Panthers beat Oilers, again, to repeat as Stanley Cup champions

Canada may be the home of hockey, but the Stanley Cup is maintaining its residence in the Sunshine State.

For the second straight season, the Florida Panthers have extended Canada's Cup drought. And once again, it has come at the expense of the Edmonton Oilers.

Sam Reinhart of North Vancouver, B.C., scored four goals, including two into an empty net, as the Panthers claimed their second straight Cup on Tuesday night with a 5-1 win over Edmonton in Game 6 of the NHL's championship series.

Either the Panthers or the state-rival Tampa Bay Lightning have appeared in the last six Cup finals, with each team winning it all twice and finishing runner-up once.

In fact, in the years since the Montreal Canadiens became the last Canadian team to hoist hockey's holy grail in 1993, the iconic trophy has been claimed by teams from such hockey hotbeds as Los Angeles, Anaheim, Calif., Raleigh, N.C., Dallas and Las Vegas in addition to the two teams from Florida. 

Canadian teams have had their chances at ending the curse. They have appeared in seven finals since 1993, including the Oilers previously in 2024 and 2006, but none have been able to end the country's lengthy Cup drought.

Oilers fan Ethan Desjarlais, watching the game in Edmonton's Moss Pit outside Rogers Place, called Tuesday's setback a "devastating loss (but) we tried our best to pull through. Just devastated and at a loss for words right now (but) we'll get this next year."

Bobby Viau, dressed in a rat suit and holding a box that said "Oilers certified rat poison," said he was "disappointed" with Edmonton's loss to the Panthers, but said the Cup chase was a "real fun run," adding he loved the public gatherings and strong show of support for the Oilers. Asked if the Oilers will be back next year, he said, "I think so, we have a really good team."

The Oilers came agonizingly close last season when they came back from a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 7 in Sunrise before losing the deciding game 2-1.

Edmonton won the opening game of this series in overtime, but the tough and skilled Panthers rallied quickly and wrapped up business on home ice, in one fewer game than last year.

The Oilers will now go back to the drawing board and see if their talented cast, including superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, can take another shot at leading Edmonton to its first title since their dynasty days led by Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and others. Edmonton took the Stanley Cup home five times between the 1983-84 and the 1989-90 seasons.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette