The Stanley Cup slipped through Edmonton’s fingers again, and this time, the Great One had something to say about it.
It was a painful night in Sunrise, Florida, where the Edmonton Oilers were flat-out outplayed by the Florida Panthers in a 5-1 Game 6 loss that sealed the deal on yet another Cup Final collapse. That makes it back-to-back years that Florida has slammed the door on Edmonton’s championship hopes. And folks, it’s not just the fans who are frustrated — Wayne Gretzky is, too.
Yeah, that Wayne Gretzky. The face of the Oilers’ golden era, the guy who lit up the league in the ’80s and helped Edmonton bring home four Stanley Cups. He was on the Turner Sports broadcast after the game and didn’t hold back.
Gretzky Sounds the Alarm
When the conversation turned to Edmonton’s revolving-door goaltending situation, Gretzky didn’t mince words: “Is this our goalie or not? They gotta solidify that,” he said. “You can’t go into Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals and switch your goaltenders. That’s very rare that it’s ever happened.”
Boom! There it is. A Hall of Famer calling out his former team, not out of spite, but out of genuine disbelief. Because if you’re still making fundamental lineup decisions deep into the Stanley Cup Final, something’s gone wrong along the way.
The Skinner Situation
The Oilers went back to Stuart Skinner in Game 6 after sitting him for Games 4 and 5 due to—let’s be honest—some seriously shaky performances. And while he stopped 20 of the 23 shots that came his way, Florida still managed to pad the scoreboard with two empty-netters in the third.
The real issue isn’t just that Skinner had a rough series. It’s that the Oilers never seemed sure whether he was the answer in goal. That kind of uncertainty? It’s a killer at this level. You can’t win the most grueling trophy in sports with a question mark in the net.
The Long Wait Continues
Here’s the cold reality: the Oilers haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1990. That’s 35 long years without hoisting the hardware — and if you want to feel even older, that 1990 win came two years after Gretzky was traded to the L.A. Kings. Since then, it’s been a carousel of rebuilds, stars coming and going, and postseason heartbreaks that seem to play on a loop.
This latest loss stings not just because it’s another missed opportunity but because the pieces were almost there. But as Gretzky reminded everyone, it nearly doesn’t cut it when your foundation — especially in goal — isn’t locked in tight.
So now, as the Panthers party in the sunshine, the Oilers head back into another offseason full of questions. And job one? Figure out who your guy is in the crease. Because until that happens, the Cup is staying far, far away from Edmonton.
