Fans in Edmonton Plaza erupt in cheers as Oilers advance to force Game 7 in Stanley Cup Finals.

June 22, 2024 TruthUSA

EDMONTON—Thousands of enthusiastic Edmonton Oilers fans cheered loudly on Friday as the hometown team dominated the Florida Panthers, setting up a decisive Game 7 in the Stanley Cup final.

“We want the cup! We want the cup!” echoed throughout Rogers Place as the Oilers celebrated their 5-1 victory.

Outside the arena, fans cheered at the Moss Pit, named after the team’s late locker room attendant, Joey Moss, while the team’s victory song “La Bamba” played.

“I’m going to have no voice tomorrow, probably no voice next week,” said Jenessa Schafer, wearing her Oilers jersey, standing with her mom.

“The energy out here the entire game was beyond compare.”

The two rushed from Saskatchewan to join the Moss Pit viewing party earlier in the day.

“We had to (come). This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and we couldn’t miss it,” said Clareen Schafer. “We’re just thrilled to be here and be a part of this electric atmosphere.

“It’s just the most unbelievable …,” she said, then paused.

“I mean — it’s Canadian.”

Fans in Oilers jerseys, mostly in home blue, with some wearing road whites and retro oranges, cheered on the team with the numbers of star players on their backs—#97 for Connor McDavid and #29 for Leon Draisaitl.

They sported hard hats and cowboy hats, with unique combinations like fans wearing Oilers jerseys along with Oiler-themed Star Wars storm trooper helmets.

Meanwhile, two fans drove an Oilers-decorated Zamboni through downtown, holding up giant pictures of Draisaitl’s head and DIY Stanley Cup mugs.

They sang, tossed a beach ball, and chanted, “Let’s go, Oilers!”

LJ Muskwa, a fan since age nine, played a drum with an Indigenous-themed Oilers logo, showing his support for the team he started following in India years ago.

The Oilers have been celebrating for two months in Edmonton, a city with five Stanley Cups but none since 1990. The last opportunity was in 2006 when they lost in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Friday’s victory puts the Oilers in a unique position. If they beat the Panthers on Monday in Sunrise, Fla., they will be the first Canadian team since 1993 to bring the cup back home.

Only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs have come back from a three-game deficit to win four in a row in a Stanley Cup final.

For the fans in Edmonton, who have shown unwavering support by waving flags, painting their bodies, drawing chalk art, painting their faces, and decorating their cars with the team’s logo, the path to victory is clear: channel your inner Toronto Maple Leaf and claim the Stanley Cup on Monday.

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