Two Perspectives of What Went Wrong: What Oilers Fans Will Say (and Have Said) vs The Truth

Well, Oilers, as the line from Gilligan's Island goes, "You've done it again." Though, to be fair, even Gilligan eventually got them rescued. It took 15 years, but let's face facts, Connor McDavid will have a longer wait for a Cup.

It never ceases to amaze me. I've said this for about four years now. People who keep saying that the Toronto Maple Leafs are the biggest playoff chokers in the NHL, have not watched the Oilers. The Oilers not only figure out ways to lose and fuck up, they lose to literally anyone. At least the Leafs lose to some fairly decent, if not good, teams. The Oilers once lost to overrated Vegas. They lost to a dead Blackhawks team in the 2020 bubble. And look who they lost to in the Final... twice. A very undermanned and undertalented Panthers team. Anyone can beat Florida.

Regarding this year, the Oilers were knocked out of the first round by an Anaheim Ducks team who a) hadn't been in the playoffs in eight years, b) hadn't won a series in nine years, and c) had a bunch of kids. Oh, and Anaheim's last series win before this: the 2017 Pacific Final. Guess what? That was also against Edmonton.

So yeah, Edmonton's loss has the Oilers fans digging up their excuses, though let's face facts, Oilers fans have been coping and making excuses since at least 2022 (they're still not over that, BTW). So in honor of Edmonton's latest blunder, and also as a blast from my Vocal past, I'm digging up an old relic. This version of "What Went Wrong" will be seen from two perspectives: what Oilers fans will say (and have said during this series) vs the cold hard facts. I did this regarding the Golden Knights back in 2021, but regarding the Oilers, it's overdue.

Much like the Vegas story, this will be divided into three topics that Oilers fans have harped on all series long.

First off, a favorite topic of Oilers fans, the refs:

Oilers fans: "Did you see how the refs flat out cheated us?! They handed the Ducks all sorts of power plays! How dare they call legit penalties on us?! What about those dirty looks they gave Connor and Leon?! That's definitely illegal! We had no chance with the refs on Anaheim's payroll!"

The truth: Good God, shut up. Oilers are one of the biggest power play merchants in the NHL--not as big as Dallas, but very very close. And the Oilers got plenty of gift calls in their favor; been like that for years. Bottom line: Oilers didn't get it done, not that they ever do.

Next up, the Game Four OT goal, and who they want to blame for that:

Oilers fans: "Why is Darnell Nurse still on the team?! Look what he did! He singlehandedly cost us Game Four by kicking the puck in his own net! Plus it wasn't even a goal; they gave it to the Ducks because they hate Edmonton! But PLEASE get Nurse off this team! He's a useless bum!"

The truth: Two things can be true. Is Darnell Nurse's contract a bit of an albatross? Yes. This season puts Nurse at the halfway point regarding his current 8-year/$74 million deal; he now has four more yearly $9.25 million payments coming to him. He's getting more money than Cale Makar, but he's not even performing like 41-year old Brent Burns right now. But here's the thing. That does not give Oilers fans the right to blame Nurse for everything under the sun.

Did that puck go off Nurse's skate? Yes. But it was incidental. It always is. In addition, that puck was slow-rolling. You know what that means? That means the goalie had plenty of time to stop it. He didn't. Who was in net again? Oh right, Tristan Jarry, the guy who lets anything in. This was your plan, Oilers? You've had six years to fix the goalie issues, and you've done everything but that! Blaming Nurse for Jarry's idiocy is not only inaccurate, it's racist. But that doesn't shock me; I still remember how horribly Oilers fans treated Ethan Bear in 2021. It amazes me that a team that has had a number of Black players and had Grant Fuhr in net during the glory years can have fans that are so hideously racist. Good grief.

Finally, Oilers fans' true favorite subject--good ol' #97:

Oilers fans: "If Connor McDavid was healthy, we'd have swept the Ducks. If Connor McDavid was truly at 100%, the Ducks would have no chance at all! Connor McDavid is the best in the world and he's carrying this team on his own! But thank God we have Evan Bouchard, he's way better than Makar."

The truth: You mean the same Connor McDavid who didn't have a point until Game Three? You mean the same Connor McDavid who has only scored twice in his last 12 playoff games dating back to last year's Final? You mean the same Connor McDavid who isn't fit to hold Nathan MacKinnon's jock strap? There are only two things wrong with McDavid. One, he's fading, and two, he's planning his escape. Because this elimination ends his last year under his old deal. Next year is when that two year extension kicks in, and when that runs out and he's still empty handed, he'll be out of there. Oh, and about Bouchard. Oilers fans keep saying McDavid should win the Hart because he's "carried" the team. Those same fans put Bouchard up ahead of Makar. Which is it? You can't have both.

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One more thing. I have to throw some more salt in the Kings' wounds. For four straight years, they couldn't beat the Oilers out of the first round, but their little Orange County brother took care of Edmonton like it was nothing. In three of those four years, the Kings won Game One (hell, last year, they won the first two games), and still lost. The Ducks lost Game One, and trounced the Oilers.

The Oilers had played June hockey in four of their last five years. This year: didn't even make it to May. That won't change. We are seeing the end of any dominance the Oilers had, or thought they had. This team reached the Final Four three times in four years prior to this year. They're sinking now. They won't fix the goaltending. They are still power play merchants, and they won't face the Kings in Round 1 every year. The Oilers are trapped. They are screwed. Oilers fans, I only have this to say: enjoy these next two seasons with McDavid, and I mean really enjoy them. Because once that extension runs out and he's still looking for his first Cup, he will be out of there like a shot.

Tune in this fall for Season Twelve of Are Connor McDavid and Josh Allen the Same Person? It'll be a lot of laughs!