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History shows that losing a championship match in sports is sometimes reflected in the frustrations of a team’s fans, who express themselves in destructive or antisocial ways.
But in downtown Edmonton’s Ice District, where tens of thousands of Oilers fans witnessed their team’s valiant efforts fall short of winning the Stanley Cup on Monday night, peaceful — if somber — scenes played out from fans who comforted their fellow hockey die-hards and a The sense of hope and positivity remained intact for many.
“As true Oil fans who bleed blue and orange, we are heartbroken,” said Gina Troman, a loyal fan of Edmonton’s NHL team who said she has been waiting for another chance at a championship since the Oilers lost in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final “We are proud, but we are heartbroken.
“We fought so hard and tried so hard, but we just couldn’t do it tonight.”
The Oilers lost 2-1 to the Panthers in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Florida.
The defeat capped a rollercoaster 2023-2024 season that nearly resulted in one of the most dramatic comebacks in professional sports history as the Oilers won three straight games to stay alive in the championship series after losing their first three games and were written by many rejected because they are unable to return.
Calm reigned as disappointed Oilers fans dispersed from downtown Edmonton to parties after Monday night’s loss. When asked how Oilers fans responded, Troman acknowledged that many were “crying while we find a bar.”
“I’ve probably hugged more strangers than family members tonight than I have in the last year,” she said. “You’re ashamed of each other (and) you let the boys know we’re so proud.
“We were down 3-0, we were laughed at, and we came back and had a chance.”
Scott Pattison, a spokesman for the Edmonton Police Service, said Tuesday that he believes “Edmonton fans represented their team and city with class during the playoffs.”
“(It was) a fairly quiet evening from a police perspective,” he said in an email when asked about the crowds that gathered in downtown Edmonton for Game 7.
“The incident numbers were fairly negligible for Game 7, which was consistent with fan behavior during the Oilers’ 2024 playoff run.”
Pattison noted that about 33,000 people descended on Rogers Place, the Ice District Plaza (also known as the “Moss Pit”) and the adjacent Oilers Fan Park for the game.
There was a visible police presence in the city center during the match. An increasing number of officers on bicycles and in riot gear were seen patrolling near the arena.
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EPS Chief Executive Dale McFee said the police, the City of Edmonton and the Oilers Entertainment Group are all better prepared for the 2024 playoffs than in previous years, and are training and planning extensively to cover major events .
“Obviously we had to dedicate a lot of resources last night to keep the community safe,” he said Tuesday. “But overall, like throughout the play-offs, the fans were very good and listened. As a result, there were very, very minor fouls.
“Unfortunately we didn’t get the score we wanted. But in the end we managed to keep everyone safe.”
The EPS said there were only six arrests in the downtown area on Monday: five for public intoxication and one for mischief.
Police said there were also three overdoses, although two of those people walked away and refused further treatment.
Mary Loewen, better known to Oilers fans as “Mama Stanley,” had become a local celebrity at the downtown watch parties, where she used makeup to make herself look like a Stanley Cup.
On Monday night, she was asked for hugs by other fans as they struggled to get so close to a championship before losing.
“Because they believed as much as I did,” Loewen said when asked why she thought so many hugs were being asked of her. “I believe so.
“It was a great ride.”
Tuesday morning, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi posted on social media that he believes “Edmonton has the best fans in the world.”
“I know this isn’t the outcome we were hoping for, but this has been an incredible nine weeks,” he wrote in a post on X. “It was a time where we came together and celebrated as one.
“Whether you were cheering from home, Moss Pitt, Rogers Place, a watch party or at a local restaurant or bar, thank you for your energy and enthusiasm.
“We have a lot of things to be proud of in Edmonton, but it’s the people that make this city so special.”
Oilers forward Zach Hyman spoke to reporters Sunday ahead of Game 7 and thanked his team’s supporters.
“We are nothing without the fans,” he said. “We have incredible, passionate fans.
“They were as vocal as they could be with their faith. You flash back to even November, when the rest of the league was probably counting us out. We still had fans who came to the games, supported us, really believed we were a good team and could come out.
Sohi also thanked the Oilers players on Tuesday for the playoff run they delivered this year.
“Your hard work and perseverance got us through this incredible run, but more importantly, you brought us together,” he wrote. “We are so grateful for that.”
He added that he believes “it’s not over yet,” suggesting the team will play in another Stanley Cup Final next year.
“We played a great series and came back,” Loewen said. “It’s just heartbreaking that they just couldn’t…
“There’s always next year. But I’m so proud of the boys; You guys did a great job and I love you.”
Troman said she was sometimes made fun of for being an Oilers fan when the club was going through its toughest years and talked about why her loyalty didn’t waver.
“As heartbreaking as it is (to lose to the Panthers), we have to show up again next year,” she said. “We have to be loud and proud and get it done.
“Does everyone think we don’t have a chance? If we show up, we have a chance.”
With players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers’ roster, Troman said it would be “crazy not to believe in the team.”
“We don’t need to trade people just because they made mistakes. We are a real team that deserves this,” she said.
“I hope, unlike 2006, next year we come back and fight… all season long.”
Crowds ‘block the gates’ during viewing parties before Game 7
Before Game 7 got underway, fans flocked to the city to watch in the hockey arena or on big screens outside the building in the Moss Pit or the Fan Park. Lines formed in the morning and grew throughout the day, with thousands of people showing up for the watch parties.
There was some initial chaos as some in the crowd tried to storm the gates of Fan Park and Ice District Plaza as they opened Monday afternoon.
McFee said large crowds were “blocking the gates.”
Police had to push back the crowd before access to the two outdoor locations could resume.
With an hour to go before the puck dropped, police announced that the viewing areas on the square were full and urged residents to stay away.
Phil Heidenreich
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