Fans sad but supportive as Oilers lose Stanley Cup for 2nd year in a row: ‘Proud of our boys’

Dejected Edmonton Oilers fans who had placed such high hopes on their team patted each other on the back, consoled one another with hugs, and expressed optimism for next year.

They tried so hard and got so far, but in the end, the Edmonton Oilers and their fans were left with a sense of déjà vu.

For the second year in a row, Edmonton lost in the Stanley Cup final to the Florida Panthers, extending Canada’s three-decade long drought.

The Panthers defeated the Oilers 5-1 on home ice, to secure their second Stanley Cup in franchise history.

“Lost to a really good team,” a muted Oilers captain Connor McDavid said after the Game 6 in Florida with a shrug of defeat. “Nobody quit. Nobody threw the towel in… They’re a heck of a team.

Some 4,100 kilometres away in downtown Edmonton, a hush fell over the packed crowd in the Moss Pit watch party outside Rogers Place arena, as the clocked ticked down and the score remained too far apart.

Dejected fans who had placed such high hopes on their team patted each other on the back, consoled one another with hugs, and began clearing out early and quietly.

“We put it all on the ice. It was good,” said Taygen Mercier. Her friend Jordyn Soucy feels Edmonton ran out of gas early.

“I think we had more momentum last year – this year, we had a lot of ups and downs,” Soucy said.