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Oilers feeding off the energy of their fans as they head into Round 2

Edmonton Oilers fans showed incredible passion during the first round of the playoffs and they're gearing up for round two. On Saturday night, thousands of fans spilled into Ford Hall to party well into the night and while the team was focused on finishing the Sharks in San Jose, seeing and hearing how they're fans reacted in the first round has not been lost on the players.

'I think everyone knows that hockey is kind of a second part of us here in Canada and especially in Edmonton'

Min Dhariwal · CBC News ·

Oilers ready for playoffs, Round 2

8 years ago
Duration 1:42
Patrick Maroon, Jordan Eberle, Oscar Klefbom and Zack Kassian share their thoughts on Oiltown fans and moving into the playoffs, Round 2. Coach Todd McLellan affirms the team is playing to beat the Anaheim Ducks.

It's been a long time since Edmonton Oilers fans have had something to cheer about. Eleven years, in fact.

So when team captain Connor McDavid potted an empty netter with 0.3 seconds left in Saturday's game to clinch the series in San Jose, Oilers fans in Edmonton and around the world erupted in celebration.

Nowhere was that more evident than at Rogers Place, where 18,000-plus fans filled the lower and upper bowls to watch their team on the big screen.

Afterwards, the party spilled into Ford Hall.

It's a scene the players are well aware of, with some of them seeing videos of the celebrations after the game on their way back home.

'Funny thing is I probably know a lot of them'

For rookie defenceman Matt Benning, seeing video of fans jumping up and down chanting, "We want the cup, we want the cup!" left him grinning from ear to ear.

"The funny thing is I probably know a lot of them. I watched the news last night and the guy that was interviewed I recognized the guy," said the 22-year-old Benning, who grew up in St. Albert and isn't much older than a lot of the fans who jammed into Ford Hall Saturday.

"It's pretty crazy. Everywhere we'd go, even on the road, there was a whole bunch of fans. There was a box that had 15 or 20 guys in there and cheering for us. It was kind of the Oilers fans versus the San Jose fans and the Oilers fans were holding their own."

'They stuck by us for however many years'

In the seven seasons he's been an Oiler, forward Jordan Eberle has seen the fanbase at its lowest point. There were seasons where there was nothing to cheer about. Some fans even resorted to throwing their jerseys on the ice.

But with all their success this season and in the playoffs, jerseys on the ice are a thing of the past.

Seeing and hearing fans on the road and nearly blowing the roof off Rogers Place has been an experience Eberle said he wasn't sure he'd ever feel. 

"The fans here are great," he said after seeing the vibe in Ford Hall after Saturday's big win. "They stuck by us for however many years since we haven't made the playoffs ... they're passionate about hockey.

"I think everyone knows that hockey is kind of a second part of us here in Canada and especially in Edmonton. It's nice we can give them something to feel good about."

Those good vibes will fire up once again on Wednesday, as the second round of the playoffs kick off against the Anaheim Ducks in sunny southern California.  

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