Disappointment and hope: Edmonton's history-making dreams crushed in Oilers' Game 7 loss
Stanley Cup run ends for fans in cold, windy watch party
The giant screens that had projected the Stanley Cup final at the watch party next to Rogers Place snapped to black Monday night, extinguished along with the hopes of thousands of Oilers faithful.
Cries of dismay erupted from the massive crowd gathered in the pavilion next to the arena to watch the Edmonton Oilers take on the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the finals as the Panthers clinched the win in their home arena in Sunrise, Fla., 2-1.
Some in the crowd threw their beers in anger. But as Green Day's Time of Your Life played from the speakers and the crowd thinned, a more sombre mood emerged. Some fans sat on the ground disconsolately, others hugged each other and wiped away tears.
Over in the Moss Pit — the other outdoor watch party in the arena district — heartbreak all around.
"It's just a missed opportunity," said Jacob Golka, who was mourning the loss with his friends.
"There's appreciation for the greatest run that I've ever seen as an Oilers fan. But it hurts. It hurts."
The loss crushed lofty, history-making aspirations: It's been 34 years since the Oilers have won a Stanley Cup, and 31 years since a Canadian NHL team has won the title.
And after starting the series in a three-game deficit, had the Oilers pulled off a comeback it would have been the first time a team came back from 3-0 since the Toronto Maple Leafs did it in 1942.
Earlier Monday, downtown Edmonton was abuzz, as throngs of people in jerseys flooded the streets, feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety in anticipation of the game.
"I'm just nervous. I hope I don't die, you know what I mean? I'm gonna get a heart attack right now just thinking about it," longtime fan Victor Fodor said.
Fodor went to a couple of the playoff games at the Coliseum, the Oilers' old arena, the last time the Oilers won the Stanley Cup in 1990, beating the Boston Bruins.
He said back then, the team had some pretty good players – the likes of Mark Messier, Jari Kurri and Grant Fuhr.
But Fodor was confident in today's roster too. Belief in the team's ability to finally hoist the cup again 34 years later was running through multiple generations of Oilers fans ahead of the game.
"If there's any team that can do it, it's these guys," said Paul Sulja, who was feeling confident they'd take the cup.
Sulja was still very young the last time the Oilers made the Stanley Cup final series in 2006, when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7.
He said he grew into being a diehard fan during the decade of darkness that followed, when the Oilers didn't make the playoffs again until 2016.
After years of standing by the team at their worst, Sulja was ready to go all out to celebrate them at their best.
Sulja, who doesn't live in Alberta anymore, flew back to Edmonton for two of the playoff games.
He thought about heading to Florida for Game 7 but decided Edmonton was where he needed to be on Monday.
People began lining up to get inside the Moss Pit on Monday morning.
By early afternoon, the line had grown so long it snaked around multiple city blocks. As game time grew closer, the lineup became chaotic as people pushed and shoved.
Both Edmonton police officers and RCMP were out in full force ahead of and during the game, along with a significant private security presence in hopes of keeping revelry in check — no doubt, with the memory of riots on Whyte Avenue during the 2006 playoffs top-of-mind.
CBC News observed one arrest near the arena downtown following the game, but as the temperature dropped and the wind picked up, most of the crowds drifted away peacefully.
While the Monday lead-up to the game felt like a holiday for Oilers fans, Tuesday may feel like a hangover – both literally and emotionally.
In the fan zone next to Rogers Place, Ty Gour and his friends patted each other's shoulders and hugged – commiserating about the loss.
"Could've done better," Gour said.
Despite the heartbreaking loss in the final, ultimately the Oilers managed to come just a couple of goals away from winning the Cup, after being in the basement of the league in November.
Not long ago, many fans were just hoping for the team not to get swept, and they ended up getting a lot more than that.
As a member of a fandom that has weathered decades of disappointment, Gour is already looking forward to next season.
"Dang good team, a young team — a young team that's going to come back even better next year, even hungrier," Gour said.
"But right now, they just didn't have enough to bring it home."
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With files from Emily Fitzpatrick and Anne Levasseur