'Oilers fans bitch': Nonsense and wisdom from Florida Panthers hockey world before Game 1
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There's some crazy nonsense coming out of Florida Panthers hockey fans and commentators heading into Game One of the Stanley Cup finals against the Edmonton Oilers, but also some sharp and wise comments about the relative strengths and weakness of both teams.
Here are some of the highlightts from social media, podcasts and mainstream sources on the Panthers heading into the series:
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Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
Artists craft unique Edmonton Oilers pieces during Stanley Cup final
The Edmonton Oilers playoff energy has several fans getting crafty. Ashley Sinclair has been making emotional support playoff chickens for the past year, after learning to crochet while pregnant when she had to pause some of her other hobbies. 'I had terrible morning sickness so I needed something that was really slow and didn't involve a lot of moving around,' Sinclair said. 'I taught myself how to crochet and then got really into that.' She started making blue, orange and white 'emotional support' chickens during the 2024 cup run to help ease her nerves during games. View image in full screen Crafter Ashley Sinclair croches Edmonton Oilers-themed emotional support chickens. Global News Sinclair sold a bunch at a crafting market and word got around. Now, sales have taken off as the playoff pressure mounts for fans. Story continues below advertisement 'As soon as my son goes down to bed, I have between 7:30 p.m. and about 1 or 2 a.m. where I'm getting orders ready, sending out emails and just trying to get the chickens out to the coop.' On a good night, Sinclair says she can get about three dozen done. View image in full screen Crafter Ashley Sinclair croches Edmonton Oilers-themed emotional support chickens. Global News Between April 30 and June 5, hundreds of orders came in — so many, Sinclair recruited help from fellow crafters. 'Crochet is a 100-per cent handmade craft — no shortcuts, no machines, nothing. So as soon as orders started to come in, I reached out to a few of my friends in the crochet community.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Now, she has five friends helping. On Thursday night, she had her 1000th order come in. Story continues below advertisement 'Totally unexpected,' Sinclair said. 'When it started to take off I'm like, 'Oh maybe we'll sell like 50 chickens that'd be cool.' Then it just kept going and going and going and now we're at a 1,006,' she said on Friday ahead of Game 2. View image in full screen Crafter Ashley Sinclair croches Edmonton Oilers-themed emotional support chickens. Global News The orange and blue plushy is filled with exactly 97 grams of weighted poly pellets, to represent captain Connor McDavid's jersey number. 'I'm in this for as long as people want these chickens.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm in this for as long as people want these chickens." Along with the chickens, Sinclair says she's also selling chicken-themed stickers. The proceeds from those are going to the Ben Stelter Foundation. So far, she's raised $400. View image in full screen Crafter Ashley Sinclair croches Edmonton Oilers-themed emotional support chickens. Global News Other crafters are also flexing their artistic abilities in unique ways. Story continues below advertisement Wainwright, Alta., artist Jordyn Prior paints custom cow and buffalo skulls and recently completed an Oilers-themed piece. 'Our family is die-hard Oilers fans, so it was just a natural thing,' Prior said, explaining if she were to work on just the skulls it would take about three full days of work to complete — but with her day job and farm choirs, her Oilers skull took her three weeks to complete. 'I've been doing it when I have time on and off in the evenings — they do take a lot of time to come to fruition.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I've been doing it when I have time on and off in the evenings — they do take a lot of time to come to fruition." View image in full screen Wainwright, Alta. artist Jordyn Prior paints custom cow and buffalo skulls and recently completed an Oilers-themed piece. Jordyn Prior First, the skull needs to be boiled to remove any remaining fats, tissues or oils. Then, Prior said she pressure-washes the skull and leaves it in the sun for a few days to dry completely. Story continues below advertisement Before beginning to decorate the bones, any cracks need to be filled and sanded down. Preparing and attaching the horns afterwards is also a detailed process. 'Each skull has its own story.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Each skull has its own story." She took up the craft after being taken under the wing of her great uncle Keith, who has been painting skulls for over 20 years. 'He teaches me everything I need to know, from how to clean and prepare to how to paint and attach the horns and everything,' Prior said, explaining they get together to work on their passion every two months. 'It's been a really cool experience and we both have a lot of fun with it now.' View image in full screen Wainwright, Alta. artist Jordyn Prior and her great uncle Keith paint custom cow and buffalo skulls. Supplied The duo source their skulls from neighbours, local farmers and butcher shops. Their work isn't cheap — cow skulls usually sell anywhere from $300-$1,500, and buffalo skulls range from $1,200-1,500 — but it's one of a kind. Story continues below advertisement 'To put things into perspective, if you want just a raw buffalo head that's not cleaned, it's usually $250 to buy one of those. If you want a cleaned buffalo skull with no paint on, it's usually $600,' she said. 'So that's why these pieces are a little bit more pricey because they're unique and they're specialized and they are very rare, right?' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "So that's why these pieces are a little bit more pricey because they're unique and they're specialized and they are very rare, right?"
The Province
4 hours ago
- The Province
Tom Mayenknecht: Stanley Cup and NBA finals roar out of the gate
Overtime games and one-point buzzer beaters result in the television ratings spikes that are pure joy to broadcast programmers, sponsors and sports bars Mattias Janmark celebrates with Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers after scoring against the Florida Panthers during Game 1of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place June 4 in Edmonton. Photo by Steph Chambers / Getty Images If the opening games in the NHL Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals are of any indication, then hockey and basketball fans are in for a real treat over the next two weeks. Game 1 for each delivered plenty on the entertainment meter, setting the stage for big world of mouth and heavy social media traffic going into their respective Game 2. Overtime games and one-point buzzer beaters result in the television ratings spikes that are pure joy to broadcast programmers, national sponsors, merchandisers, licensees and sports bars and restaurants across North America. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors That's exactly what we saw Wednesday in the 4-3 overtime win by the hometown Edmonton Oilers over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and Thursday in the 111-110 jaw-dropper that the Indiana Pacers laid on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Indiana overcame a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to completely change the tone and tenor of the NBA Finals, beginning with the surge in viewers that happened in the final 12 minutes. The OCT became the first NBA team in 28 post-seasons to lose a game in which they led in the last three minutes of regulation time by seven or more points. Game 1 of the NBA Finals saw Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers outdo MVP Shai Gilgeous Alexander — the Canadian from Hamilton, Ontario. The track record this season for Gilgeous Alexander and the Thunder has been to rebound nicely from their rare losses and that could happen here, but make no mistake that there is now no more room for error by the Thunder, a consistently dominant team all year and one anchored by the professional poise of SGA. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The biggest bull market may be lining up for Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, who could become the first Canadian-based team to win the Stanley Cup in the 32 years since the Montreal Canadiens did so in 1993. The single biggest beneficiary would be the personal legacy of McDavid, already one of the stars of Canada's win at the Four Nations Face-Off in February. He needs a Cup to cement his status as an all-time great, in much the same way stars such as Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin have done over the past 40 years. Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero reacts after scoring the game-winning run on an RBI single by Taylor Walls off Texas Rangers pitcher Robert Garcia during the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, June 5 in Tampa. Photo by Chris O'Meara / AP Bears of the week It's one thing for Major League Baseball to have two of its franchises — the Tampa Bay Rays and the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics — playing in minor league ballparks or spring league venues seating about 10,000 fans. It's quite another thing for the Miami Marlins to be drawing flies to their much larger ballpark in South Florida. Television images of the Marlins playing at home are not worthy of the major league designation. They're the antithesis of what you want to attract new fans, especially when stadium employees outnumber paying customers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Those three clubs are the cellar dwellers when it comes to MLB attendance numbers as the baseball season approaches its midway mark. Playing at Steinbrenner Field — the Grapefruit League home of the New York Yankees — the Rays are drawing an average of 9,855 per game while the Athletics are averaging 10,005 in Sacramento. Yet the Marlins' average of 11,648 fans per game — which is less than one-quarter the attendance of the league-leading Los Angeles Dodgers (50,250) — is the most embarrassing of all given their stadium capacity of 37,422 at LoanDepot Park. Think of it this way: the Marlins need to play more than four games to match a single night's turnstile count at Dodger Stadium. Tom Mayenknecht is the host of The Sport Market on Sportsnet 650 on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Vancouver-based sport business commentator and principal in Emblematica Brand Builders provides a behind-the-scenes look at the sport business stories that matter most to fans. Follow Mayenknecht at: Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Sports Vancouver Whitecaps Local News
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
‘The building is electric': Oilers superfan prepares for Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final
The Edmonton Oilers have a shot at securing a 2-0 advantage in the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on Friday night. The Oilers won Game 1 on Wednesday after charging back from a two-goal deficit, with Leon Draisaitl scoring near the end of overtime to secure a 4-3 victory. Devoted Oilers fans are surrounding Rogers Place in Edmonton ahead of Game 2, including superfan Trevor Don Weal. 'This building is electric already,' Weal told CTV News Channel ahead of Friday's game. 'The band Park and the Moss Pit, there's thousands of people lined up out there already. The excitement in Edmonton is real.' The Moss Pit, named after former Oilers' dressing room attendant Joey Moss, has become the official outdoor viewing spot for fans outside of Rogers Place. Moss began working with the Oilers in the mid '80s and worked with the club in various capacities until his death in 2020. Meanwhile, Weal paints his hair in the colours of the Oilers – orange and blue – as a tribute to the team for every game. 'I coloured the top of the Mohawk orange, and the sides are blue, and we got the mullet flowing in the back,' he said. Weal says he hasn't noticed any nervous jitters from the players, particularly after their overtime victory on Wednesday. 'Even after Game 1, in their interviews and everything, even on the overtime winning goal, it wasn't a huge celebration,' Weal explained. 'It was like, 'All right, that's one. Now it's time to go get the next one.'' He has a steadfast belief in the Oilers taking this series in five games. 'They're going to win it at home, in front of all these great fans.'
