IN PHOTOS: Oilers fans’ confidence swelling as team drags Stanley Cup Final back to Edmonton
By Rob Drinkwater
The Canadian Press
Posted June 19, 2024 9:15 am EST
Updated June 19, 2024 3:08 pm EST
2 min read
WATCH ABOVE: Thousands of Oilers fans celebrated Tuesday night in downtown Edmonton after the team secured a 5-3 win to cut Florida's lead in the Stanley Cup final to 3-2. Jasmine King has more on the excitement from Ice District – Jun 19, 2024
The photo gallery can be viewed at the bottom of this article.
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When your team is already down three games in the Stanley Cup Final series and a single loss would mean the dream of a championship victory parade is over, it’s understandable that anxiety for Edmonton Oilers fans is through the roof.
“It’s just crazy, because no one’s come back and won four in a row since ’42. I don’t know, I’m quite nervous but I never give up.”
The Oilers are looking to become the first team since the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 to come back from a three-nothing deficit to win the Stanley Cup.
It seemed impossible and remains daunting, but after thrashing the Panthers Saturday night 8-1 in Game 4 and their win Tuesday, Edmonton fans are hopeful their team can win two more.
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“I broke down crying. I’m not going to lie, I broke down crying,” Austin Zaplotinsky, 16, said about the Oilers’ third loss in a row last week.
As he spoke on Tuesday, the Oilers were leading 4-2.
“I think the Oilers could do it. They have the best player in the world — the two best players in the world. I know that they can do it,” he said.
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Shania Sandoval, who admitted she’s only been an Oilers fan since the start of this year’s playoffs, said she was “a little down” after the team’s first three losses in the series. She also admitted she’s been “stress eating.”
But she said she was a bit more confident following the team’s surprising comeback in game 4 on Saturday.
“Still two more games,” she said as the clock ticked down towards Tuesday’s win.
Mary Loewen, who was dressed as the Stanley Cup at Tuesday’s watch party, said she hasn’t been anxious at all.
Loewen said she’s been a fan since 1984 when the Oilers won their first of five Stanley Cups, and she said her confidence is strong because she has the same feeling now as she did then.
“I’m so confident in my boys — the Oilers. We’re gonna do it,” she said.
Other fans, though, like 18-year-old Sarah Gauvin, likely won’t relax until the Oilers win Game 7 or get knocked out.
Gauvin, who plays hockey herself and is a Professional Women’s Hockey League fan, was worried after the Oilers lost three in a row at the start of the series.
“Oh my God, I’m barely sleeping, barely eating. I’ve been so nervous after Game three,” she said during the last minutes of Tuesday’s win.
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“It’s scary but I think we’re going to push through. I think we’ve got it.”
Photo gallery below:
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Oilers fans celebrate after the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Florida Panthers during a watch party for Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final, in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
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Oilers fans celebrate after the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Florida Panthers during a watch party for Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final, in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
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Oilers fans celebrate as the Edmonton Oilers defeat the Florida Panthers during a watch party for Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final, in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
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Oilers fans watch as the Edmonton Oilers take on the Florida Panthers during a watch party for Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final, in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
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Oilers fans cheers as they watch the Edmonton Oilers score a goal against the Florida Panthers during a watch party for Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final, in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
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Hockey fans watch on a big screen as the Edmonton Oilers take on the Florida Panthers during a watch party for Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final, in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
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Hockey fans watch on a big screen as the Edmonton Oilers take on the Florida Panthers during a watch party for Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final, in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
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Oilers fans react to a goal as they watch the Edmonton Oilers take on the Florida Panthers during a watch party for Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final, in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
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Edmonton Oilers fans wait to enter the arena before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla.
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
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Richard Haas and Alyssa Dudek of Edmonton wait to enter the Amerant Bank Arena before Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla.
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell