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Fans of the Edmonton Oilers are feeling optimistic after another big win for the Orange and Blue.
Edmonton beat the Florida Panthers 5-3 on Tuesday night, cutting Florida’s lead in the Stanley Cup Final to 3-2. Game 6 is set for Friday night.
The Oilers have been Marsha-Lynn Cote’s team since she was a little girl.
“I’ve been a fan since I was like 10,” she said. “I used to watch the games with my stepdad.”
She said she believes the team will continue its comeback after losing the first three games of the series.
“They’re good at coming from behind,” she said with a laugh.
She said attending Game 6 would be on her bucket list, but the tickets are out of her price range.
Cote got emotional talking about watching the game with her stepdad as she continues that tradition with her family and friends.
Marsha-Lynn Cote (second from left) said she enjoyed watching Tuesday’s game with her family and friends. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
The Oilers are capturing the hearts of Canadians across the country, including fans of other NHL teams.
Bob Cieelen normally cheers for the Vancouver Canucks. Although the Oilers eliminated his team, he said he can’t help but root for them at this point
“I really have a passion for watching a team from Edmonton play,” he said. “There’s so much history there. You’d like to see a modern Edmonton team do well. They just excite you! Like McDavid, Draisaitl, guys like Hyman, Skinner in net, guys like Bouchard on the defense, they just excite you, so they’re easy to root for as a person from B.C.”
Although he was disappointed to see the Oilers lose the first three games against the Panthers, he said he’s happy to see the team making a comeback.
“They’ve really turned a corner here, and they’re playing the kind of hockey that should get them to Game 7 at least,” he said.
He is optimistic about seeing the Stanley Cup return to Canada.
“It’s nice for a Canadian city to get there, especially since there are lots of Canadian players on the Oilers,” Cieelen said.
“It means a lot. It’s really something to get excited about. I’m sure people are watching across the country, as are we.”
He added that he enjoyed watching Tuesday’s game with Regina fans.
“It was exciting in here,” he said.
“Yes, it’s dominated by Oilers fans, but it made a great watch and camaraderie amongst the people here.”
Not only is the Canadian team’s championship run good for fans, but it’s also good for local businesses
Eddie Lavalley is the manager at the Boston Pizza on Victoria Avenue in Regina. He said the crowds have been significantly larger with a Canadian team in the final.
“It starts off slow, but by the time the first period is half over we’re usually pretty packed, especially at the bar top over here,” he said.
“Every game we are doing cheap schooners for Coors Lite and (Molson) Canadian,” Lavalley said.
He said the restaurant is also offering giveaways based on Edmonton goals during the series. There are also prizes for hat tricks, goalie wins, shutouts and players dropping the gloves.
Like most of his patrons, Lavalley said he’s hoping the Oilers can bring the cup back to Canada, ending the 31-year drought.
“It would be really good for business if we filled up all of our seats here on Game 7,” he said. “It would be great to have that cup back in the country, and maybe we can hold onto it for 30 years on our side of the country.”