Edmonton Oilers’ Stanley Cup Playoff exit sets new low for Canadian teams
The Edmonton Oilers’ first-round loss in the Stanley Cup Playoffs leaves just one Canadian team in the Stanley Cup: the Montreal Canadiens. They are the only team that can snap a 33-year streak of no Canadien team winning the Stanley Cup The Last Canadian Stanley Cup Champion The last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was in 1993, when the Montreal Canadiens won. After placing third in the Adams division of the Prince of Wales conference, coach Jacques Demers helped them upset the Quebec Nordiques, who were second in the Adams division.
They swept the Buffalo Sabres in the next round and beat the New York Islanders in the Prince of Wales Conference Finals. More: Stanley Cup playoffs NHL power rankings entering May 2026 The Canadiens beat the Los Angeles Kings in the finals to hoist the Stanley Cup. Patrick Roy, who was just fired as coach of the New York Islanders, won the Conn Smythe Trophy for earning a .
929 save percentage. Wayne Gretzky of the Kings was the leading scorer, with 40 points throughout his Stanley Cup run. What’s Happened in the NHL Since Ever since then, the NHL expanded from 24 to 32 teams.
They’ve brought in the Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights, Nashville Predators, Seattle Kraken, and Anaheim Ducks. More: Connor McDavid rips Oilers’ calling ‘average team with high expectations’ after playoff exit The Nordiques moved to Colorado to become the Avalanche in 1995, and the Avalanche won the Presidents’ Trophy this season. The Hartford Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas to become the Stars.
Why the Edmonton Oilers losing is so dire Edmonton has been close to breaking that streak a lot recently. With the generational talents of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers made back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025. Unfortunately, the Florida Panthers beat them both times.