01x05 - Cup or Bust Pt. 1

[bunniefuu]

[announcer]

Please direct your attention to the ice

for the presentation

of the Conn Smythe Trophy

to the most valuable player

of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

[Bettman] The winner of the Conn Smythe

is Connor McDavid.

[crowd cheers]

[crying]

f*ck.

It's so f*cking hard.

Get the f*cking cameras out of here, man.

[camera shutters clicking]

[Subban]

When it comes to the Edmonton Oilers,

you have the best player

on the planet, right?

Maybe the most skilled player

to ever play the game.

[announcer]

And Connor at 13:57 in the third.

Speaking of Connor, here's McDavid.

He's done it again!

Connor McDavid does

what Connor McDavid does.

[Redmond] Connor McDavid.

He is lightning fast.

[announcer]

Does he put the jets on here?

[Subban] It doesn't make sense,

some of the stuff that he does out there.

[announcer] Connor McDavid,

the game on his stick!

Scores!

[Subban] They're calling him McJesus

and calling him McNasty.

They're calling him McGod.

[announcer] A little spin move.

[Subban] What other nicknames

can I give him to put it in perspective,

of how dominant this guy's been

on the ice?

[announcer] McDavid, beautiful move,

in on the backhand, he scores!

[producer] Do you feel like

the greatest player in the NHL?

Ha! Do I feel like the greatest player

in the NHL?

Um, when I'm at my best,

um, it's a tough level to match.

[announcer 1]

And the Ted Lindsay Award goes to

[announcer 2] And the winner

of the Hart Memorial Trophy

-is Connor McDavid.

-[announcer 3] Connor McDavid.

[Redmond] He has a ton of records,

a ton of individual awards.

He, however, has yet to win a Stanley Cup.

[McDavid] The individual stuff

kind of comes and goes pretty quickly.

But ultimately,

our group is after one thing,

and that's to be the last team standing.

[announcer] And it's over.

The Ducks win.

Ducks win.

[crowd cheering]

[Blackburn] Connor McDavid's

led the Oilers to the playoffs a ton.

[announcer] The agony of defeat

for the Edmonton Oilers.

[Blackburn] But it's when they get there

that I think they're exposed

in their inability to rise to big moments.

[announcer] The Golden Knights

have eliminated the Oilers.

-Straight out.

-[Blackburn] But this year,

Kris Knoblauch comes in as a guy

who's coached McDavid in his younger days.

[Knoblauch]

Right now, I want Connor and everyone

just to take a breath, relax,

play hockey and find some joy into it.

[announcer] This is amazing.

Sixteen straight wins

for the Edmonton Oilers.

[both grunt]

[Blackburn]

The results are the results.

I feel like we're connecting today.

[Blackburn]

They really come together as a full group.

And obviously

playing alongside Connor McDavid

is Leon Draisaitl.

[announcer] McDavid around McAvoy.

Gets it off! One-timer! Score!

Leon Draisaitl!

[Redmond] Leon Draisaitl is one

of the top players in the entire league.

[announcer]

Now it's Draisaitl moving to the net!

And they score!

[Draisaitl] Connor and I,

we've been together for a long time now.

Just certain nights, I think I'm the best.

Other nights, he's definitely the best.

[laughs]

[Blackburn] And then the chemistry

that you've seen develop

between Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid

is special in so many ways.

[announcer] Here's a tap in, McDavid.

And that's 50 for Zach Hyman

in a single season.

[Hyman]

This year, I think we're at a point

where we're the best version of ourselves.

We just have one thing left to do,

obviously.

We've been through, um,

some bad years,

uh, some disappointments.

It's Cup or bust, right?

[announcer] Under a half minute

remaining here in the period.

One-one through two. Shots

[McDavid] The ice has always been my,

you know, kind of happy place,

and place where I feel most at home

and feel, you know, most confident.

It's not like I'm going

a million miles an hour

and thinking to myself,

you know, "Holy sh*t."

You know, I'm comfortable

going that speed.

Feels like you're walking.

You know, you're seeing

everything clearly.

You're, you know, feeling a lot more calm

there than you'd think.

To be honest,

I've never pictured a life without hockey.

[announcer]

Get the edge in play in the first.

[McDavid] I know it's not great

to be so into it all the time.

But whatever. [laughs]

Lennie is almost five.

He is my prized possession.

I guess when you're home,

that's a nice reminder

that there's more to life.

Might be the only one in Edmonton

that likes it when it gets minus 40.

[Lauren] Yeah, we have a lot of photos

of Leonard everywhere.

[McDavid] And then Lauren,

she's definitely an anchor in my life

and allows me to focus

on what I need to do on the ice.

[announcer] Sidney Crosby doing his best

to drag the Pens into the playoffs.

[Lauren]

What's on the menu, Sheridan?

So tonight,

we're doing some cashew chicken.

-[Lauren] Ooh!

-[McDavid] I have a chef.

He's the best money I spend every year.

And he is dialed in,

you know, kind of on the nutrition

side of it.

[Sheridan] We're always using fresh,

and we really try to avoid dairy.

[man] Well, thank you.

[all]

Thanks, Sheridan.

[McDavid] The guys that can

keep their bodies and minds right

have a better chance

of playing well for longer.

[Sheridan]

Lauren helped me create this.

[laughter]

Connor is afraid of ketchup.

[laughs]

So Sheridan always, like,

sneakily brings it over to me

because he knows I like it.

[McDavid] Getting married.

Uh, I'm really excited about it.

Obviously it's a big step,

and Lauren did a great job of planning.

[Lauren] I keep asking him what he likes,

and he won't tell me.

-What's that?

-What do you think?

Uh

[Lauren]

You're Probably planning, right?

-What?

-Probably planning, right?

-No.

-[Lauren laughs]

It's hard for me to look past, um,

what's coming.

[announcer]

Need to get back into this game.

The excitement is starting to build

as we get closer to the playoffs.

[announcer 1] And the Edmonton Oilers

are going to the Western Conference final!

[announcer 2] And the Oilers

will move on to face the Dallas Stars.

[Hyman]

Don't mind my butt.

[man]

This is just to help the body.

It all kind of depends on the complaint

of the "complaint" in quotations.

He's not complaining.

He's not a complainer.

You'll see, it leaves nice

Looks like you got attacked by an octopus.

[laughs]

[suctions sucking]

Oh! Juicy.

-[man] Wife made me a nice dinner.

-What'd you have?

[man] Steak, baked potato,

asparagus, salad.

[Draisaitl] Our neighbors

made us dinner too, actually.

-[Ceci] There he is.

-No, no, you can't come in.

Come on. You won't

You're gonna want to get this guy.

-[man] Did you work out yet?

-Yeah.

Did you work out?

[snickers]

Just checking.

-as*h*le.

-[laughs]

[Draisaitl] It's time for some new

new skates.

-What else are they gonna film us doing?

-[both laugh]

Everyone's gonna go,

"Oh, that Oilers team is boring."

[McDavid]

That's just Leo. He sits here.

[all laugh]

Leo and I are, you know,

really good friends.

[man] Okay, ready, Leo?

Yeah.

[McDavid] In a lot of ways,

we've grown up together.

-Uh Langer, can I just grab some tape?

-Yup.

Most boring team for sure.

[Draisaitl]

Obviously we came in when we were both 18.

[man] I need a couple of full-length

pictures, it won't be very long.

-Just like that?

-[man] Yeah.

[Draisaitl]

Young. You know, a lot of potential.

[man] Yeah. Perfect.

[McDavid] Signing the first NHL deal.

I mean, that's something

that you dream of.

So I'm just trying to enjoy myself.

[crowd cheers]

[reporter]

First time on the ice with Connor here?

Yeah. I mean, I've known him

for about 24 hours, you know,

so there's not much I can say.

I mean, he's a special guy,

and I think the whole organization

should be very, very excited about him.

It's always been a very

friendly competition, you know.

And we've always been

so supportive of each other.

And, of course,

watching him evolve,

you know, from an 18-year-old phenom

into the person and the player

that he is today.

I mean, I know what I'm capable of.

He just does things on a daily

that no one else in the world can do.

You still feel it today?

Yeah, it's still sore.

[Draisaitl] Sore?

Better than I thought.

Always sore. Every day.

[Hyman] To have the opportunity to play

with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl,

obviously one of the greatest decisions

in my life.

Like a lot of families in Canada,

we're a hockey family.

But growing up, I don't think anybody

thought I was gonna go anywhere.

I can't imagine, you know,

what it was like for Connor.

[whistle blows]

He's somebody who's been

looked at as this

generational player

since he was, I don't know, eight.

[Draisaitl] He's had media people

following him since he's 12.

That's hard. That's not an easy life.

It almost feels like

he's had the weight of the world

on his shoulders

since he was a little kid.

[McDavid] You know, putting in the work's

always been easy.

It's just something that I love to do.

You know, but still, you're a kid,

you're enjoying it,

and, you know, and then, you know, for me,

I was granted exceptional player status,

which, you know,

allows you to play early

at the junior level.

So, you know,

I left home at 15 years old

to go play in Erie, Pennsylvania.

[announcer]

Wow. Connor McDavid.

[McDavid]

And I think it gets real quick.

Obviously it's fun, uh,

to put up some numbers on my hits.

But, you know, at times it can be,

you know, stressful

and also annoying

because people expect that out of you.

It was a huge adjustment.

You know, I think for for me,

that's when I kind of felt the pressure.

[trainer] Push, push. All the way.

[McDavid]

And then, you know, the jump from junior

to the pro level, honestly

It was a huge jump as well.

What is it like walking into the locker

room and seeing the five Stanley Cups,

or walking out on the ice?

No pressure, right?

[chuckle] Pressure's something I've been

dealing with a long time.

So it's something I'm comfortable with.

But obviously, it's a whole

different monster to deal with.

[reporter] So you said, "monster."

This all new monster to deal with?

I guess. I don't know.

I'm trying to think of the first word

that popped in my head.

All right, guys, quickly.

Dallas, I don't think there's been

any surprises is what we expect.

[McDavid] I understand

my place in the game,

and I understand the responsibility.

What I can do first and foremost

is get my own game going

because I think for our group,

sometimes when we get tight,

when we care too much,

you know, our game

kind of goes to to crap.

[Knoblauch] We don't have to be

anything that we're not.

We just got to play Edmonton Oiler hockey,

all right,

that we've done numerous times

throughout the year.

[camera shutters clicking]

[broadcaster] Canada's last hope to bring

the Stanley Cup north of the border.

It's once again the Edmonton Oilers,

who have now reached the final four.

[broadcaster]

Up and down the lineup at every position,

Dallas is a better team.

It's like, holy sh*t, this is a deep team.

They've got all the makings

of a Stanley Cup champ.

[player] Come on, let's f*cking go here,

hey?

[broadcaster] But Edmonton has something

brewing,

and they have the greatest player

that we've all seen in many, many years.

This has some scary vibes,

as an Oilers fan.

Of being similar

to when they played Colorado

two years ago in the conference final.

[announcer] On the draw.

They'll muck with it.

Loose in front!

Artturi Lehkonen

sends his team, in overtime,

to the Stanley Cup final!

[Blackburn] The Western Conference final

is the furthest Connor McDavid made it,

but last time he got there,

they got smoked.

They got waxed by the Colorado Avalanche.

[Redmond] And a loss like that,

the media talks about it.

The fans in Edmonton

certainly talk about it.

For Connor McDavid,

how do you put that out of your mind?

When you are one of the greatest ever,

part of that is shouldering

the blame and the criticism

when you don't win.

[announcer 1] And here we go, Kyle.

Second overtime period.

Still awaiting a winning goal

in Game 1 of this conference final,

and ice time

starting to tick up on both sides.

[player] Keep pushing,

we're in better shape than them.

[announcer 1] Here come the Oilers.

[announcer 2]

Nugent-Hopkins will roll it down.

Working against the steady.

Oh, it's centered in front, scores!

It's over!

[player] Yeah!

Yeah! You f*cking m*therf*cker!

Whoo!

[announcer 2]

Connor McDavid has won Game 1.

[announcer 1] I've seen the great ones

creating the great moments.

[player] You f*cking did it, baby!

-Yes!

-Holy f*ck!

[reporter] Connor, can you maybe

just describe the feeling of that goal?

A bit of relief for you, I would imagine,

too, to get that goal?

Uh, yeah, you know,

always nice to score an overtime goal.

I'm glad that we were able to get the win.

Um, otherwise, we would have had

a tough time sleeping for sure.

[Nurse] The Edmonton Oilers,

they've had, you know,

heartbreak after heartbreak

in the playoffs,

and we've still got a ways to go.

At this point,

you're putting your head down

and you're focused on one game at a time.

[announcer 1] Game 2.

[announcer 2]

Only one shot on goal for McDavid tonight.

[player]

Hold! Guy's a f*cking holding machine.

[announcer 1]

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl,

when they go pointless

[player] Oh f*ck.

it's difficult for this

Edmonton Oiler team to win.

-[player 1] f*cking go!

-[player 2] Settle it down!

[player 3] f*ck me, boys.

[crowd chanting]

-[announcer 2] Back to Edmonton

-f*ck!

in what looks like it's going to be

a tight and long series.

[announcer 1]

This is a demoralizing loss.

I mean, we'll see how tough,

mentally, Edmonton is.

[McDavid] All the sh*t we talked about.

All the sh*t we talked about.

They beat us up the ice.

They beat us in the slot.

They outnumber us everywhere.

[announcer 1] Tied two apiece tonight.

[announcer 2]

Obviously, this is a must win-here,

I believe, for the Edmonton Oilers.

-[announcer 1] Shot gets blocked.

-[crowd cheers]

-Watch Jake Oettinger's stick.

-[player] Get it, get it!

[announcer 1] Here's McDavid.

[McDavid] Jesus Christ.

-Did his goalie stick save that?

-[referee] Yup.

[announcer 2]

It's sitting on the goal line.

[laughs] And it makes the save!

When it doesn't get out of our zone,

everyone has to f*cking stop.

Everyone.

They scored four f*cking goals

off it last game,

and got f*cking a million chances

this game off it.

[player]

Come on, boys, huh? f*cking our game.

Come on, people.

[announcer 1] The second period.

[announcer 2] Kris Knoblauch

loads up with the big boys.

-McDavid with the steal.

-[announcer 1] Here comes Draisaitl.

[player] You got it!

[announcer 1] Hyman

Hyman finds Draisaitl,

give and go, Draisaitl scores!

[crowd cheers]

[player] f*cking A!

[announcer 2] A chant

of "We want the Cup" here in Edmonton.

[crowd]

We want the Cup!

We want the Cup!

[announcer]

And the Edmonton Oilers will head home

with a 3-2 lead in the series

[player] f*cking A, huh?

and an opportunity

to advance to the Stanley Cup final.

[Blackburn]

Edmonton. The middle of nowhere.

When I look at the fan base,

for a lot of them,

they live and die with the Oilers.

And when the team is bad,

like, their life is bad.

[crowd whooping]

[Nurse] I think going into this

Game 6 in Edmonton

the whole aura around Edmonton,

I think, that people really believe,

that this is the year that they can

bring home the Stanley Cup.

O Canada ♪

[Nurse] And a lot of people

are obviously thinking

about the Oilers' runs in the '80s.

[Blackburn]

Especially when, like, inherently,

the Oilers have one of the more famous

jerseys in all of hockey.

[announcer] It'll be Wayne Gretzky

as the team captain

who will accept the trophy

on behalf of his teammates.

He's always said,

"The only thing that's important

is the Stanley Cup."

O Canada ♪

[announcer] And Wayne Gretzky,

for the fourth time in five years,

hoists it over his head.

[Redmond] And now, imagine being

Connor McDavid, the next Gretzky.

He is almost a decade into his career.

He knows that he needs to win

Stanley Cups.

He knows.

He knows that that is where

legacies are defined.

Did you win?

-See you out there.

-[Lauren] Bye.

[Redmond] And if he doesn't,

it will alter the way he is perceived

in the history of this amazing game.

There's pressure

and then there's

Connor McDavid pressure.

[McDavid]

You know, game days are pretty simple.

Not much to it.

You know, I've been putting on

a suit and tie to go to a game

since I was ten years old,

so, um, you know, it's just

Just part of the routine, I guess.

[car horn honking]

We get a little closer,

you start to see some fans.

Um, but yeah,

it all starts to feel a little bit

A little bit more real.

Let's go, Oilers!

[crowd] Let's go, Oilers!

[man] You ready for a win

and punching our ticket

to the Stanley Cup final tonight?

[crowd whooping]

[Knoblauch] It's just a little reminder

on what we're trying to do here.

Biggest thing, just stay the course.

We're playing a pretty good game

right now.

We are tight on top of them.

We're above them.

We're smothering them.

All right? We're not giving them any room.

Got to maintain that, all right?

[crowd cheering]

[Bissonnette]

We obviously know that Game 6 in Edmonton,

this was gonna be another notch.

This roaring of, you know,

19,000 people, standing room only.

And just an electric factory.

Especially in these

high-intensity situations.

I believe that the term is,

"heavy is the head that wears the crown."

And that's Connor McDavid.

Guard for thee ♪

[crowd cheering]

O Canada ♪

We stand on guard ♪

For thee ♪

[crowd cheers]

[announcer 1]

Connor McDavid wins the draw.

-[player 1] Nice win.

-[player 2] Go, go!

[announcer 1]

Here is McDavid, spinning to the back end.

[announcer 2] Down for McDavid.

There is Draisaitl.

[announcer 1] Leon Draisaitl for McDavid.

Walks in front with a shot, he scores!

[all cheer]

[announcer 2]

You talk about awesomeness.

That is an unbelievable goal.

[player] Hey, hey!

[announcer 1]

McDavid to Hyman, he scores!

-Let's go baby, what a pass! Let's go!

-Good job!

[announcer 2] And McDavid, let's face it,

this guy is playing on another level

here tonight.

[Hyman] Hey?

f*ck, everyone just take a breath, huh?

Just f*cking take a f*cking breath.

It's just straight positivity.

What a f*cking spot we're in, huh?

Unbelievable. Let's go get it.

[player] Come on, dawg, let's go!

Let's go, dawg, come on.

[announcer 1] We head to the third period.

Oilers leading Game 6, 2-0.

Here come the Stars.

Seguin for Marchment.

Marchment in with a shot,

that was blocked.

Seguin flips it in front, and they score!

Marchment cuts the Edmonton lead to 2-1.

[player] Holy f*ck, man.

[announcer 2] Buckle up,

the Stars have some life.

[player]

We're good, boys, huh? Ten miles.

[crowd cheering]

Keep pushing, huh?

[announcer 1] In this series, guys,

the Stars have outscored the Oilers

in the third period, 6 to 1.

[announcer 1] Pressure here by Dallas.

[announcer 2] Six skaters on for Dallas.

Their net is empty.

Pavelski battling in the corner.

[crowd] Let's go, Oilers!

[announcer 1] Robertson down low.

Back across, over two sticks!

[player] Come on!

[announcer 1] Here's Heiskanen

with it again. Twenty-five seconds.

Towards the net. Skinner with a save.

And the Oilers clear!

Dallas shot missed the net from Robertson,

and the Edmonton Oilers are headed

to the Stanley Cup final!

[player] Yeah!

[announcer 2]

We got ourselves a heck of a matchup.

The Oilers and the Panthers.

[McDavid] We dreamt of winning

big games on home ice,

especially in front of our fans,

with the building going crazy.

[crowd chanting]

We want the Cup! We want the Cup!

[announcer] The Western Conference

champion Edmonton Oilers!

[McDavid] And to see them bring out

a trophy was special.

-No touch? I like it.

-No touch.

[crowd] Let's go, Oilers!

f*cking right, man.

That was an exciting thing to watch,

though. Holy, man.

[screaming]

I feel like I can feel his feelings

so I can feel, like, how excited he is.

But I also can feel that, like,

the work's not done.

This is my focus right now,

and then the wedding will come after.

But I think we'll have a moment.

Like, we'll get a night,

and then we're back at it.

[excited chatter]

[man] Oh! Oh yeah! Come on!

[player] f*ck, yes! Whoo!

[Knoblauch] Uh, guys, I'm

I'd f*cking never imagine saying it.

Uh, we're f*cking going

to the Stanley Cup finals.

[all cheer and applaud]

f*ck, it feels good saying that.

[Lauren] Like, how crazy is this?

[crowd]

We want the Cup! We want the Cup!

We want the Cup!

[reporter] Thoughts on all of this?

The support for the team?

Uh, yeah, it's amazing.

I mean, this is what we play for.

Um, you know, they've been through

a lot of heartbreak as well.

So, um, certainly the best fans

in the league.

[Draisaitl]

It's pretty cool to see, you know,

how much people appreciate you.

And it's hard to describe sometimes

because we don't walk around

thinking we are the Beatles.

We're just like any other guy at home,

eating chips, or watching Friends.

-[interviewer] The show?

-Yeah, the show. Yeah.

-[laughs] Okay!

-[Draisaitl] Let's order food.

I think my girlfriend's sick of it,

But, like, it just calms me down.

-[Celeste] Let's get out of here.

-[Draisaitl] Yeah.

We're going to a meet and greet

with a Q&A up on a stage.

There's gonna be some nerves.

Just don't want to

Don't want to mess it up

or give stupid answers, I guess.

I think a lot of people think

that I'm always grumpy, which,

you know, probably a little true.

There's probably something to it.

But, you know, I wanted to be in a market

where hockey is celebrated

and a big part of the community.

[host]

Please give it up for Mr. Leon Draisaitl!

[all cheer]

[Draisaitl]

It obviously means the world to me.

Can you pull it a little bit for me?

Thanks, bud.

[exhales] Oh my God.

That's loud.

Sorry.

[host] So if there are

any burning questions out there,

let's go to you. You were here first.

[boy] Is Connor your best friend?

[all laugh]

[host]

Is Connor your best friend?

Connor is one of my best friends, yes.

For sure. Great question.

And we got so many good players

on our team.

But we're all here for one goal, right?

And that's to win a Stanley Cup.

[host] I think that's where

we can wrap things up for today.

Leon, thank you so much.

Thank you, fans, for being here today.

[dog barking]

[Hyman]

Boys? You guys having fun today?

Yeah.

[Hyman] I have a three-year-old,

and a one-and-a-half-year-old,

and then one on the way.

So, off the ice, very busy

doing the whole family man thing.

Whoa, hey, that's my slide.

Nobody goes down that one.

I'm gonna get you, Theo.

Nobody goes down my slide.

[Alannah] Go!

[Hyman] Whoa, whoa.

One, two, whee!

[Alannah laughs]

-Did you have fun?

-Yeah, yeah!

Again?

My boys They don't have

the attention span for hockey right now.

[Alannah] See? This one has to stay on.

You fix it, you put it back in.

Ready to go on?

[Theo and Hyman laugh]

Ready? Ring-around-the-rosy?

They all fall down!

I don't know what that age is.

I'm sure some of the older guys,

they'll tell me what the age is

when they realize,

"Oh, Dad's cool," you know?

Ooh!

[Hyman]

Hockey is everything to me,

but it's not who I am.

And that's really hard

when your whole life is hockey.

-[McDavid] Shirt, too?

-[McGrath] Yeah.

Feel like you can take a deep breath?

Uh, yeah.

Like sneezing and coughing is terrible.

Good news is,

nothing is sharp this time, you know?

[McGrath] It just feels like

it's tugging, kind of?

Yeah, it's like tugging.

It's just like a It's just sore.

[McGrath]

Let me know when I hit that spot again.

-Right there.

-Yeah? Okay.

This arm here

go like this, push into

Push into me.

[McDavid] For me, the house is for sure

designed to help me be at my best.

But also, your house is supposed

to be somewhere you can get away,

recover, prepare.

Around here, we get lots of people

driving by and stuff like that,

but no one really bothers you.

I would definitely say

that I'm an introvert.

Um, I think that causes

That causes more stress

and anxiety off the ice.

Every day, you got to deal

with the media and the fans,

and it's part of the job.

[McGrath] Just want to get a little bit

These firing a bit more.

[McDavid]

But, you know, I get called boring.

I get called, you know, like a robot.

-Feel anything there?

-Yeah.

It's tough. It's challenging.

We finally have like a couple days off.

Like the schedule's been so crazy.

And then guys always have

meet and greets,

and, like, it just never ends.

[McGrath] Okay, I just want to see if,

even just after stimming it like that,

I want to see if you can twist

a bit better.

Give yourself a hug.

-You notice a difference?

-Yeah. No, it's good. It's better.

But no media, no fans,

no friends, no family,

nobody puts more pressure on me, than me.

[broadcaster] McDavid and company,

they're heading to the Cup final.

A 2,500-mile commute.

They're gonna face the Panthers.

[Blackburn]

I think that hate has a place in sports.

And, boy, do people love

to hate Matthew Tkachuk.

Probably one of the most

hated men in Edmonton.

[announcer]

Edmonton on home ice.

Matthew Tkachuk

already hearing it from the crowd.

A quick chance, they score!

Matthew Tkachuk

calling for the boo-birds

to come back out.

[Tkachuk] It's super hard

to not think about the final

and a chance at your dream

like every second of the day

now that we got the lead-up.

But, um, yeah, we do a good job

of being as relaxed as we can.

We're just super relaxed

and almost like weirdly too relaxed.

Playing against McDavid up close

and in a rivalry for many years

when I was with Calgary.

[announcer] Kassian gets bumped hard

by you-know-who.

Tkachuk.

Guess I've got a little more famil

Familiarity, whatever the word is.

How do you say that word?

[producer] You nailed it.

Yeah, so whatever it is.

It's almost impossible to, you know,

get them distracted or whatever.

But I think what those

really skilled offensive guys,

they hate when somebody's in their face

and hate when they don't have the puck.

If he's in a position to get hit,

you got to hit him.

[announcer] And now Tkachuk took run

at McDavid.

-And McDavid goes in to

-[whistle blows]

talk to Tkachuk about it.

[Tkachuk] A lot of it is taking away

his time and space.

You got to slow him down.

[producer] You think he's chilling

at the pool?

Um, I don't know what the weather's like

in Edmonton right now.

I don't even know

if they have pools there, to be honest.

I'm sure they do.

I actually feel so much better

than at this point last year.

[announcer]

The Vegas Golden Knights

win the Stanley Cup in 2023!

They defeat Florida.

[Tkachuk] It It's terrible.

But we gained so much knowledge

and so much experience

going through that whole run.

[crowd]

Let's go, Panthers!

[Tkachuk] I think that's what fueled us

this year in the playoffs.

[man] Here we go, here we go!

Here we go, Bobby!

Here we go, boys!

[Redmond] This year, if you watch

the Eastern Conference final,

you know they're a more skilled team.

They're a better team.

[announcer]

Tkachuk on it, back to Montour.

Down low. Reinhart in front. Scores!

[player] Get him!

Oh!

[announcer] Stopped at point-blank range

by Bobrovsky.

What a play.

They do what they can do in the moment,

and they don't dwell on anything.

[grunts]

Nice chin.

Stay with it, baby. Stay with it.

We got to get to that

m*therf*cking net now!

[announcer 1] Gustav Forsling

drops it off, Tkachuk scores!

[player] Yeah!

[announcer 2]

That's just gonna get him all fired up.

[excited chatter]

[announcer 2]

Good sign for the Florida Panthers.

[Bissonnette]

Matthew Tkachuk is the type of guy

who will not only stick his nose out first

and be the one to get it done.

Welcome to the series.

f*ck off.

[Bissonnette]

But he's gonna alleviate that pressure

off the rest of the guys

and make them want to join him.

Get f*cking going here, boys. Come on.

Go, go! Switch!

[Blackburn] Florida, in this series,

they've got that je ne sais quoi

about them.

[announcer]

Now Tkachuk going to the front.

Scores!

[Tkachuk] Great job.

Great f*cking job. Great job.

[Blackburn]

Maybe it's the leadership in that room.

One shot, baby. One shot.

[Blackburn]

And maybe it's Paul Maurice.

[Maurice]

Give me the f*cking gloves.

Where's your f*cking stick?

Give me that f*cking stick.

[Blackburn] But they've got something

that is hard to shake.

Oh, this is f*cking tough for an old man.

All right, look it.

You get in f*cking tight,

he comes out like this at you.

So don't get in that f*cking tight on him.

And the play is not here.

Under the f*cking bar.

Are you guys good here?

We're good men, we're a good team.

-Let's go f*cking enjoy what we do.

-[applause]

-We're all good right now, boys.

-[player] Yeah.

We have the tightest, most fun

like culture here.

You know, everybody fits in.

-f*ck, yeah, brother.

-Let's go.

-[player 1] Come on, Bobby.

-[player 2] Come on, here we go.

Here we go!

[player 2] Let's go, boys.

Here we go, come on.

[Tkachuk] Everybody's the same.

Everybody thinks the same.

Everybody talks the same, the same lingo.

It's amazing.

[announcer]

The Florida Panthers repeat

as Eastern Conference champions

and will head back

to the Stanley Cup final.

I told you we'd be back!

I told you we'd be back!

Good series. Good job. Good series.

Good series, good job, good battle.

It's special for us

to be back in this position

after such a tough loss last year.

I just remember going around

telling everybody, "We'll be back."

Well, we're back right now,

so we're really excited.

[crowd cheering]

[crowd] We want the Cup!

We want the Cup!

We want the Cup!

[broadcaster] The Stanley Cup final

returned to the Sunshine State

for the second year in a row.

[man] Okay, here we go.

[broadcaster]

The Panthers will once again

try to win the most coveted trophy

in all of sports

against the Edmonton Oilers.

[man]

And turn towards the camera, please.

I was reminded ♪

[man] Thank you very much.

Camera's cut.

Matthew Tkachuk's never met a camera

that he doesn't like.

[woman] We're going through here now.

[man]

Tell me when you guys have to speak.

[Blackburn] That's great thing for hockey,

but it's a great thing for the Panthers,

too.

[Tkachuk] We all love each other.

[Blackburn] Like, you see

one of your big leaders be so cool

and composed

at the biggest stage in the game.

And the world's still so wild ♪

Called to me ♪

[Blackburn]

And then on the other side, Edmonton.

I was lost ♪

[Blackburn] They might be tight.

They might be a little bit more uneasy

with the whole situation

in the Stanley Cup final.

[camera shutters clicking]

They surrounded me ♪

[McDavid] Trying to get settled, one sec.

[Tkachuk] You know, the farther we go,

the more belief I have.

[McDavid] Just excited, um

You know, excited to get the madness

all over with.

[Tkachuk] Thanks guys.

Thank you, guys.

[woman] Did you do the little things

with the kids downstairs?

How many fights have you won?

Oh.

Been in, a lot. Won, not a lot.

[laughs]

This is all part of it.

This is all part of the build up.

Let's go, Cats, baby! Let's go!

Big Game 1!

Oilers all the way.

Go, Panthers!

Let's go, Oilers!

Go, Panthers! Let's go!

We want the Cup! Let's go!

Oh!

[producer] How are you feeling?

Ready to go.

It's like Christmas morning.

Advertising ♪

And I was living tight ♪

Every night ♪

And the world ♪

Still so wild ♪

Called to me ♪

[Tkachuk] On the forecheck,

make some noise. Come on.

Keep believing, boys.

One thought, eh?

Love it, baby. Love it.

All right, boys,

I got the f*cking read tonight.

-[all] Yeah!

-This is the sh*t we dream about.

This the sh*t we dream about. We start it

f*cking really fast and f*cking physical.

[crowd cheering]

We've got the trump card.

-We got Swaggy. We got Bark.

-[rhythmic clapping]

-Uh Nug, me, Hy.

-[rhythmic clapping]

-We got Rein. We got Forsey. We got Ek.

-[rhythmic clapping]

-Ek. Bouch. Skinny in goal.

-[rhythmic clapping]

[applause]

[player] Here we go, here we go!

[announcer] And their moment has arrived

here in South Florida.

[McDavid] I feel like I'm supposed

to be in this position

with the work I put in as a kid.

Of the Brave ♪

[McDavid] This was always

in the cards for me.

[announcer] It has been a long,

long time coming.

And we're underway.

[Maurice] Let's go! Let's go!

Let's play a little hockey here, men!

Let's play a little hockey!

Come on, boys!

[announcer] Reinhart with a delayed feed,

too far for Hyman.

Right on goal. McDavid, the steal.

Hyman, a chance.

And an early stop, Bobrovsky.

Oh, my God.

You have some nervous energy in Game 1.

It's It's human.

[Maurice] Want to make it hard?

Tell Sergei he doesn't

have to make it quite that f*cking hard!

[Tkachuk]

But you're going a thousand miles an hour.

There's no dipping your toe

in a Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.

[McDavid] Florida's, um

a really tough team.

[announcer] McDavid goes down.

[McDavid] Their goalie plays solid.

[announcer] Stopped by Bobrovsky!

Stopped by Bobrovsky.

[Tkachuk]

How does that not go in?

[McDavid] They played hard,

played aggressive,

played in your face, physical.

[player] Come on!

[indistinct shouting]

What the f*ck are you bitching about?

Davo, your line. Davo!

Feed, feed, feed!

[announcer]

Here's McDavid on the move again.

The puck Draisaitl centers.

And McDavid stopped

on the one-timer.

[player] Hey, we're the better team here.

Keep going.

[announcer] The captain goes to work.

Barkov onto the right side.

Looks for the give and go

Scores! Carter Verhaeghe!

[crowd cheering]

f*ck.

Our team, with the lead,

is almost unbeatable.

[player] Go! Go!

[announcer]

Brandon Montour to Sam Bennett.

[player] Hey! In! Yeah, yeah!

[announcer]

Bennett dumps and chases after it.

And a centering pass!

They score!

Evan Rodrigues!

[Tkachuk] Yeah, baby!

[excited chatter]

When we have the puck, we're driving it,

you know, right down your throat.

[announcer]

Barkov, Luostarinen

Empty netter to seal it 3-0.

[Tkachuk]

Very typical Florida Panthers win.

We wear teams down.

[player] Way f*cking better.

We were way f*cking better.

[crowd]

We want the Cup!

-[camera shutters clicking]

-You know, I know not many people

give us a chance in this series,

but we know that our best

can play with anybody, and, um

Yeah, disappointing.

[announcer] Amerant Bank Arena,

big building.

Standing room only to watch the Oilers

take on the Florida Panthers.

And Game 2 is underway.

McDavid circling up high,

trying to get away from Kulikov.

Jams the brakes on

to try to shake Bennett.

Here's the brilliance of McDavid

as he centers,

but Hyman couldn't get a stick on it.

[Bissonnette] Though given just how good

Florida is defensively,

we call it the anaconda choke hold.

They don't give you the middle of the ice.

They don't give you the walls.

And they took all that away in the first

two games, specifically Game 2.

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] McDavid, done a lot

of circling in the offensive zone,

but not finding paths to the net

Testing drive by the big defenseman,

and Bobrovsky was there.

[McDavid] Every f*cking period here

tonight.

[man] Now Oh, yeah. Let's go.

Whatever we got here.

[Maurice] Are we good in here, men?

Lots of good f*cking talk on the bench.

Breathe through your nose,

not through your as*h*le.

We all set? Let's go, baby!

[announcer]

Now McDavid double-teamed

and sent back by Okposo.

Compulsory figures,

and he missed the net.

[referee] Hey!

[announcer] McDavid down low!

Nugent-Hopkins threw it toward the net.

[player] Help. Get in there.

[announcer]

Here's Lundell. Drops it off!

They score!

Niko Mikkola!

[coach] I want Davo's line. Davo.

[Draisaitl] I think you're telling

yourself to not let it get in your head.

Take it down the wall and sh**t one.

[player] Yeah, yeah.

[Draisaitl] You continue to play your way.

You continue to chip away.

Even when it's hard.

[announcer] Here's McDavid

flying down the left wing boards.

McDavid, you can probably tell by now,

he gets tangled up behind the cage.

[all shouting]

[player] Come on, Johnny!

[announcer] Evan Rodrigues now.

Tried to center.

That was blocked by Brown.

It comes back to Rodrigues.

And he scores!

Evan Rodrigues!

Yeah, there was lots of frustration there.

[announcer]

Slides it forward for Forsling.

Now Tkachuk.

Little shake and bake. Wrap around!

Well, it might have hit the post,

or perhaps Skinner got it.

Now McDavid

McDavid stopped by Bobrovsky!

Badgered along the way by Tkachuk.

[player] Have you ever

f*cking seen him skate faster?

[Maurice] No, but he's the guy

down there just f*cking abusing people.

f*ck off!

[McDavid] You know, we understood

that Game 2 is a must-have.

You got to have it.

[Maurice]

Get her done, baby! Get her done!

[crowd cheers]

[announcer] They score!

Evan Rodrigues again!

[McDavid]

But, you know, you feel like you're

You're really behind the eight ball.

[player] Hey! What's going on?

[announcer]

Luostarinen, Bennett.

And it's in the empty net.

[crowd cheers]

[announcer 1] Aaron Ekblad

seals it for Florida.

[announcer 2] The Oilers have scored

one goal, in a 2-0 series.

Impossible to win like that.

[McDavid] Right f*cking now.

Right f*cking now!

Right f*cking now!

I'm not f*cking around,

this happens so many f*cking times.

But that's not f*cking good enough.

It's the f*cking finals.

Dig the f*ck in,

right f*cking now!

Whatever the f*ck you have!

That is not f*cking good enough!

Let's go get one f*cking win at home.

One win, and we'll see

what f*cking happens.

But dig the f*ck in.