Paul Maurice answered the question in a demeanour that’s gained him a reputation for being hockey’s most comedic coach this post-season.
Are the Edmonton Oilers Canada’s team, a reporter asked the Florida Panthers bench boss.
“Go to Calgary and ask,” Maurice responded.
That was nearly three weeks ago, long before the Oilers became only the third team in NHL history to come back and tie the Stanley Cup finals at 3-3 after losing the first three contests.
That very question — whether or not the nation would rally behind the boys in blue and orange — loomed large since Edmonton knocked out Vancouver in the semi-final of the Western Conference at the end of May.
After all, they are now the team closest to ending Canada’s long-standing Stanley Cup drought. The last team to do that? The Montreal Canadiens in 1993.
By default, that makes them Canada’s team, right?
With one chance left for Calgarians to hop on the bandwagon, CBC News heeded Maurice’s advice and asked residents of the city that the biggest Oilers rivals call home whether or not Edmonton is, in fact, Canada’s team.
“Geographically, yes, they’re in the right province, but I can’t say that they’re Canada’s team,” said lifelong Calgary Flames fan Lisa Campbell, grimacing at the idea the Red Mile could be flooded with Oilers’ colours.
“They’re rock stars, I hate to say it but they are rock stars. The fact that they’ve dug deep and come up and now are at the final final, kudos to them.”
Erasing the deficit, no matter how historic, hasn’t changed Campbell’s loyalties.
But for others, like Douglas Hay, that Cinderella story is a big reason the team has earned his support.
“As of tonight, I think I’m pulling for the Oilers, it’s taken me a long time to come this way but I think I’m here now,” he said.
“They’ve really proven themselves to be a good team … everything that everybody said was bad about them isn’t so bad right now, they’re pretty good.”
The star of the show, undoubtedly, has been number 97.
Connor McDavid broke Wayne Gretzky’s long-standing record of 31 assists in a single post-season. He’s five points away from breaking another record held by the Great One — 47 points in one playoff run.
It seems like a distant memory now, but the Oilers have consistently clawed back from the depths and overcame challenges more…
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