Let’s go back. Way back to the spring of 1990 when people ate Tic Tacs rather than consuming TikTok. When Doc Brown (no relation to Connor Brown) and Marty were wrapping up the Back to the Future Trilogy and when a young backup goalie named Bill Ranford would stand on his head and stun the hockey world by leading the Edmonton Oilers to their fifth Stanley Cup championship. The spring of 2024 has similar vibes, but this current group of Oilers is writing its story in its own way. Late in the first overtime period of Game 1 of the Oilers/Dallas Stars Western Conference Final series, Stars netminder Jake Oettinger made an incredible stop against Connor McDavid to preserve the tie game.
That save had redemption written all over it for the Stars and felt like payback for the miracle OT save Curtis Joseph made against Joe Nieuwendyk in overtime of Game 7 of the 1997 Western Conference Quarter Finals. However, McDavid got his revenge early in the second overtime and helped the Oilers take over home-ice advantage in the series. Talk about writing a new chapter.
Still a lot of Hockey to Be Played
We’re only in Round 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it feels different from recent playoff years in the McDavid era. This group of Oilers is proving to be resilient, not only in its second-round series comeback against the Vancouver Canucks, but also in how they’ve come back from being the second-worst team in the NHL in early November and have roared back to being a few wins away from the Stanley Cup Final.
We’re not counting our chickens before they’ve hatched here because Dallas is an amazing team that finished first in the Western Conference in the 2023-24 NHL regular season. Dallas is loaded with talent and great goaltending and could easily take over this series, but they’re playing against an Oilers team with a different kind of mojo. It’s omething we haven’t seen in these parts since the Oilers’ 2006 run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Some Oilers Fans Are Starting to Believe
Much like Neo in The Matrix, some fans are starting to believe. At least I am. After living through so many decades of futility, including the Decade of Darkness, you’ll have to forgive me when I say I never thought I’d live to see another playoff run like the one the Oilers are currently on. Sure, it could all come crashing down tomorrow, but the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs just feel different when it comes to the Oilers. It feels a lot like when the Oilers and Ranford came from behind to beat the Winnipeg Jets in their first-round Smythe Division series in 1990. And, it has a similar feel to the Oilers’ first-round upset over the highly favoured Detroit Red Wings in the spring of 2006. Now in this current series against Dallas, the Oilers have an opportunity to knock off a franchise that has a 6-2 record overall in terms of playoff series wins.
Related: Edmonton Oilers’ 5 Wildest Stanley Cup Playoff Games vs. Stars
The most bitter series losses against the Stars for me were in 1999 and 2001 when the Oilers lost the final game of both with the Stars on home ice. In one of those losses, Stars journeyman forward Mike Keane was caught on camera waving goodbye to Oilers fans at the old Coliseum on 118th Avenue and Wayne Gretzky Drive. He could’ve skated away with dignity and enjoyed the series win, but instead, he chose to take the low road. Pepperidge Farms remembers. That scene left a bitter taste in my mouth for the Stars franchise as those Oilers teams were built before the salary cap came into existence in 2005, so the Stars always had the financial advantage too. That’s why I’m hoping McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and company can take out the Stars and move on to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
Fans & Media Cheering for McDavid to Cement His Legacy
I loved the interview TSN’s Jay Onright had with TSN Radio’s Overdrive host Bryan Hayes on May 23. Hayes mentioned that he’s rooting for McDavid’s legacy. When my teams were eliminated in the playoffs, I would also cheer for similar players, such as Ray Bourque, Steve Yzerman and Sidney Crosby, to cement their legacy. I’m a hockey fan first, and it’s great to see superstars reach their ultimate goal. That’s why I’m hoping for McDavid and the Oilers to go all the way this spring. A Stanley Cup would certainly help McDavid’s case for being a top-five player of all time. A few Cups, and then you’re talking about hockey’s Mount Rushmore. But that’s another topic for another day. Right now, I’m just taking all of this in and enjoying the rollercoaster that the Oilers have taken fans on in the spring of 2024.
