Only 5 Players on Oilers’ Roster Have Played in a Finals Series.
Pressure is a privilege, and the Edmonton Oilers are embracing their opportunity to vie for the Stanley Cup.
Centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the Oilers’ No. 1 draft pick in 2011, recalls the challenges the franchise faced during his early years in the NHL.
“It’s rare for it to all just go well through your entire career,” Nugent-Hopkins told reporters on Saturday ahead of Game 1 in Florida. “I went through that at the start of my career and then had some really good years, where we really had a belief in the team. We’ve—especially this core group—always believed that we’ve had it in us to get to this point. Obviously, it’s a long road and difficult to do, so we’re excited to be here.”
The championship series between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers begins Saturday evening. The Panthers aim to overcome last season’s title loss and win their first Stanley Cup, while the Oilers are striving for their first since 1990.
The Oilers reached the finals in 2006, pushing the Carolina Hurricanes to seven games. However, they missed the playoffs in 12 of the following 13 seasons before becoming consistent playoff contenders in recent years.
**THE BUZZER: Can McDavid and the Oilers bring the Cup back to Canada?**
“It’s kind of tough to put into words what the experience is like, but you just have to take it in every day and enjoy it,” Oilers forward Ryan McLeod said on Saturday. “You don’t get these opportunities all the time. We know how grateful we are to be here, so [we’re] just putting our best foot forward.”
For most of the roster, this series is a first: only five Oilers players have played in a Stanley Cup final before.
Among them is defenceman Mattias Ekholm, who played for the Nashville Predators in 2017, ultimately losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. The veteran is not taking his second trip to the finals for granted.
**Edmonton fans flock to Florida to cheer on Oilers in Stanley Cup final**
“I wouldn’t say I have any regrets with the ’17 final, but at the same time, you’re trying to make everything out of this one because you never know if it’s your last one—and I’m not getting any younger,” Ekholm said on Saturday. “At the end of the night, you never know who’s going to come out winning those games. But at least I’m trying to do everything I can for myself to be at the top of my game, and our team to be at the top of our game.”
Leave a Reply