Stars' Pete DeBoer hangs Jake Oettinger out to dry after ugly Game 5
It's no secret that Jake Oettinger was not at his best in the Western Conference Final. He wasn't at his best in 2024 when the Edmonton Oilers beat the Dallas Stars in six games, and he wasn't even close to his best when Edmonton finished Dallas off in five games in the 2025 WCF.
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Oettinger went 1-3 in the first four games of the series, sporting a brutal 3.55 goals-against average and .869 save percentage. And he didn't last eight minutes in Game 5, allowing two goals on two shots before being unceremoniously pulled by head coach Pete DeBoer.
And the Stars' coach didn't pull any punches when speaking to reporters after a third consecutive series defeat in the West Final.
'I didn't blame it all on Jake, but the reality is, if you go back to last year's playoffs, he's lost six of seven games to Edmonton and we gave up two [goals] on two [shots] in an elimination game,' DeBoer explained. 'It was partly to spark our team and wake them up and partly knowing that status quo had not been working. And that's a pretty big sample size.'
Certainly harsh words from DeBoer, and you don't often see a coach calling out his starting goaltender like this. Yes, Oettinger deserves some blame, but the Stars had only scored two goals in three games heading into the elimination contest, so there's enough blame to go around.
DeBoer added: 'Anytime you pull a goalie, the reasoning is always to try and spark your group, so that was the No. 1 reason. We had talked endlessly in this series about trying to play with a lead. And obviously we're in a 2-0 hole right away. And you know what, I didn't take that lightly.'
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It was a nightmare start for the Stars, who were chasing the game all night long and were never able to get Game 5 back on even footing. And although the Oilers deserve a lot of credit, there were multiple forwards who disappeared in the series.
Stars had a ton of passengers in West Final
Although DeBoer threw Oettinger under the bus, key forwards Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen refused to do the same.
'We got to step up,' said Robertson, who scored two goals in Game 5, per NHL.com's Shawn P. Roarke. 'It's unacceptable for us to hang him out like that. I mean, all playoffs he's been our guy, all season. It's just unacceptable from us.'
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'We were not ready,' echoed Rantanen. 'We were not helping Jake at all on the first two goals. That's on us and not on Jake.'
Rantanen didn't score a goal in the series, while Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene combined to be a ghastly minus-10. Captain Jamie Benn didn't record a single point, while Mason Marchment had one assist. Robertson was the only player who finished at a point-per-game, while Tyler Seguin and Mikael Granlund managed three points each.
Overall, it wasn't even close to good enough from one of the NHL's best offensive units. It'll now be another long offseason after back-to-back-to-back Western Conference Final defeats.
The Stars will again look to get over the hump in 2025-26, but first, they'll have to watch as the team that's beaten them two years running gets another crack at a Stanley Cup.
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Quinn Phillips, a spokesperson for the DBA, said that marketgoers were surveyed last year, and while the numbers showed that a lot of the shoppers were from Downtown or other central neighbourhoods, many were also coming from further off spots. So, the market has two purposes; it's a perk for those who live Downtown, and an attractor for those who don't. 'It's really important to support Downtown as a neighbourhood, and to have people to think about Downtown as a neighbourhood,' she said. The market regularly sees more than 50 vendors, and on the final Saturday of July, hit a high of 63 vendors. Because of LRT construction, the market can't be expanded onto 102 Avenue like it was pre-2019, but Phillips said there are talks about expanding into Michael Phair and Beaver Hills parks for the 2026 market season. And, knowing that there are tensions between brick-and-mortar retailers and markets, the symbiotic relationship at Callingwood is an example of how it can work. 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Chyanne Lindgren, manager of the Bountiful Market, said that it differs from others in the province not only because it is indoors, but that it's open three days a week. It opened with the idea of being a business incubator, where those who have stalls get to keep them on a regular basis, and it allows them to dip their feet into the world of full-time retail. 'The vendors don't have to to pick up and leave at the end of the day,' she said. 'Is it a viable way to make a living? No.' When you first walk by, the display looks like those opulent perfume counters from a time when department stores were a thing. Bottles of red, gold and silver, sorted on shelves to attract the eye. On closer look, they're bottles of vodka, gin and whiskey, all from the White Lightning Distillery located near Barrhead, Alta. But this display isn't found in a liquor store. It's at the Bountiful Market. White Lightning owner Richard Bogach said that 95 per cent of the distillery's sales come through 20 Alberta markets that are regularly staffed by four employees, plus a few pop-up shop appearances at festivals and weekend events. In seven years, Bogach has yet to take paycheque from his venture; with federal excise taxes at $13.84 a bottle, provincial taxes at $2.40 a bottle, plus recycling fees and GST, the fees add up. Plus, he's competing in a world where some distilleries have turned to using neutral grain spirit rather than distilling the old fashioned way. He's competing against vodkas, gin and whiskeys from the giant multinationals 'with mass product and unlimited marketing fees' who dominate the liquor store shelves. So, if you can't win at the local liquor store, the market is a place where the small, local distiller can stand out. 'It's a question of how do you get exposure?' said Bogach. 'Well, when customers come to the market they can learn about your product, they can taste it and see you're making a quality product. And that's something you can't do in the liquor store. 'We are making some headway, but we're not there, yet. Is it a viable way to make a living? No. If I had a wife and kids, I'd be divorced.' So, the farmers' market is a beginning, not a be-all and end all. The future of markets: Taking it inside Franke said the biggest challenges facing farmers' markets is climate change. She said that over the past few years, more than a few market nights have had to be scrubbed because of choking forest-fire smoke. Weather issues are becoming more severe and frequent. Lindgren said that Bountiful Market's busiest days are rainy days, and that's the advantage of offering a market that has a roof over its head. So, Franke has been searching for a spot north of the river that can host an indoor market. It won't just allow for the market to continue through the winter, but would be a contingency space on those days when the forecast calls for ugly conditions. 'The future is flexible,' she said. Where to go To be an approved Alberta farmers' market, it must be operated as a non-profit. In 2024, Edmonton led the province with 12 approved markets within the city limits. Here's where to find them, and when to go: Old Strathcona Farmers Market 10310 83 Ave. NW Saturdays and Sundays Downtown Farmers' Market On 104 Street NW Saturdays Bountiful Market 3696 97 St. NW Fridays-Sundays 124 Grand Market 124 St. and 108 Ave. NW (Thursday evenings) 124 St. and 102 Ave. NW (Sundays) Callingwood Farmers' Market 66 Ave. and 178 St. NW Wednesdays and Sundays Beverly Towne Farmers' Market 118 Ave. and 34 St. NW Tuesdays Century Park Market 10915 23 Ave. NW Sundays Orchards Farmers' Market 4059 Orchards Dr. SW Second and fourth Mondays Ottewell Artisan Farmers' Market 5920 93A Ave. NW Thursdays South Common Farmers' Market 150 Karl Clark Rd. Saturdays and Sundays Southwest Edmonton Farmers' Market 2051 Leger Rd. Wednesdays Public Market in Ritchie 7727 98 St. NW Tuesdays Ardrossan Farmers' Market 60 First Ave. Tuesdays Beaumont Alberta Farmers' Market 5303 50 St. Thursdays Fort Saskatchewan Farmers' Market 10030 99 Ave. Thursdays Leduc Farmers' Markets 4330 Black Gold Dr. Thursdays and Saturdays Morinville Farmers' Market 9913 104 St. Sundays Salisbury Farmers' Market 52337 Rge. Rd. 232, Sherwood Park Thursdays Sherwood Park Farmers' Market 5000 Emerald Drive Wednesdays Spruce Grove Farmers' Market 120 Railway Ave. Saturdays St. Albert Farmers' Market 5 St. Anne St. Saturdays Stony Plain Farmers' Market 5008 51 Ave. NW Saturdays ssandor@ We love where we live, and throughout the summer, we are running a series of stories that highlight what makes Edmonton unique and special within Canada. Follow along with 'How Canada Wins' right here. Related Edmonton's Old Strathcona Farmers Market to be open on Sundays, too 'Critical financial situation': Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market board recommends shutdown Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
USA Today
7 hours ago
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