• Penguins Are Back-To-Back Stanley Cup Champs After Game 6 Win
  
• Tens Of Thousands Flock To Downtown Nashville For Game 6
  
• Crowd Of 80,000-Plus On Hand At Estadio Azteca For U.S.-Mexico
  
• Former ESPN Exec Artie Bulgrin Accepts Job With MediaScience

The Penguins last night won their second consecutive Stanley Cup and fifth overall with a 2-0 win over the Predators in Game 6 at Bridgestone Arena, a "back-to-back run of excellence that had not been seen" in the NHL since the Red Wings' championships in '97 and '98. Since the start of the '15-16 regular season, "nobody has played more hockey" than the Penguins: 213 games total (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 6/12). A "sold-out Game 6 watch party" drew about 18,000 fans to PPG Paints Arena (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 6/12).

Front-Page & Web Headlines: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "High Five" ... Tribune-Review: "Sweet Repeat" ... Nashville Tennessean: "Heartbreaker" ... ESPN.com: "This Pittsburgh Penguins Title Was A Spectacle Of Survival" ... NHL.com: "Penguins Show How Repeating Is Done"

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said that "there will be a victory parade," but "plans for the event are still being developed." Allegheny County Airport Authority officials said that "there won't be a celebration" at Pittsburgh Int'l Airport "when the Penguins return home" later today (AP, 6/12).

Several hundred people "poured out of bars" in downtown Pittsburgh after the game, but there was "no sign of trouble." Police "allowed fans 90 minutes to celebrate in the streets following the victory, which was sealed" at about 11:00pm ET, and then "planned to send the crowd home" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 6/12).

Dick's Sporting Goods stores in the Pittsburgh area "opened immediately" after the game,and fans headed out to "snatch up their 2017 Stanley Cup team jerseys and other garb." Dick's stores were "scheduled to reopen" at 6:00am. The South Hills Village store "stayed open all night." Other locations had "in-store celebrations, including rally walls, rally beards and face painting" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 6/12).

Despite losing in the Stanley Cup Final, the Predators last night drew what "may be the biggest crowd downtown Nashville has ever seen." The NHL "anticipated nearly 100,000 fans to converge" for Game 6. A Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau spokesperson "estimated 50,000 people in downtown." Predators fan Nestor Ilagan said, "I haven't seen energy and unity like this since the ['10] floods" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 6/12). Nashville's "viability as a hockey destination received international exposure as media swooned over the atmosphere inside Bridgestone Arena and how it overflowed into the downtown streets" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 6/12).

Not a bad little venue for @LukeBryanOnline. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/1BgmWsQk9J

— NHL (@NHL) June 12, 2017

A crowd of 81,000 was on hand yesterday at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City for a U.S.-Mexico FIFA World Cup qualifier that ended in a 1-1 draw. The USMNT gained "only their third point at Azteca" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/12). Four members of the Steelers, including LB James Harrison, observed USMNT practice Saturday. The team was "in town for a fantasy camp." They returned home yesterday and were not scheduled to "attend the match." With Azteca hosting Patriots-Raiders this fall, the U.S. Soccer Federation "tried to arrange" for Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski to make an appearance, but "offseason workouts prevented him from attending" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 6/10).

Less than a month after leaving ESPN as Senior VP/Global Research & Analytics, Artie Bulgrin has landed a new job with MediaScience, where he will start in September as Exec VP/Strategy & Insights. MediaScience describes itself as “lab-based audience research,” using facial expressions and eye tracking technology to gauge what TV viewers watch. In a release, the company said Bulgrin will “develop research projects for client studies and oversee the translation of study findings into strategic insights.” When he left ESPN last month, Bulgrin said he was retiring and would look to pick up advising and consulting work with media companies.

Orlando City SC today will honor the one-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting by participating in the city’s "'Orlando United Day – A Day of Love and Kindness.'" The club will open the doors to its downtown stadium from 10:00am-5:00pm ET for "anyone who wants to pay tribute to the victims at the venue’s 49 rainbow-colored seats." The club will "have #OrlandoUnited T-shirts, scarves and socks for sale," with "all proceeds going to the Central Florida Foundation’s Better Together Fund." Meanwhile, the Magic are "slated to produce a video that will be posted" to the NBA team's website and social media channels (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 6/12). 

South Korea President Moon Jae-in has "proposed that the rival Koreas and other Northeast Asian countries co-host" the '30 FIFA World Cup. The President "made the offer" this morning during a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino. He said that such an event would "contribute to establishing peace among the two Koreas and in Northeast Asia" (AP, 6/12).

Canadian Soccer Association President Steve Reed yesterday said that interested hosts for the '26 World Cup "have until mid-August to challenge" the North American bid. The proposed joint bid would see Canada and Mexico "hosting just 10 fixtures each." CSA General Secretary Peter Montopoli said, “We’d like to see that we could (host World Cup games) in four cities." He added that multiple Canadian mayors "expressed interest in hosting games." FIFA "requires men’s tournaments to be played on natural grass in stadiums with at least 40,000 seats" (TORONTOSUN.com, 6/12). 

The Drone Racing League (DRL) today announced several multiyear partnerships and new sponsors ahead of its '17 season, in addition to closing on a Series B investment round. The total financing of more than $20M was led by Sky, Liberty Media and Lux Capital. New investors include Allianz and WWE, while existing partners taking part in the round include Hearst Ventures, RSE Ventures, Lere Hippeau ventures and Courtside Ventures.

DRL also announced a collaboration with the Amazon Prime series "The Grand Tour" as part of the league's '17 Allianz World Championship Race in London. Activation will include a Grand Tour Finish Gate at the race, a branded Grand Tour commentator booth for guest play-by-play announcers and a new digital content (THE DAILY).

The AVP New York City Open wrapped up yesterday and drew 29,500 fans over four days, making this the biggest crowd ever for an AVP event in N.Y. (THE DAILY).

The Falcons today will hold a special retirement ceremony for QB Michael Vick and WR Roddy White. This marks the "first time the Falcons have welcomed Vick back into the family since his dog fighting scandal broke" in '07 (BOSTONGLOBE.com, 6/10).

Russell Athletic and Little League today unveiled the jersey designs for '17 Little League World Series tournaments. Little League this week will announces the full Little League Baseball World Series schedule and first-round pairings (Russell Athletic).

"If we can get buy-in from Ute nation, and other schools can get buy-in from their fan bases, I think the ceiling for this is limitless. This could become a very mainstream collegiate experience" – Utah Esports Dir A.J. Dimick, on being the first university in a Power 5 conference to offer a varsity team in competitive esports (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 6/11). 

"It's always a challenge attendance wise regardless if you're on television. It's just the trend right now and you hope you're on the other end of it. Look at the SEC stadiums and a lot of the upper decks are bare in sports" – Middle Tennessee State AD Chris Massaro, whose football program will have 11 of 12 matchups on TV this season, on television games potentially being a double-edged sword (MURFREESBORO POST, 6/11).

USA TODAY writes the NFL’s public position on gambling has "become quite an artful dance," as the league is looking to "control players and personnel for the sake of appearances while making exceptions for the sake of revenue." The NFL has policies "rooted in old, negative perceptions against gambling," yet there is an increasing demand for "more lucrative ties between NFL teams and gambling businesses."

Under the header, "In Detroit Sports Downturn, Heat Is On The GMs," the DETROIT NEWS writes the city's teams are "owned by wealthy, entrenched owners – Chris Ilitch, Tom Gores, Martha Ford – who generally sign the checks and stay out of the spotlight." That "puts the onus" on the GMs, and "all four face similar, significant challenges, while fans face a sobering possibility – Detroit could go an entire year without a playoff appearance for the first time" since '81.

Also: 

• Blackhawks' first owner fought Canadian elitism in hockey.
• Ice Bucket Challenge founder gets original bucket inducted into Baseball HOF.
• Former A's Exec VP Andy Dolich examines the team's ballpark search. 
• Former NBAer Jason Collins takes part in WNBA Pride Night in Connecticut. 
• PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS examines MLB's rise in Latin American players.

Future of @ManulifeClassic uncertain. Toronto golf fans are some of the most enthusiastic of the season hope @LPGA can find a way to return

— Tom Abbott (@TomAbbottGC) June 11, 2017

6 Super Bowls @steelers
5 World Series @Pirates
Now 5 Stanley Cups @penguins
Take it away @JoeGrushecky https://t.co/DHxcbdNECE

— Ron Sirak (@ronsirak) June 12, 2017

#Smashville established itself as one of the premiere hockey towns in the #NHL. Tough loss, but incredible year for the #Preds organization.

— Alex M. Silverman🏒 (@AlexMSilverman) June 12, 2017

Goodness, the passion and fidelity of LSU baseball fans is so impressive. Nearing 1 a.m. local time, rain, blowout...still there at the Box

— John Manuel (@johnmanuelba) June 12, 2017

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com

#Warriors Coach Steve Kerr rocking the "SuperVillians" t-shirt at practice today pic.twitter.com/bupINGH98N

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 11, 2017

General Electric this morning announced that longtime Chair & CEO Jeff Immelt is "stepping down." GE Healthcare President & CEO John Flannery will "take over as CEO on Aug. 1." GE said that the move is "part of a succession plan that’s been in place for six years" (BOSTONGLOBE.com, 6/12). 

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Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Constellations.”

“The brightest star in Scorpius is named this, meaning ‘rival’ of the god equivalent to Mars.”

A special edition of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” aired once again prior to NBA Finals Game 4. Jimmy Kimmel: “No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA Finals. Even Tom Brady was like, ‘I don't know, guys, I don't think so.’ Cleveland's chance of winning is a very long shot. Ironically, it’s so long a shot, the only person who could make it is Steph Curry. … It would be a huge disappointment for ABC having only four games. They pay the same amount, whether it goes four or seven. It's like halfway through ‘The Bachelorette,’ Rachel decided to give up and just go on Tinder. But I’ll tell you, you can’t ever count LeBron James out. ... This is a guy who wanted to win so badly, he became the first person ever to move back to Cleveland.” Kimmel said the “rumor is” Warriors F Kevin Durant is “willing to take less money so the team can make another title run next season. He could make $35 million next year, but he’s willing to play for $32 million just to stay in Golden State. I think it’s heroic. I hope they use that extra $3 million to build a statue of him” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night,” ABC, 6/2).

Kimmel's “Game Night” broadcast also aired a “local commercial” featuring Lakers F Julius Randle. The show had shown a clip of an old local Chicago ad for a sandwich featuring then-Bulls F Scottie Pippen. Kimmel: “Because of these contracts, you don’t see those types of commercials anymore, and we wanted to change that. ... The result is this glorious return to the golden age of athletes in local ads” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night,” ABC, 6/2).

In the late-night edition of "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Kimmel said, “There's a rumor … that LeBron James is considering a move to Los Angeles to become a Laker or a Clipper the year after next, which would be exciting for us but another bummer for Cleveland. ... I have an idea to make it fair. ... We get LeBron, and in exchange, Cleveland gets Disneyland." More Kimmel: "LeBron should go to every team in the league to help them win a title, except Golden State. What if he signed with Golden State? There would be a coup, there would be a violent overthrow of the NBA. We'd have to form a whole new league or something” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 6/9).

Friday night’s edition of “The Tonight Show” featured the recurring segment “Thank You Notes." NBC's Jimmy Fallon said, “Thank you, the French Open finals, for being the second-best place to watch someone get served this week.” The broadcast then displayed an image of President Trump and former FBI Dir James Comey (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 6/9).

CBS’ Stephen Colbert said of Comey's testimony last week, “It was on all the networks commercial-free. Well, not entirely. We all saw what James Comey was wearing at the hearing” (“The Late Show,” CBS, 6/9).

“What is Antares?”