CTV News Edmonton's top 5 stories for June 2024

From the Edmonton Oilers' Stanley Cup Final run to another battle between Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, these were the top five stories on CTVNewsEdmonton.ca in June.

5. 'Pure luck': Alberta man makes 'Price is Right' history with Showcase bid

A Grande Prairie man made history on The Price is Right.

In the game's finale, the Showcase, Patrice Masse guessed the showcase price at $39,500. The actual price was $39,501.

The audience went wild and Masse was shocked.

"That was the best showcase bid in the history of the show," host Drew Carey said on the episode.

Some of his prizes included a trip to Miami, a trip to Hawaii and a new car.

4. Panthers win their 1st Stanley Cup, top Oilers 2-1 in Game 7

Florida Panthers' captain Aleksander Barkov lifts the Stanley Cup after their 2-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024 in Sunrise, Fla. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

The Edmonton Oilers were one win away from a historic comeback in the Stanley Cup Final, but it wasn't to be.

After going down 3-0 in the series, the Oilers won three games in a row but lost 2-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 on June 24.

3. 'Respect their privacy': McDavid keeps his cool as he's mobbed by fans during beer run

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid was surrounded by fans during a beer run. (Source: Facebook)

The Oilers' run was fun for Edmonton fans — but some took it a little too far.

After the Oilers beat the Dallas Stars in Game 6 on June 2 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, superstar Connor McDavid went for a beer run and was mobbed by some Oilers fans outside his vehicle.

McDavid kept his cool as fans took videos with him.

2. Alberta town loses half its family doctors, declares health-care crisis

Hinton, Alta., declared a health-care crisis to try to bolster its sagging numbers of family doctors.

Hinton Mayor Nicholas Nissen told CTV News Edmonton the town of 10,000 has lost about half of its primary care physicians over the last year to retirement, leaving "half of the town" without one.

Six family doctors now work in Hinton, not all of them full-time. Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nissen said 15 doctors worked full-time in the town 270 kilometres west of Edmonton.

1. Smith tells Trudeau Alberta will opt out of federal dental plan

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Calgary on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Todd Korol

On June 25, Alberta said it would opt out of the federal dental plan.

In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Danielle Smith said the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) infringes on provincial jurisdiction.

"If a new health program was to be developed by the federal government, it should be done in full collaboration with provinces and territories, and discussions should have occurred before these intentions are announced. Unfortunately, this did not occur," Smith wrote.

"As such, Alberta intends to opt out of the federal plan and maintain its provincial programs for Albertans. Alberta is seeking to negotiate an agreement for the province’s share of federal dental funding and will use this unconditional funding to expand dental coverage to more low-income Albertans. We anticipate our respective officials can negotiate mutually agreeable terms within a two-year timeframe and plan to opt out by 2026."