straight W.

Meanwhile, in Nevada … The state Senate voted Tuesday in favor of a bill to provide up to $380 million in public funding for an MLB stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

• The bill will be considered by the state's Assembly today. If it passes, it will go to Gov. Joe Lombardo for his signature.
• With incentives provided by the bill, A's ownership hopes to build a $1.5 billion stadium on the site of the Tropicana Las Vegas casino and hotel.

Watch: Fans chant "Sell the team!" (Twitter)

It's been a week since news of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf's partnership shocked the sports world. Here's an update on what we've learned, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

Details: PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will be CEO of the yet-to-be-named new entity, while Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, will be chairman.

• The Tour and LIV remain their own entities, and Monahan will have the option to cease the current iteration of LIV's team-focused circuit after the season ends in November.
• These details are according to PGA Tour policy board member Jimmy Dunne, who helped broker the deal that was ultimately viewed as a necessity because "we cannot compete with a foreign government with unlimited money," Monahan told employees last week.

What they're saying: "The PGA Tour is the controlling partner of the new company," said Dunne, who is also vice chairman at investment bank Piper Sandler. "It is extraordinarily unlikely that [Al-Rumayyan is] going to be involved in the day-to-day."

• Dozens of Dunne's colleagues at Sandler O'Neill were killed on 9/11 when the plane hit the World Trade Center's south tower. The only reason he wasn't there is he was playing golf.
• 15 of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11 were Saudi citizens, but "the people I'm dealing with had nothing to do with it," said Dunne. "If someone can find someone who unequivocally was involved … I'll kill them myself."

Between the lines: While LIV defectors are unlikely to be barred from reinstatement, hefty fines are expected for those who return. Meanwhile, golfers who remained loyal to the PGA Tour will reportedly be given equity shares in the new company.

State of play: The 2023 U.S. Open, which will see LIV and PGA Tour players go head-to-head for the first time since the news broke, tees off this week at Los Angeles Country Club.

• On Tuesday, the PGA Tour announced that Monahan is recovering from a medical situation.
• Two top executives will run the day-to-day operations in his absence.

What to watch: The deal must still clear some hurdles, the simplest of which is approval from the Tour's policy board. But government scrutiny is also expected.

• The ongoing antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour isn't going away, as many view the deal as a textbook case of antitrust.
• The U.S. Senate is also investigating the deal because of concerns about "PIF's role as an arm of the Saudi government," per Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).

The bottom line: If you're still confused about what this all means, you're not alone. "The whole thing is confusing," defending U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick said Monday. "I haven't been told much," added LIV's Cameron Smith. "We just want some answers," said world No. 2 Jon Rahm.

Go deeper:

• Trying to understand how golf changed forever (No Laying Up)
• The rise of Al-Rumayyan, the potential new king of golf (WashPost)
• Who won, lost the conflict? You're missing the point (The Athletic)

⚾️ Sticky stuff, take three: Mets reliever Drew Smith was ejected Tuesday after failing a sticky substance check. There have now been three such ejections this season: two Mets and one Yankee.

🏒 Senators' record sale: Toronto billionaire Michael Andlauer has agreed to buy 90% of the Senators for $950 million, the most ever paid for an NHL team.

🏀 WNBA All-Star check-in: After one week of voting, Aces star and reigning MVP A'ja Wilson leads all vote-getters (35,968 votes), followed by Breanna Stewart (32,926) and Brittney Griner (28,387). Voting ends June 21.

🏒 New coaches: The Rangers hired former Capitals coach Peter Laviolette on a three-year deal, and the Flames promoted assistant Ryan Huska to head coach.

New York continues to dominate the national sports betting landscape, with sportsbook operators earning $152.6 million in revenue last month, mostly via mobile gaming, Jeff writes.

Why it matters: Thanks to a sky-high 51% tax rate on mobile revenue (tied with New Hampshire for the highest in the nation), New York pushed past $1 billion in tax revenue since PASPA was repealed in May 2018.

• No other state has earned even half that much tax revenue in that time.
• Pennsylvania is second ($427.6 million) and New Jersey is third ($368.4 million).

The big picture: New York's sports betting market has exploded since launching mobile 17 months ago. Year-to-date, $7.98 billion has been wagered — more than double the handle of any other state.

Between the lines: A majority of New York's sports betting tax revenue funds education, with the rest going toward sports programs for underserved youth and problem gambling education and treatment.

• Though the status quo benefits the state, sportsbook operators are pleading with legislators to lower the tax rate.
• They argue that they could be forced to offer worse odds to protect their bottom line, which could push bettors back to illegal offshore books.

DENVER — At least 10 people — including a suspect — were wounded in a shooting late Monday night in Denver. Multiple shots were fired less than a mile from Ball Arena, where fans were celebrating the Nuggets' title.

BALTIMORE — Kevin Kiermaier couldn't quite reach a grand slam hit by red-hot Gunnar Henderson, who led the Orioles to an 11-6 win over the Blue Jays.

VILLARS-SUR-OLLON, Switzerland — Just added "cycle through the Swiss Alps" to my bucket list.

The Mets host the Yankees tonight (7pm ET, ESPN) to wrap up the first of a pair of two-game Subway Series this season.

• Pitching matchup: Reigning AL Cy Young Justin Verlander (2-3, 4.85 ERA) vs. Gerrit Cole (7-1, 2.84), an early favorite for this year's award.
• Last night: The Yankees climbed out of an early 5-1 hole and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning to hold on for a 7-6 win.

More to watch:

• 🇺🇸 Exhibition: The 88th Congressional Baseball Game (7:05pm, FS1) … At Nationals Park.
• 🏀 WNBA: Sparks at Wings (1pm, NBA)
• ⚽️ MLS: LAFC vs. Houston (10:30pm, Apple TV) … Free to watch.
• ⚽️ NWSL Challenge Cup: Three games (7:30pm, Paramount+)

Who says you need clubs to play an exhilarating round of golf?

Driving the news: The fourth edition of the FootGolf World Cup was held last week at Disney World, bringing together 1,000 players from 40 countries, Jeff writes.

Results: There were both team (match play, four-ball, foursomes) and individual (stroke play) competitions for men, women and senior men (ages 46+).

• Team winners: France (men); Japan (women); Argentina (senior men)
• Individual: Bence Bacskai, Hungary (-36); Lucia Čermáková, Slovakia (-20); Jan Aksel Odden, Norway (-31)

The backdrop: The sport was invented 15 years ago in the Netherlands and is exactly what it sounds like: golf, but with your foot, a soccer ball and a 21-inch cup.

• It's loosely based on a game that Tottenham used to play after training sessions (one of the inventors' brothers played for Spurs).
• Tottenham's version saw players try to kick the ball back from the field to the locker room in as few kicks as possible.
• Holes on FootGolf courses are generally between 50-200 yards long. Here's a video explaining how to play.

While we're on the topic … I played a few years ago at a gorgeous course in Koh Samui, Thailand. 10/10, would recommend.

The Nuggets are the first Western Conference team not based in California or Texas to win the NBA title since 1979.

• Question: Who won that year?
• Hint: Their only championship.

Answer at the bottom.

The Giants and Cardinals will play in the "Field of Dreams" game next season at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

Context: Willie Mays played at Rickwood during his time in the Negro Leagues with the Birmingham Barons. It's America's oldest professional ballpark.