Las Vegas steaks, Carolina barbecue on the line as Catholic bishops wager on Stanley Cup
Vegas Golden Knights team captain Mark Stone (61) skates the Stanley Cup Trophy after the Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 to win the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Las Vegas. Photo by: Steve Marcus
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 | 11:19 a.m.
A pair of Catholic bishops are putting their regional pride — and their best local cuisine — on the line for the Stanley Cup Finals.
Archbishop George Leo Thomas of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas and Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama of the Diocese of Raleigh, N.C., have placed a friendly wager on the series between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes.
Thomas is offering two Mafioso steak packages from Las Vegas' Golden Steer Steakhouse. Zarama has put up Carolina barbecue and a pecan pie.
“Las Vegas never folds under pressure,” Thomas said in a news release. “And when it comes to the Golden Knights, we are all in. In Las Vegas, we know a little something not just about good steaks, and about high stakes.”
Thomas added that he is praying the steaks stay in Las Vegas.
“The only thing better than a good steak is a Golden Knights victory,” he said.
The wager celebrates the enthusiasm of both hockey communities, and the joy that sports can bring to families, fans and neighbors, the archdiocese of Las Vegas said in a statement.
“While my brother bishop is much more familiar with wagering than I am, it is my pleasure to share in this way the blessings of our respective dioceses as we root for our home teams,” Zarama said. “Good luck, God bless and Go Canes!”
Thomas also wagered steaks from Golden Steer in 2023 when the Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup. Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami bet native stone crabs and hand-rolled Cuban cigars from Miami’s Little Havana.