May 29, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) reacts after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the second period in game five of the Western Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Oilers’ Connor McDavid Can Follow Footsteps of Icons

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Nick Horwat | Last updated May 31, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers are back in the Stanley Cup Final and are set to take on the Florida Panthers for the second straight year. While the Oilers are seeking revenge on the reigning champions, superstar captain Connor McDavid has an opportunity to follow a path paved by some of the most iconic names in the sport.

If McDavid and the Oilers defeat the Panthers, he will join the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby as captains who lost their first appearance in the Stanley Cup but got redemption on the same team the following year.

Connor McDavid looks to follow in Gretzky & Crosby’s footsteps in Cup Final redemption vs. Florida pic.twitter.com/8IDfJFvu5D
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 31, 2025

Gretzky captained the Oilers to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 1984 with a five-game victory over the New York Islanders. In 1983, the Islanders defeated the Oilers for their fourth consecutive championship.

In the 1984 rematch, the Oilers got the upper hand, with Gretzky defeating the most feared team in the NHL to hoist the Cup for the first time.

The Oilers put an end to the Islanders’ dynasty in the early 1980s, embarking on their own run of five Stanley Cup championships in seven years.

Crosby led the Pittsburgh Penguins all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2008, but just couldn’t get past a Detroit Red Wings team loaded with future Hall of Famers. The next year, the Penguins and Red Wings met again in the Final, and 21-year-old Crosby became the youngest captain to ever win the Stanley Cup.

The Red Wings have won just three total playoff rounds since their 2009 Cup Final loss, while Crosby and the Penguins continued to roll as one of the best teams in the NHL through the 2010s.

McDavid and the Oilers roared back from down 3-0 to the Panthers last season, but just didn’t have enough to complete the reverse sweep. This time, with an added hunger, McDavid can put his name up against a pair of icons he’s been compared to his whole career.

Gretzky and Crosby both felt the ultimate heartache before reaching the mountaintop. Can McDavid put his name among legends?

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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