The Edmonton Oilers have a chance to head to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006 and a critical member of that team will be in the house tonight.
Former Oilers goaltender Dwayne Roloson is back in the Alberta capital and will be signing autographs for fans and watching his old team attempt what he was able to do as a member of the team back in 2006.
He was around the rink this morning and will be out and about in the Ice District interacting with fans ahead of Game 6.
🥅 ALUMNI UPDATE!! 🥅
@EdmontonOilers legend Dwayne Roloson will be signing autographs TONIGHT at the @FordCanada Tailgate Party in ICE District Plaza from 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM!! pic.twitter.com/gNszchJqVS— ICE District (@IceDistrict) June 2, 2024
Longtime Oilers fans will best remember Roloson for the role he played during that 2006 run to the Stanley Cup Final that ended in a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Simcoe, Ontario native was acquired from the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline that season and led the team on a remarkable playoff run.
He played 18 playoff games with the Oilers that season where he put up a sparkling .927 save percentage to help eliminate the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks. Unfortunately, Roloson only played in a single game in the Final as he got hurt in Game 1 against the Hurricanes after colliding with Carolina rookie Andrew Ladd.
Edmonton was still able to push the Hurricanes to the brink and forced a Game 7 without their star goalie available. Yet, it wasn’t enough to return the Stanley Cup to Oil Country. There remains a belief among the fanbase that things would have ended much differently if Roloson remained healthy
“Roli the Goalie” went on to play three more seasons with the Oilers after that run and ended his tenure with a 78-82-24 record throughout 193 games with Edmonton. He went on to play seasons with the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning, where he made the Eastern Conference Final in 2011, before eventually retiring in 2012.
He remains one of the team’s most iconic goaltenders and his performance during that 2006 run still resonates with the fanbase to this day. Roloson will surely be a popular man and the hope is that he will see history repeat itself with an Oilers berth to the Stanley Cup Final becoming official before the end of the night.