The Oilers had a chance to pull off one of the most dramatic comebacks in hockey history in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and it’s hard not to feel for the team after taking a look at the video was filmed in the locker room after they fell short in their question to beat the Panthers.
Fans of the Edmonton Oilers spent close to two decades waiting to see their team return to the Stanley Cup Final and experienced plenty of misery during that stretch.
That included a string of dismal seasons stemming from a perpetual rebuild that began around the start of the 2010s, although the team got some consolation prizes in the form of the first overall picks that led to them securing the talents of some major stars including Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid.
Things finally came together this year when the Oilers punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006, but it appeared the series was all but over after they fell into a 3-0 hole against the Florida Panthers.
The Maple Leafs were the only team who’d managed to pull off a reverse sweep to win the Stanely Cup all the way back in 1942, which meant the Oilers needed a bit of a miracle.
However, the team defied the odds to force a Game 7 before the Panthers averted what would’ve arguably been the biggest collapse in NHL history with the 2-1 win that allowed them to raise the Stanley Cup on home ice.
As is the case with most NHL teams, the Oilers have a crew of people capturing footage behind the scenes as the season unfolds, and on Thursday, the franchise released a clip of the devastating aftermath in the locker room as the shellshocked players attempted to process the loss—which included the moment Gary Bettman announced McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy he understandably declined to accept in person.
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
That’s absolutely brutal.
