By: Allen Huang

It was Game 7 for the Florida Panthers, after three seasons of failing to attain the Stanley Cup. And with a 2-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers the Panther’s were once again champions with a one-point advantage that allowed defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to hold the Stanley Cup at the 2024 Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise Florida on June 24th.

To get the Stanley Cup, the main trophy for the American hockey league the NHL, a team has to win a best-of-seven series. In June of 2024, the Panthers led 3-0 before losing three times in a row until game 7. During the final game, it was the Florida Panthers versus the Edmonton Oilers. The third period of the game, or the third section, was where the Oilers dominated the most, their only flaw being that they couldn’t find a good equalizer in the entertaining affair despite a litany of action at the Panther’s net.

The Edmonton Oilers on the other hand, didn’t repeat history with a complete comeback, but rather became the second team to force a game 7 after leading with a 3-0 throughout multiple games until the final deciding round. Making this the most important game for the Oilers and Panthers, and the deciding factor on who wins, and who loses. The entire series was both stressful and tiring for the Oilers and Panthers with how much was on their shoulders, trailing with a 3-0 and losing a few games doesn’t mean full defeat or success for either team. It was basically like flipping a coin, there is a 50-50 chance, no matter how many wins or losses, the next game is the deciding factor. Due to the Edmonton Oilers being a Canadian team, their defeat caused a feeling of defeat for not only them, but for the entire country, with 31 years of losses for all Canadian Hockey teams since their win back in 1993.

This 12-day series was what Sam Reinhart, the Panther’s forward, called “The toughest 12 days of our lives, honestly,” with getting pushed to their limit, fighting to get the Stanley Cup and avoid defeat for the team. Meanwhile for the Edmonton Oilers, it was a similar situation, only that instead of fighting for just the team, they were trying to fight for their country’s standing in the hockey world. Captain Connor McDavid saying “You knew it was going to be a tight game and would come down to one thing here and there. We’re an inch away from going ahead 2-1 right before they go ahead. It’s tough,” With all of this, both teams fought, with the Edmonton Oilers on heads, the Florida Panthers on tails. Then, at the very end of it all, the coin is flipped, scores are made, assists are done, and the coin lands on tails: the Panthers win the Stanley Cup.