In the difficult moments after the Edmonton Oilers fell 2-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, veteran forward Zach Hyman addressed his team’s dressing room and made a simple declaration: “I know we’re going to be back.”
The speech, captured by the Oilers Plus video crew and widely redistributed on social media on Thursday and Friday, saw Hyman attempt to console and motivate his Oilers teammates who had made an improbable comeback from 3-0 down in the series before falling just short in the final game.
“Hey, there’s nothing that’s going to make this feel better,” Hyman said. “Got nothing to say, but I [expletive] know, I know we’re going to be back. I [expletive] know it. I [expletive] know we’re going to be back to it, I know it with my [expletive] heart. I think this is the [expletive] worst feeling in the world.
“I hope everyone comes back, too. This team’s [expletive] special,” Hyman added.
For the most part, Hyman got his wish on the second part of his statement. The Oilers managed to re-sign pending UFAs Adam Henrique, Corey Perry, Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark, Troy Stecher, and Calvin Pickard, with only Warren Foegele, Ryan McLeod, Sam Carrick, and Vincent Desharnais leaving the organization this summer.
Now, it’s up to the Oilers to replicate the magical run that captured the attention of the city of Edmonton and much of Canada this past spring. The Oilers dispatched the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, and Dallas Stars before giving the Panthers a scare in the final best-of-seven series of the year.
Hyman, 32, is coming off what will likely stand as the best season of his NHL career, having racked up 54 goals and 77 points in 80 games during the 2023-24 regular season before adding 16 goals and 22 points in 25 playoff contests. The Toronto-born forward had never scored more than one goal in a single playoff run before arriving in Edmonton, where he’s scored 30 goals in 53 playoff contests over the last three years.
The Oilers finished the 2023-24 season with a 49-27-6 record and 104 points in 82 games, finishing second in the Pacific Division. The club only had home-ice advantage in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, which might have prevented them from being able to finish off their comeback attempt in the Stanley Cup Final.
Oilers captain Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2024 playoffs. He elected not to accept the award, opting instead to remain with his teammates in the locker room as Hyman delivered his speech.
