Canadians Rally Behind Edmonton Oilers as ‘Canada’s Team’

Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) and his teammates wave to fans after defeating the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs in Edmonton, on June 2, 2024. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

The Edmonton Oilers are now seen as Canada’s team, with Canadians from coast to coast rallying behind them as the Stanley Cup finals kick off.

The Oilers have 57 percent of Canadians cheering for them, according to an exclusive Global News-Ipsos survey, as they go up against the Florida Panthers. Just 9 percent of those surveyed said they were hoping the Panthers would win.

Among those who back the Oilers, 68 percent said they see the team as “Canada’s team,” which includes 72 percent of fans from rival Canadian teams.

However, the support is not the same among rival team fans. Those who usually cheer for the Winnipeg Jets have the largest amount of support for the Oilers, at 78 percent. Seventy-four percent of Calgary Flames fans will be cheering for Edmonton, along with 72 percent of Ottawa Senators fans and 71 percent of Toronto Maple Leaf fans.

Support for Edmonton is lowest among Vancouver Canucks fans, at 62 percent. The Oilers beat out the Canucks in the Western Hockey Finals. In contrast, 23 percent of Canucks fans said they were now cheering on the Panthers.

Montreal Canadiens fans showed the second-lowest level of support for the Oilers at 64 percent.

The online poll was conducted between June 4 and 5 with 1,001 Canadians responding. The results are accurate plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Even provincial premiers are cheering for the Oilers.

On June 3, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe put his support behind the Edmonton team, which he has cheered for since 1979.

Edmonton MP Randy Boissonnault appeared in question period in Ottawa wearing an Oilers jersey and lapel pin.

Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith has won hockey bets she made with the B.C. Premier David Eby and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Ms. Smith also brought the Oilers mascot into the legislative assembly in May, where members on both sides of the aisle chanted, “Let’s go Oilers!”

Finals Kickoff

The Stanley Cup Finals begin June 8 in Florida and offer an opportunity for a Canadian team to bring the cup home. It has been 31 years since that happened, but it won’t be an easy road.

Odds-makers have said the Panthers (-130) are favoured over the Oilers (+115) to win the Stanley Cup Final, with a 57.5 percent chance of winning the series.

At the start of the season, the Oilers saw three wins, eight regulation losses, and one overtime loss. Since the hiring of head coach Kris Knoblauch and defensive coach Paul Coffey in November, the team changed its fortunes.

In December and January, the Oilers won 16 straight games, finishing the season with 49 wins, 27 regulation losses, and six overtime losses for 104 points.

However, Florida’s coach Paul Marice has the second-most wins in NHL history (1,848), including experience with Hartford, Caroline, Toronto, and Winnipeg.

The Panthers have not won a Stanley Cup before and have been part of the league since 1993. Edmonton has won the finals five times, but not since 1990. They played in the finals in 2006 against the Caroline Hurricanes but lost that match.

The Canadian Press and Lee Harding contributed to this article.