Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers begin their quest to get revenge on the Florida Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday night.
The heartbreak of last year’s 2-1 Game 7 loss has not, and will never, go away for the Oilers. However, capturing the Stanley Cup one year later will make it hurt a lot less than a second consecutive finals defeat.
Edmonton rolled through the Western Conference this postseason, with a dominant 12-4 record. Despite some tweaks to the roster, the core of the Oilers remains the same and is ready to break through on the biggest stage in hockey.
Unfortunately, one key member of that core will not be available to play. Zach Hyman suffered an injury in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals and is out for the remainder of the playoffs. On Wednesday, Hyman spoke about the devastation of his season ending and revealed that Connor McDavid was the first one to console him in the locker room.
The Edmonton Oilers shared his full media availability on YouTube.
“Yeah, it was a moment, obviously, as a player where you’re heartbroken. I haven’t, like, fully grasped it yet. And I was just sitting in the kitchen, kind of eating and not eating, just trying to figure out what was going on. And I think I knew in that moment that it was done, and my season was done. He was the first one to kind of come over, like in between the periods, brought me over, and gave me a big hug. Honestly, that’s when I broke down. He meant a lot,” Hyman said (6:32).
Zach Hyman has three years remaining on the seven-year, $38,500,000 contract signed with the Oilers in free agency in 2021.
Connor McDavid is on a mission to win the Stanley Cup
The drive and leadership of Connor McDavid have been on full display for the hockey world to see in recent years.
McDavid has always been seen as a mild-mannered, quiet guy, but he’s blossomed into one of the captains and leaders in the world.
General manager Stan Bowman knows that, and he praised his superstar’s drive during media availabilities on Tuesday. TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston shared his comments on X (formerly Twitter).
“This is his singular focus… Right now he’s on a mission,” Bowman said.
Connor McDavid and the Oilers are ready to go for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night in Edmonton. The puck drops at 8 p.m. EST.
Edited by Jackson Weber
