Catholic Leaders Make Friendly Bet on Blackhawks vs. Lightning Series

You gotta have faith—in God and your hockey teams, apparently.

Catholic leaders in Chicago and Tampa Bay have taken their devotion to a new level, with a friendly wager on who will emerge the winner of the Stanley Cup Finals series between the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Unfazed by the Blackhawks currently being down 2-1 in the series, Chicago Archdiocese Archbishop Blase Cupich bet Tampa Bay’s Bishop Robert Lynch some Chicago-style deep dish pizza that the Blackhawks will come back to take out the Lightning. But not just a slice, or even one pie—but enough to feed 300 guests of an organization called Pinella’s Hope, a group that provides shelter for the homeless in Clearwater, Florida.

“Heaven knows there’s no ice in Tampa,” Cupich said, according to NBC. “So while it’s a long shot, we promise to send our real pizzas south in the unlikely event Chicago loses.”

Lynch laughed off Cupich’s taunts, with an offer to ship Florida grapefruits to St. Leo’s Residence for Veterans in Chicago, should the Lightning lose.

“Chicago could use some Florida sunshine,” Lynch said. “If by some miracle the Blackhawks win, we will send our beautiful grapefruit to the veterans at St. Leo’s Residence.”

Read more:

• Chicago Blackhawks Fans Expected to Tone It Down in Tampa
• 2015 Stanley Cup Final Schedule: Blackhawks vs. Lightning
• Blackhawks Fan Booted from Tampa Arena After Cheering for ‘Wrong’ Team