Psychology 101: The mental gymnastics behind this Edmonton Oilers Cup run

National Post

3 days ago

You'd be hard pressed to find much finer physical specimens in all of hockey than the ones playing in the Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place beginning Wednesday (6 p.m., CBC, Sportsnet).
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But physical attributes alone didn't earn the Edmonton Oilers a rematch against the same Florida Panthers who edged them 2-1 in Game 7 of last year's championship series.
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And what a series it was. Near miraculous, in fact, if you happen to be an Oilers fan who witnessed your team falling behind 3-0 before fighting back with three straight wins of their own to force one final rubber match.
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Only to end up on the wrong side of the deciding goal that spelled the difference between utter elation and the resounding defeat that left a bad taste in their mouths all off-season. Or longer.
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They now find themselves on the precipice of a do-over as their road to redemption has brought them back, once again, to Round 4. And against the very same opponent, to boot.
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It's the kind of thing that can mess with the mind, which is exactly what the Oilers don't need right now as they focus on the task at hand in their pursuit of the ultimate prize.
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So, we reached out to Dr. John Dunn, professor emeritus at the University of Alberta faculty of kinesiology, sport and recreation. If the title seems like a mouthful, think sports psychologist who retired after decades of work providing coaching and mental training to elite athletes, Olympians, NHL teams, curler Kevin Koe, as well as the Armed Forces and law enforcement.
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Basically, he's a rock star of mental gymnastics. So, without further ado, let's crack open the cabbage of the Edmonton Oilers over this past year.
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'To be honest, if I'm Kris Knoblauch working with these players, I don't think you should be talking about last year, because last year is so done and dusted and has absolutely no bearing on what's about to happen,' said Dunn, who worked with the Oilers for three seasons following their previous trip to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.
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Even then it felt like a drought, and that was only 16 years since their last Stanley Cup championship. But that's what you get when your city celebrated a dynasty of five Cups in seven years from 1984-90.
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'I think there's a real danger,' Dunn said. 'We as fans and the media, and everybody, love it. Look at you, you're writing a story, right? It's fun to talk about it that way, but as an athlete and a team, it's two different teams. There are different players on both teams.