Edmonton Oilers fans are being forced to relive the pain they felt following the 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
It took some time, but the excitement amongst Oilers fans had been growing again following what was a masterclass from then-interim general manager Jeff Jackson in free agency. A newly surfaced clip, however, has caused many to fall back down into the dumps once again.
The clip, which comes from Oilers+, shows the team’s reaction just moments after their loss to the Panthers. While not surprising, it emphasizes how devastated they were to narrowly miss out on a Stanley Cup championship.
The @EdmontonOilers behind-the-scenes show revealed the moments right after they lost Game 7. Absolutely gut wrenching 💔 (via Oilers+) pic.twitter.com/IgPOWe3Qle
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) August 9, 2024
In the background of the clip, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman can be heard announcing Connor McDavid as the Conn Smythe winner. The Oilers captain received some criticism at the time for not going onto the ice to accept the award, though this clip may help explain to many why he chose not to.
McDavid, along with the rest of his teammates, was completely silent in the room. That is, until Zach Hyman, who has emerged as one of the leaders of their group, gave a heartfelt speech in which he made it clear he believes they will be back in the near future.
“There’s nothing that’s going to make this feel better,” an emotional Hyman said. “But I f*cking know we’re going to be back. I f*cking know it. I f*cking know we’re going to be back. I know it in my f*cking heart. This is the f*cking worst feeling in the world.
“I hope everybody comes back, too. This team is f*cking special.”
Though not everybody wound up returning, several pending free agents in Mattias Janmark, Connor Brown, Adam Henrique, Troy Stecher, and Calvin Pickard all re-signed. Meanwhile, they were able to add two top-six forwards to an already lethal group in Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson.
As soul-crushing as their loss was, Hyman could turn out to be bang on in his assessment that they will be back. Thanks in large part to the additions of Skinner and Arvidsson, the Oilers are currently the betting favourites to win the Stanley Cup this coming season.
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