Doubted and for all intents and purposes counted out, the Edmonton Oilers have clawed their way back into the Stanley Cup Final and have forced a Game 6, to be held on Friday in Edmonton (June 21). You can look at it from a variety of angles – the atmosphere in Edmonton, the Herculean effort by Connor McDavid, the two-game win streak that has given the Oilers confidence – and you’ll still arrive at the same conclusion: Game 6 on Friday should be one of the most intense, high-stakes Game 6s in recent memory.
While not lately, the Anaheim Ducks happen to have a history with memorable Game 6s in the Stanley Cup Final. It was 21 years ago, when they faced off against the New Jersey Devils. It was the “Off the Floor, On the Board” game in Anaheim, which the Ducks won 5-2 to force a winner-take-all Game 7, and it undoubtedly remains as one of the most memorable games in recent Stanley Cup Final history. One the eve of Game 6 in 2024, let’s relive Game 6 in 2003.
Series Was the Ultimate David vs. Goliath Story
A Stanley Cup Final appearance for the Ducks was perhaps the unlikeliest story of the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs. For no reason other than the fact that, as the seventh-placed seed, they engineered series upsets over the mighty Detroit Red Wings (first round), Western Conference-winning Dallas Stars (second round), and the upstart Minnesota Wild (conference final) to secure the berth. Who could have predicted that?
Related: Ducks History: Kariya Goes Off the Floor, On the Board
That said, the Ducks had their best regular season to date with a 40-27-9-6 record (yes, this was back when ties still existed) for 95 points and a second-place finish in the Pacific Division. They were led by Paul Kariya, the original Mighty Duck, Adam Oates, future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, and Jean-Sébastien Giguère, the goaltender extraordinaire who at times led the Ducks single-handedly throughout their march through the playoffs.
That’s all well and good, but the New Jersey Devils were a different beast. Up front, they had Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner, Scott Gomez, Jeff Friesen, and others. On the blue line, they had Brian Rafalski, Scott Niedermayer, and Scott Stevens. If a team got through them, they had to deal with goaltender Martin Brodeur, who was in the prime of his career.
Game 6 Ran the Gamut of Emotions
The Ducks and Devils traded wins on home ice in each game of the series as they entered a pivotal Game 6. Remarkably, the Ducks had yet to face elimination in the playoffs but found themselves needing a win to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive. The urgency was there from the opening faceoff, as the Ducks jumped out to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes. Everything was great, until it wasn’t. By that, of course, I mean the devastating hit on Kariya delivered by Stevens. It brought energy of the crowd, not to mention the game itself, to a screeching halt as Kariya lay motionless on the ice for several minutes. With the help of his teammates, he wobbled to the bench and into the locker room. It was a scary scene.
That was until Kariya miraculously returned later in the period and delivered one of the greatest moments we’ll ever see in a Stanley Cup Finas game. Racing down the wing, he lined the puck up, wound up, and fired an absolute laser labeled for the top corner that beat Brodeur clean.
The goal put the Ducks up 4-1 and set the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim (now the Honda Center) ablaze. It was an all-time moment for hockey and Kariya, too, though he doesn’t remember the play as a result of the hit. The Ducks were firmly in control from start to finish in route to their 5-2 victory. Throughout the night, and the entire playoff run, they demonstrated in many ways a resiliency and will to win that captured the very essence of their status: true underdogs battling their proverbial Goliath, who had already won multiple championships and was far more talented in all phases of the game.
Ducks Won the Battle But Lost the War
Game 6 wound up being the final great moment of the series for the Ducks, who fell to the Devils 3-0 in Game 7. Giguere won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, but the series defeat was a bitter ending to the Kariya era in Orange County. He left the team in free agency just a few short weeks following the Game 7 loss.
Now, there’s little chance we see any major player movement when the 2024 Cup Final reaches its conclusion, but the stakes, pressure, and intensity will reach its apex for both teams on Friday. The Oilers must win to keep the series alive, while the Panthers sure would like to secure their championship with a win and avoid a Game 7 scenario when anything can happen.
Legends, and Legacies, Are Born in Games Like These
The Oilers have a unique opportunity to force a Game 7 after falling into a deficit which to this point has been overcome only once (by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942.) If anyone can do it again, it’s certainly a team led by the likes of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. On the other side, however, there is just as much hunger to nip in the bud any thoughts of a Game 7. Something has to give on Friday.
Do you think Connor McDavid and the Oilers can deliver a Game 6 win and force a Game 7 like Kariya and the Ducks did in 2003? Let us know in the comments below!