​The Edmonton Oilers Are Our Last Canadian Hope

Let’s face it, it’s tough to be a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. The team hasn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967; that’s well over half a century ago. It’s a tough statistic for one of the most storied teams in NHL history, winners of 12 Cups over the years.

This spring the Leafs had a limping performance against last year’s Stanley-Cup champions, the Florida Panthers.

Every year Leaf fans meet other fans wearing the characteristic blue cap with the white maple leaf logo, and they say things like: “This has got to be our year.’ 

And then, it isn’t. This year, again, it wasn’t.

The most successful team in NHL history, the Montreal Canadiens have also been on a long drought. The last time “the Habs” won the Cup was in 1993. The history of the team is not in doubt, with the most, 24 Cup victories, and greats like Jean Belliveau, Maurice & Henri Richard, Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden.

The Leafs have had their share of great players too, with Dave Keon, Tim Horton (everyone remembers his name, we wonder why), Bobby Baun, George Armstrong and Johnny Bower.
But these days, the Leafs’ “Core four”: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Travares, haven’t been able to put it together for the team.
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Marner is going the free agency route and wants to leave Toronto, reportedly because he doesn’t want the media and fan pressure of the largest Canadian city.

And the Leafs front office is undergoing a shake-up. The first to go is the club’s President Brendan Shanahan, formerly a great Detroit Red Wings player.

So, what other Canadian team is still skating? Sadly, with the Winnipeg Jets out after a terrific regular season, the only one left is the Edmonton Oilers. With the tarnished image of The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, a supporter of Donald Trump, the new hopes of Oiler fans are with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, goalie Stuart Skinner, Evan Bouchard, the one with the heavy shot from the point, Corey Perry, the one they call “The Worm” who can squeeze into any opening around the net, and finally, the team’s Renaissance man, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, killing penalties, the power play, you name it. He’s the one they call “Nuggy”.

Connor McDavid

McDavid is in a class by himself. He is the most exciting player to watch, the greatest skater, the best hockey player in the world.

Dsaisaitl is a very solid shooter and playmaker, and is tough on the puck.

Zach Hyman a strong checker with huge energy, was injured in Tuesday night’s game, and probably out for the rest of the season.

If the Oilers can get by the Dallas Stars in the game tonight, they will face the very tough and nasty Florida Panthers who they lost to in seven games in the 2024 final series.

Connor McDavid scored the magnificent overtime goal in the Four Nations Cup this winter. Many, many Canadians are pinning their hopes on Captain McDavid and his fellow Oilers to bring the Cup home to Canada for the first time since 1993.

With all Trump’s 51st state nonsense, that would be sweet indeed.​