Oilers Fever Returns as Edmonton Heads Into Stanley Cup Finals

Edmonton Oilers superfan Warren Sillanpaa turns his front yard into a shrine to the team in Edmonton on May 30, 2025. The Canadian Press/Jason Franson

Oilers fever is again sweeping not only Edmonton but the nation as well, as the hockey team gets another chance to compete for the Stanley Cup in the best-of-seven finals.

The Oilers overcame the Dallas Stars on May 29, despite losing the first game in the series, only to see back-to-back wins in the next four games.

The Oilers will once again take on the Florida Panthers, the same team that beat them in the finals last year. Game 1 is scheduled for June 4 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, starting at 6 p.m. local time.

Oiler fans say they’re confident history won’t repeat itself, and among those rallying behind the team is a group of Ukrainian dancers who have been creating some supportive videos.

The Edmonton-based Shumka Dancers have gone viral with their dances cheering on the Oilers. “We just thought it'd be cool to kind of make a video for the Oilers in support of them, because it’s like a community thing,” dancer Nick Hynek told The Epoch Times in an interview. About 27 percent, or 1.1 million Albertans have Ukrainian heritage, according to StatCan.

“The hype is real. We all want to get behind it. And I think our artistic team was like, let’s all wear jerseys that day, and then we‘ll record this little video and we’ll put it out there,” Hynek said.

“We’re just happy to support the Oilers, and we’re going to continue to do it for this whole Stanley Cup round,” he said. “We’re all super excited for them, and we’re cheering hard for Canada to finally bring home the cup.”

Members of the performing arts group Ukrainian Shumka Dancers wearing Edmonton Oilers shirts. Courtesy of Ukrainian Shumka Dancers

Posted on the dance group’s Facebook Page, the video shows Ukrainian dancers performing a routine wearing Oilers jerseys and waving a team flag.

Canada and Beyond

Although hockey fans are usually loyal to their regional teams, the Oilers are the only Canadian team remaining in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and so they’re drawing fans from across Canada.

One couple who had evacuated their home in Flin Flon, Manitoba, due to wildfires made sure they grabbed their Oilers jerseys before they left.

“We wear them every playoff game, and plan to be wearing them when they win the Stanley Cup this year,” Gaye Willetts said in a June 1 Facebook post.

Willett said the couple will cheer on the team from where they’re currently staying with family.

Oilers fever has even spread into the UK, with Brian Shotton from Northumberland, England, saying he has cheered on the team for decades, listening to their games on Edmonton radio.

“I’ve followed the Edmonton Oilers from Ashington, Northumberland, England since the mid 90s – waking up in the middle of the night, following most games,” he said May 30 on Facebook.

His wife has joined him in supporting the Oilers and they’ve travelled to Edmonton to see the team play, taking their first trip in 2007.

“Through this team, we’ve met people who’ve become like family. Oil Country is a home from home, even from thousands of miles away,” he wrote.

Now they’re heading to Edmonton to take in the first and second Stanley Cup Final games in person. “We’ve never even been to a playoff game before, so for our first to be in the [Stanley Cup Playoffs]. It’s beyond anything we imagined,” Shotton wrote.

Smith, Carney Back the Oilers

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is among the many fans hoping for a different outcome in this year’s playoffs.

“Connor [McDavid] and the [Edmonton Oilers] are once again the best in the west!” she said in a May 29 post on the X platform.

“Now for some unfinished business with those kitty cats from Florida… Let’s bring Stanley home boys!” Smith said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney also posted his support for the team in a May 29 post on X, saying it was “time to finish the job.”

Carney grew up in Edmonton, and on March 20, just days after being sworn in as prime minister, he got on the ice at Rogers Place and practised with the team, wearing a No. 24 jersey, signifying Canada’s 24th prime minister, and an Oilers ball cap.

The last time the Oilers won the Stanley Cup was in 1990.

The Canadian Press contributed to this article.