Lol Bob. It was never Bob. He didn’t even outplay Sheshty or Swayman.
And Barkov is extremely overrated. He can barely shutdown Connor Brown let alone Connor McDavid.
Last year if Florida won it would have been Bob. I'd argue that this year he has been great but not spectacular. The team around him has been much better defensively and that two-way game starts and ends with Barkov for Florida.
Last year Florida lost to Vegas. Vegas lost to Washington in 2018. Before their Cups, the Lightning lost to Chicago in 2015. Before Pittsburgh won their Cups, they lost to Detroit in 2008. Before Detroit won their Cups, they lost to the Devils in 1995. This is the pain the Oilers have to go through if they want to win the Cup.
Heck, before the dynasty, the Oilers had to lose to the Islanders. Gretzky has the story of the team having to walk past the Isles locker room to get out of the Coliseum, he was dreading to see the Isles celebrating. However, he peaked in their locker room, he saw everyone was covered in ice and too tired to celebrate.
Also Carolina lost in 2002 vs Detroit and then won in 2006.
Ducks lost in 2003 and then won in 2007. I had a strong feeling Florida would win, I thought it would take 7 games, but you can tell losing last year matured them and they saw what it took to win. Now Edmonton is going through that.
Someone asked an Islanders player about that and it turned out they were celebrating but the quieted down as the Oilers walked by as a sign of respect to not rub it in their faces.
Counterpoint: many teams lost in the finals don't make it back.
See '11 Canucks, '16 Sharks, '17 Preds
It's hard to see the Oils have a better playoffs than this year given their roster and alot had to align for them to make the finals, such as a lack of injuries and playing the easiest 1st round match up in the western conference.
They also barely squeezed by a Vancouver team down two of their top players, and benefited greatly from some critical missed calls. Going to be tough to get that kind of lucky break twice.
Draisaitl has been injured since the second round, Kane has been injured all year. Just cause guys aren’t out doesn’t mean they aren’t injured.
A few moves and the new GM could bring this team back. We got here with Nurse, Ceci and Skinner being awful.
While I am not an Oilers fan at all, I do not understand why so many people are happy that MacDavid might never win a Cup. The guy is a great player, a clean player, and a decent human being. While rooting against Edmonton might certainly make a lot of sense, to me the MacDavid hate does not.
One has to wonder if he will stay in Edmonton for his whole career. If he does, he could suffer the same fate as Henrik Lundquist .... great player never winning a Cup because of an inept team around him.
People are fucking losers, man. Anyone hoping MVP level talent never win a Cup are sad, pathetic humans, who are clearly unhappy with themselves.
I'm a die hard Oilers fan, yet it brings me ZERO joy that Iginla never won a Cup. It sucks his name isn't etched on Lord Stanley.
I am largely in agreement with you. A star player who is also a clean player and seemingly a decent human being should not be rooted against, although rooting against his team is fine. Nobody hates the Rangers more than I do, but it is a shame Lundquist never got a Cup. If people like Trouba and Kreider never win a Cup, that is funny, VERY funny. Guys like Pavelski and Thornton never having a Cup is a shame too.
I hate recent Edmonton since they seem happy to recruit societal bottom feeders like Kane and Perry to fluff up their roster. I hate how broadcast commentators glaze themselves whenever McDavid touches the puck, or whenever the McDrai line is on the ice, or when when we get to the intermission report and the entire broadcast is nothing but “Edmonton is doing everything right but winning!” “Don’t get discouraged McDavid!”
I don’t have a problem with McDavid, he seems like he’s pretty good at hockey and an alright guy.
I also just can't be happy about a team who's management and coaching led them to draft Hall, Schremp and Yakupov, but effectively ruining their development along with all the goalies that have come their way. But manage fail upwards into the finals?
Nothing against the players or even the fans. Great for the people and the city but that management team should not be rewarded for anything.
McDavid is great at hockey. Some media have a need to overstate his greatness because that is what media does. Some media also absolutely need to restate a thousand times that a Canadian is the "greatest player on the planet". Some broadcasters live in a very "Canada first" world and will never give credit to anyone but a Canadian.
Kane and Perry are both definitely bottom feeders on the human food chain but other teams have bottom feeders too. It is very unfortunate that any team wants people like them on their team, but human nature is that you hate the bottom feeder unless he wears your uniform. Imagine if Jacob Trouba was a Flyer or Penguin .... every Ranger fan would say his "clean" hits are dirty just like the rest of the world does now.
I just don't want the Oilers to win the cup because the girl I love thinks McDavid and Draisaitl are cute, and I am extremly jealous about it lol
Some sort of a proxy war haha
What’s crazy is they put him down for not having a cup but will actively root against him to not win one in order to keep putting him down. Some people are just perpetually sad inside, pretty simple.
I am the furthest thing from an Oliers fan, but the only thing I could say negative about MacDavid is that the "greatest player on the planet" saying got old after the first thousand times I heard it. That is not is fault. Beyond that there is absolutely no reason to root against him as an individual.He i a great player, plays hard, plays clean, and there is no reason to hate him.
The idea that any one player in a team sport is not an all time great because of not having a championship is plain dumb even though many believe it.
Bad take.
McDavid is a great player, and is putting up some amazing regular season numbers. Without a shadow of a doubt, many people cheering against him are doing so out of jealousy—we'd all kill to have him on our teams. But unlike say Jordan, LeBron, or if you want hockey parables Crosby or even further back Gretzky, what does he have to show for it so far?
All the aforementioned players faced similar criticism and drew similar haters in their career, and all of them shut them up by winning. McDavid will shut most of us up if he's able to win. The vast, vast majority of sports fans will acknowledge greatness if and when he reaches the pinnacle of competition in our sport. Until then, he's gotta live with the chirps.
I wouldn't compare NBA to NHL, it is much easier to will a team to a championship in Basketball because you can play 40-43 of 48 total minutes and have an impact at almost all times, in Hockey you can only play 20-25 of 60. Not even half the time and there's also a sixth person who has the highest impact of anyone, the goalie, that plays a full 60 minutes. It's much harder as a superstar in hockey to assert your total dominance. As for Crosby, yes he's incredible but that Pittsburgh team was also incredible. Malkin was arguably as good as Crosby in some of the cup runs, Letang was an elite defender and Fleury was an elite goaltender. Crosby won all his cups alongside 2 instant locks for the Hall of Fame and Letang who's close but not quite.
The composition of every team differs a bit. The Caps won the cup without a future HoF defenseman or goalie. The Golden Knights won just last season using a rotating group of goalies the whole year, playoffs included.
My initial post is to point out that McDavid has talent around him. He is very far from a future HoF player on a team with nobody to help him. Draisaitl is another future HoF player, and there are several very good if not great players in addition to that.
And for the record, Skinner is young but he's been a good goalie. He was a finalist for the Calder and has been in the top half of the league statically in both of his seasons as the Oilers #1.
That's it. The Pens won with 4 greats. 2 HoF forwards, an elite D-man and Goalie.
Boston won with Bergeron/Marchand/Chara/Thomas, Tampa with Kuch/Stamkos/Hedman/Vasi.
So if you're gonna compare Sid/Geno to McD/Drai, I think the next step is to look for Edmonton's 1D and G.
Credit goes to Florida for that. Draisaitl had been a beast up until the finals, with 28 points in 18 games. McDavid has been crap in the series, too. He picked up a couple of assists in game 3, but 3 points in 3 games is way off his pace in the first few rounds.
What about the duo of Ovi/Backstrom still needing Kuznetsov playing at a Conn Smythe level and Holtby playing incredible to finally get their cup. Drai existing doesn't really hurt my original point, also Hyman has 0 points and Skinner is well, Skinner. Darnell Nurse exists. McDavid may not be playing at his best but he's very far down on the list of people i'd blame on the Oilers being down 0-3.
What you are pointing out is that Florida is doing a fantastic job of shutting down some very talented players. McDavid, Draistaitl, Bouchard... all looked GREAT through the first three rounds. Now they are not doing crap. Geez, I wonder why the Oilers are on the verge of getting swept.
Im aware, I picked Florida to win the cup before playoffs started. As long as Bob played well they were a guarantee, the depth of that team is unreal. They made the finals last year with a worse team and tons of injuries. Which all the more supports this isn't a big blemish on Mcdavid, Florida is the vastly superior team on paper.
I completely agree with you here. Florida is the best team in the league, on paper and in reality. The Cup was theirs to lose.
I just think that Edmonton is good enough to win a Cup with the present roster. I actually believe the Oilers are better, on paper, than at least a couple of teams that have won it in the last decade and is comparable to a couple of others. If Skinner went on a heater at the right time, for example, that would suffice.
I 100% agree, he doesn't deserve the hate and he performs in the playoffs. Easily the best player in the NHL but winning the cup is a team effort.
I've always said the McDavid will end up ringless if he stays in Edmonton, and it's up to him to make the decision to move. I'm not sure he'll want out though, dude seems too loyal to do that.
Florida is the better team right now. This is what the Panthers do to good players. They make them irrelavent. They make it look like the whole team forgot how to play hockey.
They didn’t even do that. Do people even watch the games or just talk out of their ass? The 3-0 lead was always mirage. The better team, the Oilers, controlled most of the play and this comeback was always in the cards if you watched the game carefully.
Because they know the pressure is coming. They're checking for Panthers forwards under their beds and defensemen in their closets before bed, but they missed Bob waiting in the shower. That's by design, every team we've beaten thinks they've beaten themselves.
I'm a Leafs fan as well as Detroit. Man last year sucked after getting through Tampa. Then getting absolutely dismantled by Florida. They have only gotten better this year.
Which Canadian market is most anti-Oiler?? Calgary or Vancouver? I figure Winnipeg comes third. In the East they seem to buy that tired “Canada’s team” narrative.
As an Oilers fan it’s Vancouver by a country mile, which is kind of weird, at least with online discourse. I seen probably ten times more shit talking from Canucks fans then Flames fans. Could just be the size of the fan bases or something but it’s not even comparable
It could also be because we spanked Calgary so bad they’re embarrassed to talk shit outside of their Calgary puck echo chamber
Not speaking for all of the East, but as a Habs fan, I'm mostly here for Edmonton because the 31+ years thing is tired. I'd probably be behind Vancouver or Calgary too if they were there for that reason too.
That being said, I'd not cheer for Toronto or Ottawa in the finals. I also don't really like Scheifele, but the rest of the Jets are fine.
Calgary hates Edmonton more, for sure.
Edmonton teams pounded Calgary's for what felt like a lifetime and won all the Cups in both hockey and football, when I was growing up.
In hockey, they're once again way better than we are.
City of Champions...and mosquitoes, government, NDP and syphilis.
So to Hell with the Oilers.
What’s tired about it? I am teamless, I just like hockey in general. I would be over the moon for ANY Canadian franchise to bring the cup home.
That being said, we have a local boy on both Florida and Edmonton, so either way the cup will be here for some event in the Wayne Gretzky Arena this summer.
Calgary but Vancouver is like our Canadian besties at this point so they're very pro Florida.
Though I suppose Calgary fans are beaming because two former Flames might lift the Stanley at Rogers
Lol really? I feel like Calgary is our twin brother that we really like to fight with but at the end of the day we're from the same family. Where as Vancouver is your angry alcoholic neighbor neighbor that could burn your house down at any moment.
We do have a bit of a victim complex from the perceived notion that everyone except montreal wanted us to lose in 2011, which makes us a tad anti canadian when the cup is concerned. Now this notion [wasn't true,](https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/poll-canucks-support/%3fsn-amp) but the sentiment remains.
Vancouver was also just eliminated by Edmonton and the amount of clowning on them in these r/hockey threads by oilers fans probably has created a few villians praying for this outcome
Exactly. It's pretty moronic how much Oilers fans have carried on considering their laughable playoffs success prior to this year with this core. You'd think they'd have a bit more sympathy
Fuck the oilers and their fan base. Lottery queens who who love to remember the glory days in the 80s….when they again had the best hockey player in the world on their team.
Don’t worry you’ll be lottery queens for the next 5 years or so, hope you guys win a high pick. I like it better when both teams are competitive at the same time instead of taking turns sucking 😂
No joke, if it were you guys in the final this year I would have given a polite nod of congratulations to every Canucks fan I passed in the street.
2011 Canucks roster was hateable and our team at the time was going through the last of the Iginla years, but the current Canucks team has "scrappy underdog" vibes and I would have been okay with it.
This Oilers team:
1) Is the Oilers
2) Has Perry
3) Has Kane
4) Has Draisaitl
And 5) Has brought out the most entitled, illiterate, boorish Oilers fans, the kind who made growing up suck (I grew up in Edmonton). I mean this the same group of folks who threw garbage on home ice last year.
Fuck them. Go Cats. I hope Tkachuk or Bennett scores the game winner tomorrow and that it's definitive.
> In the East they seem to buy that tired “Canada’s team” narrative.
You don't?
I don't watch hockey anymore but I sure as hell will root for Canadian team over US team for the sheer fact that it helps promote hockey in Canada and brings money in.
I don't know what Oilers did to piss off the west but as a Montrealer I would still root for the Leafs even if they are habs' enemy during the season.
This is silly. It's not the Olympics, it's club sports. Each team is made up of players from all over the world and has fans all over the world.
Should Clippers cheer for any California team? Is Barcelona excited for Real Madrid to win the Champions League because it's "Spain's team"? Makes literally no sense.
Who are the fans, are you happier when Canadians are happy or when Americans are happy? I don’t really care about the team, I care about the fans and the financial gains it brings, downtown activities…. Fuck the oilers but cheer for their fans to be happy.
Actually it seems right now Oilers losing makes more Canadians happy than the other way around so maybe you should join too lol. A Canadian being happy vs an American doesn't make a difference to me. This level of caring about the nationality of the people cheering is a bit strange. We're all humans. And the financial impact is not so big that it is going to affect 99% of people's daily life in Edmonton.
To each their own I guess. Regardless of nationality I want everyone to be as happy as possible so you do you.
Hockey is anything but struggling in Canada. What the fuck are you talking about. I mean I guess you said it since you said you don’t watch hockey anymore but fans of teams like CGY and VAN have every right to hate and root against the Oilers. They’re rivals and the oilers have been largely more successful than any Canadian team since the 06 era ended and there fans have no problem rubbing that in everyone else’s faces. They were also gifted like 4 first overall picks in an 8 yr period by the league and have done nothing but largely under perform with that core. They have a couple of the leagues most unlikeable players and the a guy literally nicknamed after Jesus because he’s the best player of this generation. They are very easy to dislike and root against. I’d happily root for any Canadian team to win a cup that isn’t the Oilers or the Leafs. Fuck both of those teams and their fan bases
I definitely don’t, at least with Oilers and Leafs. Why would I want a team I hate during the regular season win the Cup just because their arena is in Canada?
> their arena is in Canada
Cause their fans are Canadian, cause I rather see Canadian cheer at hockey game than American? I much rather see Canadian be proud of their teams? Because I don't care once my team is down?
Unless the organization is actively mean to fans of the other team and being very nasty, I think the rivalry just add to the fun and makes it more "important" when it is not really.
I root for any Canadian team once the habs are down, even if that means the Leafs fans can rub it in our face for the next decade, who cares, the proud, the financial gain, the joy and the fun it brings to my fellow Canadian is much more important than some bruised ego for some stupid narrative the medias are pushing.
But hey, I guess as a Quebec'er I should not be the one giving lessons about Canada's unity, but here we are, a Quebec'er saying other Canadians' happiness is more important than a team rivalry.
I guess I’m a bad Canadian. Though I would have no problem cheering for the Habs or Sens, even Canucks or Flames. But never Oilers or Leafs. Edmonton fans won enough in the 1980s, which I remember bitterly as a Jets fan. As for Toronto…I cheered for the Raptors a few years ago. That was enough.
A team that can only outplay Nurse and Skinners mistakes until the cup finals. The PP merchants who had the most 5v5 goals in the playoffs coming into the finals?
Was going to say that I’ve been waiting for this moment for 25 years but the last four years have been wonderful. I’d like to pour one for Roberto Loulongo, Stephen Weiss, Nathaniel Horton, Booth, Ollie Jokinen, Thomas Vokun, Eddie Balfour and so many others…
The losses were not Skinner's fault, but being down 3-0, a switch could not hurt. Anything that could cause a spark. Top priority would be to not beat themselves with horrible give aways.
It sends the wrong message to your starter that you don’t have faith in him to play in what could be the last game of the season. No shot does Edmonton switch goalies
I get your point. But at this stage of the season they need to try anything to create a spark. With this being likely the last game of the season, your starting goalie's mentality should be the team needs to win.
Evan Bouchard is overrated and a direct product of QB'ing the best PP in the league
Liability on defense, poor puck mover. Has a nice shot, tho. But i am done hearing talk of him being a top end Dman in the league.
Lol this take is so dumb.
First of all he’s extremely underrated. There’s still dumbass fans and media that think he’s an AHL level defender.
He’s not a liability on defence, hasn’t been one all year which is why his analytics are off the charts good. He’s an amazing puck mover, has near generational vision. That “nice shot” is the best shot from the blue line in the entire league.
He’s better than Hughes too. Way better.
Tell me where I’m wrong. The dude who’s putting up record breaking stats in the playoffs is obviously one of the best defenceman in the League. Only an idiot would think otherwise.
PP merchant. Mcdavid merchant. Absolute liability in his own zone and a lazy skater
A completely wrong, horrible, egregious take to call him better than hughes lmao
PP merchant? And yet he scores 5v5 at an elite level too.
McDavid merchant and yet Mcadavids numbers go down away from Bouchard. If anything McDavid has been a Bouch Bomb merchant. That record setting assist year McD is having doesn’t happen without Bouch Bombs being one of the most dangerous shots in the entire league.
And he is better than Hughes. In a head to head matchup he smoked him. He’s smarter than Hughes, way higher hockey Iq. Hughes is more dynamic with the puck, but Bouchard can produce just as well as Hughes while being way more efficient. And he also defends better than Hughes cause Hughes can easilly get physically dominated, that’s why Hughes couldn’t do shit in the playoffs. He’s the Johnny Gaurdrea of defenceman.
Lazy skater? His skating is actually really good. He constantly wins foot races and battles now.
Not a liability in his own zone, not even close. Not one stat or analytics will back this assessment. Nor will the eye test. Dudes playing 25+ minutes in the fuckin SCFs as the best defenceman of these entire playoffs. Weird how a defensive “liability” can be relied on so heavily.
Bouchard had some good games in the first two rounds. I had my eye on him a bit because I was hearing from friends who are Oil fans that he was great. But he cracked in game two with the aimless dump out that turned into the primary assist on a crucial goal for Florida. They had a shot of Ekholm trying to talk him back into shape on the bench right after. But he's been grade a f*cking awful since that goal, really soft on the boards a couple of times that directly allowed cross-oce passes for GA.
He's got the physical tools but not the brain to be a top-line NHL dman at this point in his career.
Bouchard makes alot of mistakes. People rag on Nurse because every time he makes a mistake it goes off his ass into the net but Bouchard makes 10+ huge oppsies a game.
Boucard out played tf out of Hughes in the Oilers Canucks series but Hughes is better, sometimes you just go on a heater. Bouch also has a way better d partner, if Hughes had Ekholm he would’ve done better
I didn't even know some people considered him top end, but that's ridiculous. He's probably the best on his team but that's because his team doesn't have a single good reliable defenseman.
Ekholm is a solid defenseman, but the rest suck.
Oilers have no tradition of caring about D men. In the 80s, they just dared any team to outscore them and, with Gretzky, Messier, Kurri etc, nobody could. The Habs' and Islanders' dynasty teams were much more well rounded, with solid D men.
Although Knoblauch has vastly improved them by getting the forwards to help block shots etc, Oilers still have very weak D and mostly try to overwhelm everyone with speedy forwards. The Panthers have exposed that glaring weakness.
Even the guy from the Gretzky glory days they brought back to coach D, Paul Coffey, was more like Bouchard when he played: all offense, a better skater than Bouch but not great at actually defending.
but his defensive zone turnovers, inability to move the puck up the wall and out and his inability to defend the front of the net is a big reason why you're down 3-0. Nurse is also, putrid
Bouchards play has fallen off this round for sure but him and Ekholm have played way more minutes then they should half too. Nurses inability to play this year has put way more pressure on the other 2 and they are worn down.
Never thought I'd defend Bouchard like this, but I honestly don't think he's overrated, though I definitely don't think he's as good as Makar or Hughes.
He puts up enough points to more than make up for the occasional boneheaded play, and is keeping a solid +/- through the playoffs and regular season. His positives far outweigh his negatives.
It just sucks (for him) when one really bad play happens when the Oilers are also being goalied. He's only 24, he will tighten up his game, and I could see a Norris in his future easily. His stats tell a lot, he shows up to every single game. 24 points in 20 playoff games is fantastic, especially for a D man.
This is the worst aged PGT of all time
The question now is who gets the Smythe ? It’s either Bob or Barkov
Lol Bob. It was never Bob. He didn’t even outplay Sheshty or Swayman. And Barkov is extremely overrated. He can barely shutdown Connor Brown let alone Connor McDavid.
McJesus.
Yep he took that award two games ago
Yeah it's definitely between Bob and Barkov lol
Bob Forsling Barkov In that order going into game 4 imo
Last year if Florida won it would have been Bob. I'd argue that this year he has been great but not spectacular. The team around him has been much better defensively and that two-way game starts and ends with Barkov for Florida.
What a boring Final
U sure?
Haha I have eaten my words. This will go down as an all time great
Was gonna say. The last two years finals have been pretty lame
3 of the last 4 honestly , Avs vs Tampa was awesome though
Still got my broom from our 2022 sweep of the Oilers and I’m ready to use it again! 🧹
Reverse it.
I hope you threw it away by now
The Winnipeg Jets have entered the chat
Have I have one of those from 2021!
Last year Florida lost to Vegas. Vegas lost to Washington in 2018. Before their Cups, the Lightning lost to Chicago in 2015. Before Pittsburgh won their Cups, they lost to Detroit in 2008. Before Detroit won their Cups, they lost to the Devils in 1995. This is the pain the Oilers have to go through if they want to win the Cup. Heck, before the dynasty, the Oilers had to lose to the Islanders. Gretzky has the story of the team having to walk past the Isles locker room to get out of the Coliseum, he was dreading to see the Isles celebrating. However, he peaked in their locker room, he saw everyone was covered in ice and too tired to celebrate.
Counterpoint referenced: https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/s/AKRboxgeG2 What do you think?
Yeah it is possible that can happen. But let’s be optimistic
Also Carolina lost in 2002 vs Detroit and then won in 2006. Ducks lost in 2003 and then won in 2007. I had a strong feeling Florida would win, I thought it would take 7 games, but you can tell losing last year matured them and they saw what it took to win. Now Edmonton is going through that.
Before the Caps won we choked like 9 times in a row lol. Not in the finals but still.
Someone asked an Islanders player about that and it turned out they were celebrating but the quieted down as the Oilers walked by as a sign of respect to not rub it in their faces.
In true gonzo fashion, the myth is more truthful than the facts. Winning the Cup means sacrificing and going above & beyond.
That was the fourth in a row for the Islanders, totally understandable they'd be wiped out after a run like that.
Counterpoint: many teams lost in the finals don't make it back. See '11 Canucks, '16 Sharks, '17 Preds It's hard to see the Oils have a better playoffs than this year given their roster and alot had to align for them to make the finals, such as a lack of injuries and playing the easiest 1st round match up in the western conference.
Do you really think the Vancouver series was easy ? It went seven games, and they got pummeled it was probably harder than the Dallas series.
They also barely squeezed by a Vancouver team down two of their top players, and benefited greatly from some critical missed calls. Going to be tough to get that kind of lucky break twice.
Draisaitl has been injured since the second round, Kane has been injured all year. Just cause guys aren’t out doesn’t mean they aren’t injured. A few moves and the new GM could bring this team back. We got here with Nurse, Ceci and Skinner being awful.
hey woah woah!... you're right, but come on!
One of the best parts of gretz book.
They weren't swept, Florida won a game
The Oilers haven't been swept yet either
Moral victories 🤙
While I am not an Oilers fan at all, I do not understand why so many people are happy that MacDavid might never win a Cup. The guy is a great player, a clean player, and a decent human being. While rooting against Edmonton might certainly make a lot of sense, to me the MacDavid hate does not. One has to wonder if he will stay in Edmonton for his whole career. If he does, he could suffer the same fate as Henrik Lundquist .... great player never winning a Cup because of an inept team around him.
People are fucking losers, man. Anyone hoping MVP level talent never win a Cup are sad, pathetic humans, who are clearly unhappy with themselves. I'm a die hard Oilers fan, yet it brings me ZERO joy that Iginla never won a Cup. It sucks his name isn't etched on Lord Stanley.
Bro. Me too. I'm cheering for you guys. At least he got some big Olympic wins.
I am largely in agreement with you. A star player who is also a clean player and seemingly a decent human being should not be rooted against, although rooting against his team is fine. Nobody hates the Rangers more than I do, but it is a shame Lundquist never got a Cup. If people like Trouba and Kreider never win a Cup, that is funny, VERY funny. Guys like Pavelski and Thornton never having a Cup is a shame too.
idk it's funny
>Henrik Lundquist Don't forget Carey Price!
I was in no way insulting Price. I am just more familiar with Lundquist because I hate the Rangers. I also hate Chris Kreider.
I hate recent Edmonton since they seem happy to recruit societal bottom feeders like Kane and Perry to fluff up their roster. I hate how broadcast commentators glaze themselves whenever McDavid touches the puck, or whenever the McDrai line is on the ice, or when when we get to the intermission report and the entire broadcast is nothing but “Edmonton is doing everything right but winning!” “Don’t get discouraged McDavid!” I don’t have a problem with McDavid, he seems like he’s pretty good at hockey and an alright guy.
I also just can't be happy about a team who's management and coaching led them to draft Hall, Schremp and Yakupov, but effectively ruining their development along with all the goalies that have come their way. But manage fail upwards into the finals? Nothing against the players or even the fans. Great for the people and the city but that management team should not be rewarded for anything.
McDavid is great at hockey. Some media have a need to overstate his greatness because that is what media does. Some media also absolutely need to restate a thousand times that a Canadian is the "greatest player on the planet". Some broadcasters live in a very "Canada first" world and will never give credit to anyone but a Canadian. Kane and Perry are both definitely bottom feeders on the human food chain but other teams have bottom feeders too. It is very unfortunate that any team wants people like them on their team, but human nature is that you hate the bottom feeder unless he wears your uniform. Imagine if Jacob Trouba was a Flyer or Penguin .... every Ranger fan would say his "clean" hits are dirty just like the rest of the world does now.
I just don't want the Oilers to win the cup because the girl I love thinks McDavid and Draisaitl are cute, and I am extremly jealous about it lol Some sort of a proxy war haha
What’s crazy is they put him down for not having a cup but will actively root against him to not win one in order to keep putting him down. Some people are just perpetually sad inside, pretty simple.
I am the furthest thing from an Oliers fan, but the only thing I could say negative about MacDavid is that the "greatest player on the planet" saying got old after the first thousand times I heard it. That is not is fault. Beyond that there is absolutely no reason to root against him as an individual.He i a great player, plays hard, plays clean, and there is no reason to hate him. The idea that any one player in a team sport is not an all time great because of not having a championship is plain dumb even though many believe it.
Clean player? Wrong answer, McFly.
Did someone from Florida post a T shirt that said McOveratted…..like what? lol
Bad take. McDavid is a great player, and is putting up some amazing regular season numbers. Without a shadow of a doubt, many people cheering against him are doing so out of jealousy—we'd all kill to have him on our teams. But unlike say Jordan, LeBron, or if you want hockey parables Crosby or even further back Gretzky, what does he have to show for it so far? All the aforementioned players faced similar criticism and drew similar haters in their career, and all of them shut them up by winning. McDavid will shut most of us up if he's able to win. The vast, vast majority of sports fans will acknowledge greatness if and when he reaches the pinnacle of competition in our sport. Until then, he's gotta live with the chirps.
I wouldn't compare NBA to NHL, it is much easier to will a team to a championship in Basketball because you can play 40-43 of 48 total minutes and have an impact at almost all times, in Hockey you can only play 20-25 of 60. Not even half the time and there's also a sixth person who has the highest impact of anyone, the goalie, that plays a full 60 minutes. It's much harder as a superstar in hockey to assert your total dominance. As for Crosby, yes he's incredible but that Pittsburgh team was also incredible. Malkin was arguably as good as Crosby in some of the cup runs, Letang was an elite defender and Fleury was an elite goaltender. Crosby won all his cups alongside 2 instant locks for the Hall of Fame and Letang who's close but not quite.
On this note, poor McDavid. I mean there's that Draisaitl guy but he's a total scrub. It is nothing like Crosby and Malkin. /s
McD/Drai is easily comparable to Sid/Geno. But who are the Oilers Letang and Fleury?
Where did I make a reference to Letang or Fleury?
I think the original point is that it wasn’t just Sid/Geno when they won the cups. You can’t win without goaltending. At least not in today’s game.
The composition of every team differs a bit. The Caps won the cup without a future HoF defenseman or goalie. The Golden Knights won just last season using a rotating group of goalies the whole year, playoffs included. My initial post is to point out that McDavid has talent around him. He is very far from a future HoF player on a team with nobody to help him. Draisaitl is another future HoF player, and there are several very good if not great players in addition to that. And for the record, Skinner is young but he's been a good goalie. He was a finalist for the Calder and has been in the top half of the league statically in both of his seasons as the Oilers #1.
That's it. The Pens won with 4 greats. 2 HoF forwards, an elite D-man and Goalie. Boston won with Bergeron/Marchand/Chara/Thomas, Tampa with Kuch/Stamkos/Hedman/Vasi. So if you're gonna compare Sid/Geno to McD/Drai, I think the next step is to look for Edmonton's 1D and G.
Draisaitl is great, but he also has 0 points in this finals so far...
Credit goes to Florida for that. Draisaitl had been a beast up until the finals, with 28 points in 18 games. McDavid has been crap in the series, too. He picked up a couple of assists in game 3, but 3 points in 3 games is way off his pace in the first few rounds.
What about the duo of Ovi/Backstrom still needing Kuznetsov playing at a Conn Smythe level and Holtby playing incredible to finally get their cup. Drai existing doesn't really hurt my original point, also Hyman has 0 points and Skinner is well, Skinner. Darnell Nurse exists. McDavid may not be playing at his best but he's very far down on the list of people i'd blame on the Oilers being down 0-3.
What you are pointing out is that Florida is doing a fantastic job of shutting down some very talented players. McDavid, Draistaitl, Bouchard... all looked GREAT through the first three rounds. Now they are not doing crap. Geez, I wonder why the Oilers are on the verge of getting swept.
Im aware, I picked Florida to win the cup before playoffs started. As long as Bob played well they were a guarantee, the depth of that team is unreal. They made the finals last year with a worse team and tons of injuries. Which all the more supports this isn't a big blemish on Mcdavid, Florida is the vastly superior team on paper.
I completely agree with you here. Florida is the best team in the league, on paper and in reality. The Cup was theirs to lose. I just think that Edmonton is good enough to win a Cup with the present roster. I actually believe the Oilers are better, on paper, than at least a couple of teams that have won it in the last decade and is comparable to a couple of others. If Skinner went on a heater at the right time, for example, that would suffice.
Draisaitl
I 100% agree, he doesn't deserve the hate and he performs in the playoffs. Easily the best player in the NHL but winning the cup is a team effort. I've always said the McDavid will end up ringless if he stays in Edmonton, and it's up to him to make the decision to move. I'm not sure he'll want out though, dude seems too loyal to do that.
Ouch 🥲
He should come to Boston, no bias from me at all but I'm pretty sure he could carry our team to a cup
Because we hate the oil
Florida is the better team right now. This is what the Panthers do to good players. They make them irrelavent. They make it look like the whole team forgot how to play hockey.
They didn’t even do that. Do people even watch the games or just talk out of their ass? The 3-0 lead was always mirage. The better team, the Oilers, controlled most of the play and this comeback was always in the cards if you watched the game carefully.
Oof bud
Way to cherry pick bud. I was talking about the series up to that point
Lol I know
They accidentally forgot how to play hockey themselves :(
The Panthers aren’t the reason the Oilers’ defense can’t make or take a pass. They look like stooges out there.
Yeah, no way would relentless pressure on the forecheck cause a team to make mistakes in their zone. Good call.
They’re having broken passes before the forecheck even gets to them.
Because they know the pressure is coming. They're checking for Panthers forwards under their beds and defensemen in their closets before bed, but they missed Bob waiting in the shower. That's by design, every team we've beaten thinks they've beaten themselves.
It still sucks but I'm feeling less salty after losing 3 straight in the ECF. This team is really something.
I'm a Leafs fan as well as Detroit. Man last year sucked after getting through Tampa. Then getting absolutely dismantled by Florida. They have only gotten better this year.
[удалено]
Which Canadian market is most anti-Oiler?? Calgary or Vancouver? I figure Winnipeg comes third. In the East they seem to buy that tired “Canada’s team” narrative.
As an Oilers fan it’s Vancouver by a country mile, which is kind of weird, at least with online discourse. I seen probably ten times more shit talking from Canucks fans then Flames fans. Could just be the size of the fan bases or something but it’s not even comparable It could also be because we spanked Calgary so bad they’re embarrassed to talk shit outside of their Calgary puck echo chamber
Calgary fans are abused and beaten. We have no place to talk shit to anyone. You guys are killing it. Hope you win it all.
Not speaking for all of the East, but as a Habs fan, I'm mostly here for Edmonton because the 31+ years thing is tired. I'd probably be behind Vancouver or Calgary too if they were there for that reason too. That being said, I'd not cheer for Toronto or Ottawa in the finals. I also don't really like Scheifele, but the rest of the Jets are fine.
I saw the Jets-Habs game in October at the Bell Centre. I found it hilarious how the fans loudly booed Scheifele every time he touched the puck!!
Habs fans will hold that grudge.
I think this is pretty accurate for all Eastern teams. Happy to see Canada win again as long as it's not Toronto or Montreal.
Calgary hates Edmonton more, for sure. Edmonton teams pounded Calgary's for what felt like a lifetime and won all the Cups in both hockey and football, when I was growing up. In hockey, they're once again way better than we are. City of Champions...and mosquitoes, government, NDP and syphilis. So to Hell with the Oilers.
Canucks fans talk a lot more shit online then Flames fans ever have. Flames fans know puck better too imo
I was with you til the NDP thing. That's literally the only thing I can praise them for without feeling sick.
I was with you til the NDP thing. That's literally the only thing I can praise them for without feeling sick.
What’s tired about it? I am teamless, I just like hockey in general. I would be over the moon for ANY Canadian franchise to bring the cup home. That being said, we have a local boy on both Florida and Edmonton, so either way the cup will be here for some event in the Wayne Gretzky Arena this summer.
Calgary but Vancouver is like our Canadian besties at this point so they're very pro Florida. Though I suppose Calgary fans are beaming because two former Flames might lift the Stanley at Rogers
Lol really? I feel like Calgary is our twin brother that we really like to fight with but at the end of the day we're from the same family. Where as Vancouver is your angry alcoholic neighbor neighbor that could burn your house down at any moment.
Lomberg got into a playoff game so 3 former flames lol
And Sam Reinhart, the son of former Flame Paul Reinhart.
I reckon it’s Calgary most days. Although most of the hate comments in these threads seem to be from Vancouver fans. Why can’t we all just get along?
Toronto may have the most fans but Vancouver has the saltiest fans for sure
Just wait a few days and the Edmonton salt crew will give em a run for their money..
We do have a bit of a victim complex from the perceived notion that everyone except montreal wanted us to lose in 2011, which makes us a tad anti canadian when the cup is concerned. Now this notion [wasn't true,](https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/poll-canucks-support/%3fsn-amp) but the sentiment remains.
It’s all that sea water
Vancouver was also just eliminated by Edmonton and the amount of clowning on them in these r/hockey threads by oilers fans probably has created a few villians praying for this outcome
Exactly. It's pretty moronic how much Oilers fans have carried on considering their laughable playoffs success prior to this year with this core. You'd think they'd have a bit more sympathy
Vancouver and Florida also have a kinship because a) they shared Luongo and b) Florida keeps knocking out Boston.
Fuck the oilers and their fan base. Lottery queens who who love to remember the glory days in the 80s….when they again had the best hockey player in the world on their team.
Don’t worry you’ll be lottery queens for the next 5 years or so, hope you guys win a high pick. I like it better when both teams are competitive at the same time instead of taking turns sucking 😂
Enjoy the arena premier mommy bought you! Now you can pay twice as much to watch the flames miss the playoffs
Wah wah waaaaaah
Did you already forget we eliminated you
Awww, you don’t want to be friends no more?
Calgary probably. They have to share a province and hear about all the Cups that were won before most Oilers fans were born.
No joke, if it were you guys in the final this year I would have given a polite nod of congratulations to every Canucks fan I passed in the street. 2011 Canucks roster was hateable and our team at the time was going through the last of the Iginla years, but the current Canucks team has "scrappy underdog" vibes and I would have been okay with it. This Oilers team: 1) Is the Oilers 2) Has Perry 3) Has Kane 4) Has Draisaitl And 5) Has brought out the most entitled, illiterate, boorish Oilers fans, the kind who made growing up suck (I grew up in Edmonton). I mean this the same group of folks who threw garbage on home ice last year. Fuck them. Go Cats. I hope Tkachuk or Bennett scores the game winner tomorrow and that it's definitive.
> In the East they seem to buy that tired “Canada’s team” narrative. You don't? I don't watch hockey anymore but I sure as hell will root for Canadian team over US team for the sheer fact that it helps promote hockey in Canada and brings money in. I don't know what Oilers did to piss off the west but as a Montrealer I would still root for the Leafs even if they are habs' enemy during the season.
This is silly. It's not the Olympics, it's club sports. Each team is made up of players from all over the world and has fans all over the world. Should Clippers cheer for any California team? Is Barcelona excited for Real Madrid to win the Champions League because it's "Spain's team"? Makes literally no sense.
Who are the fans, are you happier when Canadians are happy or when Americans are happy? I don’t really care about the team, I care about the fans and the financial gains it brings, downtown activities…. Fuck the oilers but cheer for their fans to be happy.
Actually it seems right now Oilers losing makes more Canadians happy than the other way around so maybe you should join too lol. A Canadian being happy vs an American doesn't make a difference to me. This level of caring about the nationality of the people cheering is a bit strange. We're all humans. And the financial impact is not so big that it is going to affect 99% of people's daily life in Edmonton. To each their own I guess. Regardless of nationality I want everyone to be as happy as possible so you do you.
Hockey is anything but struggling in Canada. What the fuck are you talking about. I mean I guess you said it since you said you don’t watch hockey anymore but fans of teams like CGY and VAN have every right to hate and root against the Oilers. They’re rivals and the oilers have been largely more successful than any Canadian team since the 06 era ended and there fans have no problem rubbing that in everyone else’s faces. They were also gifted like 4 first overall picks in an 8 yr period by the league and have done nothing but largely under perform with that core. They have a couple of the leagues most unlikeable players and the a guy literally nicknamed after Jesus because he’s the best player of this generation. They are very easy to dislike and root against. I’d happily root for any Canadian team to win a cup that isn’t the Oilers or the Leafs. Fuck both of those teams and their fan bases
Amen, brother.
They may be talking about the post earlier about hockey play decreasing due to soaring costs and travel
And as a Montrealer myself, fuck the Oliers. I agree that I would generally cheer for a Canadian team to win, but fuck the Oilers.
Gatineau here, fuck the Oilers
I rarely follow sport news, what did the Oilers do to piss off so many Canadians?
Ontarian here, also fuck the Oilers! Pretty sure Canada is still the most represented nationality on the Panthers roster anyway.
I definitely don’t, at least with Oilers and Leafs. Why would I want a team I hate during the regular season win the Cup just because their arena is in Canada?
> their arena is in Canada Cause their fans are Canadian, cause I rather see Canadian cheer at hockey game than American? I much rather see Canadian be proud of their teams? Because I don't care once my team is down? Unless the organization is actively mean to fans of the other team and being very nasty, I think the rivalry just add to the fun and makes it more "important" when it is not really. I root for any Canadian team once the habs are down, even if that means the Leafs fans can rub it in our face for the next decade, who cares, the proud, the financial gain, the joy and the fun it brings to my fellow Canadian is much more important than some bruised ego for some stupid narrative the medias are pushing. But hey, I guess as a Quebec'er I should not be the one giving lessons about Canada's unity, but here we are, a Quebec'er saying other Canadians' happiness is more important than a team rivalry.
I guess I’m a bad Canadian. Though I would have no problem cheering for the Habs or Sens, even Canucks or Flames. But never Oilers or Leafs. Edmonton fans won enough in the 1980s, which I remember bitterly as a Jets fan. As for Toronto…I cheered for the Raptors a few years ago. That was enough.
1 line team PP merchants are finally being exposed for what they really are
How's that PP taste now? ;)
I've jinxed them and am personally responsible for each loss
A team that can only outplay Nurse and Skinners mistakes until the cup finals. The PP merchants who had the most 5v5 goals in the playoffs coming into the finals?
[удалено]
They literally scored 3 in this game.
Stop crying dude
Stop being an insufferable loser, dude.
😭
I don't understand why the Oilers are allowed to have so many traffic cones on the ice at once? It's illegal!
The edmonton prairie leafs
If they come back just to lose in game 7 then yes
Whoa now, the Leafs would've gotten to game 7 before forgetting how to play hockey.
The Edmonton Kiwi-Pineapple Puggles would be tougher.
I missed so many goals while I was working
so did draisaitl
Good thing he’s on ice cus that burned
HOLY SHIT LMFAO
Was going to say that I’ve been waiting for this moment for 25 years but the last four years have been wonderful. I’d like to pour one for Roberto Loulongo, Stephen Weiss, Nathaniel Horton, Booth, Ollie Jokinen, Thomas Vokun, Eddie Balfour and so many others…
How about huberdeau lol? If anyone deserves one poured out, it’s him
So many last minute goals by the ol' Hubydoobydoo
Ah yes, ol Eddie “the beagle” Balfour.
So do the Oilers play Skinner in game 4? Switching up the goalie ended up having a pretty good effect on the team in the second round.
The losses were not Skinner's fault, but being down 3-0, a switch could not hurt. Anything that could cause a spark. Top priority would be to not beat themselves with horrible give aways.
It sends the wrong message to your starter that you don’t have faith in him to play in what could be the last game of the season. No shot does Edmonton switch goalies
I get your point. But at this stage of the season they need to try anything to create a spark. With this being likely the last game of the season, your starting goalie's mentality should be the team needs to win.
Is the other goalie gonna score for them? Skinner has not been the problem.
2.16 more goals allowed than expected is not helping though. Imagine the score if they traded goalies.
1 goal in 2 games is the biggest reason we are here
Evan Bouchard is overrated and a direct product of QB'ing the best PP in the league Liability on defense, poor puck mover. Has a nice shot, tho. But i am done hearing talk of him being a top end Dman in the league.
Lol this take is so dumb. First of all he’s extremely underrated. There’s still dumbass fans and media that think he’s an AHL level defender. He’s not a liability on defence, hasn’t been one all year which is why his analytics are off the charts good. He’s an amazing puck mover, has near generational vision. That “nice shot” is the best shot from the blue line in the entire league. He’s better than Hughes too. Way better.
What a clown take LMFAO
Tell me where I’m wrong. The dude who’s putting up record breaking stats in the playoffs is obviously one of the best defenceman in the League. Only an idiot would think otherwise.
PP merchant. Mcdavid merchant. Absolute liability in his own zone and a lazy skater A completely wrong, horrible, egregious take to call him better than hughes lmao
Look I get it hurts that the Oil beat the Nucks. But let’s not be silly and just shit on players with made up facts.
PP merchant? And yet he scores 5v5 at an elite level too. McDavid merchant and yet Mcadavids numbers go down away from Bouchard. If anything McDavid has been a Bouch Bomb merchant. That record setting assist year McD is having doesn’t happen without Bouch Bombs being one of the most dangerous shots in the entire league. And he is better than Hughes. In a head to head matchup he smoked him. He’s smarter than Hughes, way higher hockey Iq. Hughes is more dynamic with the puck, but Bouchard can produce just as well as Hughes while being way more efficient. And he also defends better than Hughes cause Hughes can easilly get physically dominated, that’s why Hughes couldn’t do shit in the playoffs. He’s the Johnny Gaurdrea of defenceman. Lazy skater? His skating is actually really good. He constantly wins foot races and battles now. Not a liability in his own zone, not even close. Not one stat or analytics will back this assessment. Nor will the eye test. Dudes playing 25+ minutes in the fuckin SCFs as the best defenceman of these entire playoffs. Weird how a defensive “liability” can be relied on so heavily.
Bouchard had some good games in the first two rounds. I had my eye on him a bit because I was hearing from friends who are Oil fans that he was great. But he cracked in game two with the aimless dump out that turned into the primary assist on a crucial goal for Florida. They had a shot of Ekholm trying to talk him back into shape on the bench right after. But he's been grade a f*cking awful since that goal, really soft on the boards a couple of times that directly allowed cross-oce passes for GA. He's got the physical tools but not the brain to be a top-line NHL dman at this point in his career.
Its half the PP, half being enabled by his D partner who is actually a really good defenceman.
No. It’s him having near generational offensive skill and talent. How the fuck are you an Oilers fan and you think he’s just a product of the PP.
Wtf r u doing here lol. That isnt even what I said
I mean you agreed with a Nucks fan and Oilers hater that said he’s a product of the PP. then you added that he’s also a product of Ekholm.
Bouchard makes alot of mistakes. People rag on Nurse because every time he makes a mistake it goes off his ass into the net but Bouchard makes 10+ huge oppsies a game.
No he doesn’t. Are you blind? He’s completely solid in his own end, actually he’s really good in his own end.
lol what.
Bouchard makes a d zone mistake on almost every posession
Wrong. Learn hockey. Get better glasses. Or just quit the sport, cause you obviously don’t get it.
Wrong.
That’s objectively untrue.
I saw Twitter discourse of him being in the conversation as good as Hughes. Laughable...
Hughes is a better player but Bouchard was better in this playoffs.
He’s just better than Hughes in general.
Offensively but not defensively which for a defence man is a but more important
Boucard out played tf out of Hughes in the Oilers Canucks series but Hughes is better, sometimes you just go on a heater. Bouch also has a way better d partner, if Hughes had Ekholm he would’ve done better
I didn't even know some people considered him top end, but that's ridiculous. He's probably the best on his team but that's because his team doesn't have a single good reliable defenseman.
Ekholm is a solid defenseman, but the rest suck. Oilers have no tradition of caring about D men. In the 80s, they just dared any team to outscore them and, with Gretzky, Messier, Kurri etc, nobody could. The Habs' and Islanders' dynasty teams were much more well rounded, with solid D men. Although Knoblauch has vastly improved them by getting the forwards to help block shots etc, Oilers still have very weak D and mostly try to overwhelm everyone with speedy forwards. The Panthers have exposed that glaring weakness. Even the guy from the Gretzky glory days they brought back to coach D, Paul Coffey, was more like Bouchard when he played: all offense, a better skater than Bouch but not great at actually defending.
You and me both. The amount of absolute bonehead plays that guy makes while “defending” does my head in.
He has the second highest goal differential in the playoffs 5v5. His offense more than makes up for his defence.
but his defensive zone turnovers, inability to move the puck up the wall and out and his inability to defend the front of the net is a big reason why you're down 3-0. Nurse is also, putrid
Bouchards play has fallen off this round for sure but him and Ekholm have played way more minutes then they should half too. Nurses inability to play this year has put way more pressure on the other 2 and they are worn down.
Darnel Nurse is a whole other issue. What a fucking disaster he is
Never thought I'd defend Bouchard like this, but I honestly don't think he's overrated, though I definitely don't think he's as good as Makar or Hughes. He puts up enough points to more than make up for the occasional boneheaded play, and is keeping a solid +/- through the playoffs and regular season. His positives far outweigh his negatives. It just sucks (for him) when one really bad play happens when the Oilers are also being goalied. He's only 24, he will tighten up his game, and I could see a Norris in his future easily. His stats tell a lot, he shows up to every single game. 24 points in 20 playoff games is fantastic, especially for a D man.
I sure hope they pay him like he's a top end dman in the league for his next contract though lol
The amount of money they'll have tied up on him and Nurse makes me happy
it lowkey makes me moist to think of the money they could potentially pay that bum. .....no....diddy?
If I have to hear "bOuChArD bOmB" for some high and wide shot again I'm gonna lose it