Oilers vs Panthers: Why this could be the most important hockey finals for Canadians in years

When Canadians question who they are, the answer is hockey. “It’s probably the No. 1 signifier of being Canadian,” said Jason Wilson, who teaches a course about hockey in Canadian history at the University of Guelph. “Not just for Canadians, but for people around the world.” Last year, more than half of Canada was cheering for the Edmonton Oilers to beat the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup finals. An Ipsos-Reid poll in June of 2024 showed 57 per cent of Canadians wanted to see the Oilers win the cup, versus just nine per cent backing the Panthers. This year, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of turning Canada into the 51st state still burning, expect those numbers to be even further apart, said Wilson. “It could be the most important playoff series for Canadians in a very long time,” said Wilson, co-author of Lord Stanley: The Man Behind the Cup. “The overriding majority will feel like that it’s back to Canada versus America,” said Wilson. “For the first time in a very long time we have an adversary in the White House. Someone that is literally testing our sovereignty and our own sense of who we are.”

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Due to the political tensions between Canada and our closest neighbour, “this series will take on a larger-than-life (aspect) almost as exciting, we hope, as the Connor McDavid goal in the Four Nations Cup,” he said. According to Wilson, McDavid’s overtime goal to take that series this past winter “became the most important goal since at least” Sidney Crosby’s goal in 2010 at the Vancouver Olympics that secured Canada’s gold medal against the United States, and “possibly even” Paul Henderson goal against Russia to take the 1972 Summit Series for Canada. While the Four Nations Cup was “squarely Canada versus America, we do have some of the same cast of characters,” Wilson said, pointing to the Oilers’ McDavid on one side and Panthers’ star forward Matthew Tkachuk on the other. And it could get chippy, said Wilson. “Florida, for better or for worse, they’re a very nasty team that way,” he said. “It’s obviously effective. This is their third time in the final in three years. That said, Edmonton has the edge in other ways – in mobility and speed. So, does Florida want to gamble that right off the top?” While Canadians like to think of hockey as our game, Wilson reminds us that, since 1926, there have been more American teams and owners in the NHL. “They’re very much a hockey nation, too. It’s obviously not their No. 1 sport, and Florida might not be the most obvious market, but make no mistake, the Americans are invested in this as well. Whether that will be a regional thing for these particular playoffs (in Florida) compared to a national thing in Canada, that’s open to question of course,” he said. Will Canadians go so far as to boo the Star Spangled Banner, like they did back in February at the Four Nations Cup? “I think we’ve settled down in that regard,” Wilson said. Wilson, who is also a Juno-nominated reggae musician, suggested a song pick to warm up for Wednesday’s first game in the series. “Let’s go with Stir it up by Bob Marley and the Wailers,” he said. “Just the notion of stirring things up in a game. Let’s start there and see how it goes.” Chris Roberts, a professor of political science at the university of Calgary, isn’t so sure Canada will back the Oilers in huge numbers due to all of Trump’s tariff talk. “As an Oilers fan living in Calgary, I’m not sensing that kind of shift here, but this may be the last place to look for it, given the Flames-Oil rivalry and the weaker anti-Trump, emerging separatism sentiment in pockets in Alberta,” Roberts said. “If Trump woke up tomorrow and imposed oil and gas tariffs on Alberta imports, however, that might change.” Retired general Rick Hillier, Canada’s former top soldier, was happy to see the Panthers take home the Stanley Cup last year. “This year I’m going to cheer for Edmonton. I’d like to see Connor win the cup. I’d like to see the Oilers win again,” Hillier said. “But here’s what I would also say: nobody’s going to give them that cup. Florida’s got a big, mean, strong, hugely talented superbly coached team, and they’re on a mission also. So, if Edmonton wins the cup, they’re going to certainly deserve it.” Aaron Ettinger, an associate professor of political science at Carleton University, isn’t so sure the U.S.-Canada rivalry will be as potent as it was during the Four Nations tournament. “For one, the ‘Canadianness’ and ‘Americanness’ of the teams are diluted by the fact the rosters are multinational, with Americans playing for Edmonton and Canadians playing for Florida,” Ettinger said in an email. “In the Four Nations tournament, the national divide was stark: we saw ‘our’ players were wearing ‘our’ national colours.” It’s not a given that Canadians will rally around the last remaining Canadian team, Ettinger said. “Most say they will, but Canadian hockey fans are fickle about what team they’d prefer to win. Edmonton may have widespread support across Canada but not total support.” Ettinger pointed to an Angus Reid poll from late April that showed an increase in the number of Canadian hockey fans who want any Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup, not just their own. At the time, 71 per cent of those polled said they’d cheer for any Canadian team, a seven-point increase over 2024 and a 14-point jump since 2016. “The initial emotional shock of Trump’s threats have worn off since February” and the Four Nations Cup, Ettinger said. “Back then, emotions ran high and the US-Canada games — especially the three-fight-in-nine-seconds game — was a perfect proxy for honest anger Canadians felt in that moment.” Yet signs to the contrary are popping up in unusual places, literally. A “Go Oilers Go!” banner was spotted on Montreal’s Champlain Bridge last week, and bridge officials say it will be lit up in blue and orange on most game nights to cheer on the Oilers. The first game in the series is Wednesday, June 4. “It’s a federally owned bridge, which probably explains it,” Montreal Gazette sports columnist Stu Cowan wrote in an email. “Don’t think that would have happened if the bridge was provincially owned.” Lots of Montrealers will cheer for the Oilers because they’re a Canadian team, he said. “But I imagine there’s also a lot who will be cheering for the Panthers so the Canadiens will remain the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup.” Doug Leonard, an Ontario Provincial Police constable from Burlington, has been a Panthers fan for three decades. He has a Panthers flag flying from the pole in front of his home. He’s got no qualms about cheering for Florida again in the finals. “I would love to see them repeat. That would be incredible,” Leonard said in a telephone interview from Kenora, where he’s back-filling for officers dealing with wildfire evacuations. “Last year when they went up 3-0 and then Edmonton came back, I remember thinking if they blow this, I will never ever ever ever hear the end of this. Until the day I die I will never hear the end of this from any of my buddies (or) family. In the end, the hockey gods blessed me, and the Panthers won.” Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis.