It is shocking to learn that longtime Florida Panthers supporters have passed away.
Fans from Edmonton to Florida were thrilled on the journey but devastated when they arrived at the Stanley Cup, as Canada’s most recent attempt to bring the trophy home abruptly failed on the edge of the Everglades on Monday.
The Oilers came within one game of pulling off a historic comeback, tying the series after winning three straight games, only to lose the decisive Game 7 to the Florida Panthers 2-1.
Thousands of fans flocked to the plaza outside Edmonton’s Rogers Place, where they watched in disbelieving silence as Panthers players celebrated behind their net and the Florida crowd scattered their infamous black plastic rats, symbolizing good luck, across the ice.
A few Edmontonians threw their drinks at the large screen, some hugged the dejected people standing there, and still others began to leave with their hands stuffed in their pockets.
About 16,000 spectators inside the arena watched the game’s final moments on the big screen with dismay.
“We lost 3-0 and didn’t put ourselves in the best position,” Tayo Yachimec remarked.
But we retaliated in kind. We ultimately came very close.
Christopher Alucema continued, “It’s hard to take, but it is what it is.”
He said that the solace he had was spending two months cheering on his friend during playoff games in front of fans at the rink and on the plaza.
It was well worth the money. If I had to, I would do it again,” Alucema remarked. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget a lifetime of memories.”
Gerard Pattenden remarked, “We had a good run.”
“However, it’s bringing back nostalgic memories from 2006.” When the playoffs come around, we lose Game 7.
“It’s kind of bad.”
There was also a sizable and animated fan base of blue and orange in the Florida rink. About half of the tailgate parties under the palm trees in front were estimated to be in the Oilers camp, and the other half to be in the Panthers camp.
At one point, the local crowd’s yell of “Let’s Go Panthers!” was drowned out by the exuberant chant of “Go Oilers Go!” from the Edmonton supporters.
Edmonton’s two months of playoff craziness came to a depressing end.
Supporters decorated the streets with chalk, got tattoos, donned jerseys, and flown Oilers flags from a spoof Zamboni.
The Oilers were about to make NHL history by pulling off an unlikely comeback, similar to the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs who, after trailing three games, rallied to win four straight and win the Cup during World War II.
The almost triumph captivated the interest of the country, particularly in Edmonton. Although the city has already won five Stanley Cups, it has been surviving for decades on the remnants of the 1980s Wayne Gretzky heyday.
For the remainder of Canada, which hasn’t had a Cup winner since the Montréal Canadiens in 1993, the Stanley waiting game goes on.
Since then, Canadian teams have gone very close—sometimes painfully close—to regaining Stanley.
They forced their rivals to a seventh and final game five times before losing: in Vancouver in 1994 and 2011; in Calgary in 2004; in Edmonton in 2006; and once more on Monday.
The trophy had essentially maintained permanent resident status in Canada for the majority of the 20th century, traveling between Toronto and Montreal, as well as moving to Detroit for a while in the 1950s to spend time with Gordie Howe and company.
Stanley moved back and forth between the United States and Canada in the 1970s and 1980s, mostly between homes on Long Island and Montreal and Edmonton.
By the 1990s, Canada was no longer relevant. In 1994, Stanley was acquired by the New York Rangers. Stanley left Broadway and traveled to New England, California, Vegas, Florida, the Sun Belt, and the Rust Belt. Along with weather systems and natural disasters like hurricanes, avalanches, and lightning, he partied with penguins. He was a Duck, a Star, a Blue, and a Blackhawk.
