ESPN/ABC commentator Sean McDonough enjoys commenting on the Stanley Cup Final

“I think it was one of the greatest Stanley Cup Finals of all time,” said McDonough, who added that he had just watched a partial replay of Game 7. “It was a great honor and blessing for me, even at this stage of my career, to have the opportunity to commentate on it.”

“The postseason is long and exhausting, but that’s why we do it. Since I was 8 years old, I would lie on the living room floor and shout Bobby Orr “Recording games on a tape recorder was a dream, recording game seven of a Stanley Cup Final, and I’m grateful it came true.”

The stakes in Game 7 were both obvious and far-reaching. With the win, the Panthers avoided becoming the second team to lose a Cup final after taking a 3-0 lead. Oilers superstar Connor McDavidwho won the Conn Smythe Trophy as postseason MVP in a losing cause, could have elevated his status in the history of the sport even further with a win. (Perhaps he did, anyway.) And the good-humored veteran coach Paul Maurice has likely secured a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame after leading the Panthers to victory.

“I just watched the NHL Network too, because I can’t seem to get away from it,” McDonough said. “They had (a soundbite from the Oilers coach) Kris Knoblauch Press availability, and he said there were a lot of jumps that didn’t go in their favor. That’s true when you look at it again.

“They didn’t have much ‘puck luck’ in this game, because there were a few times where the puck bounced dangerously in front of (Panthers goalie). Sergei) Bobrowski and just couldn’t find a way to get it in. A rebound here or there and Game 7 could have had a completely different outcome.”

McDonough’s voice was in excellent shape for Game 7. But the cold, which wouldn’t quite go away during the long playoffs, caused him to miss Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Rangers and Hurricanes in May, and it affected his voice during Game 3 of the Cup final.

“I’m really tired, you can probably hear it in my voice,” he said. “I got sick early in the playoffs. It was very frustrating. I hated missing the game early in the playoffs. And then it came back.”

“Every commentator’s worst nightmare is an illness that affects your voice. It’s like saying, ‘I can do the game with a sprained ankle,’ you know what I mean? So that was frustrating. But these things happen and I’m just glad we did four more games after that and had a Game 7.

“I don’t know how the players who make it to the final do it. I mean, they run into each other over and over again in high-speed collisions,” he added with a chuckle. “I just stand there and talk.”

After a break — and surely some golf — McDonough will be back in the Red Sox booth for a few games here and there, starting July 9 against the A’s. He said he’s been keeping up with the Sox as much as he can over the past few weeks and has been impressed with the work. Alex Cora is doing right now.

“I look at the score sheet every day, but every time I looked at the standings, it seemed like they were right at .500 or something,” he said. “And then they had this stretch where they won seven of eight games and really found their identity.

“It’s great and I hope they can keep it up. I really hope so. It’s a lot more fun here in the late summer when the games have a big meaning.”

He takes a breath

In an even shorter break for a live commentator, Dave O’Brien has a five-day break as June turns into July due to some quirks in the Red Sox’s schedule. The Sox had Thursday off and the opening game against the Padres on Friday was exclusive to Apple TV+. Mike Monaco jumps in on Saturday and Tom Caron will commentate on Sunday’s game reports after Monaco leaves for London to be part of ESPN’s Wimbledon coverage team, a well-deserved assignment. The Sox are off on Monday, so O’Brien will be back in Miami on Tuesday for the opener against the Marlins. Caron may be best known to Boston fans as the Red Sox’s studio host, but he has extensive experience as a game commentator, particularly in hockey. The opinion here is that he would be a suitable choice as Jack Edwards Successor as voice of the Bruins of NESN.

Chad Finn can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @GlobeChadFinn.