Wayne Gretzky criticizes Oilers after Stanley Cup loss

Wayne Gretzky had some criticism for his former team after their loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Edmonton Oilers lost to the Panthers 5-1 in Game 6 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Tuesday night. The Oilers went with Stuart Skinner at goalie for Game 6 after he was benched during both Games 4 and 5 of the series for poor performance. He stopped 20 of the 23 shots he faced, as Florida added two empty-net goals in the third period.

Gretzky, who was a star for the Oilers for nine seasons from 1979 to 1988, was critical of Edmonton while talking on Turner Sports after the series ended.

“Is this our goalie or not? They gotta solidify that,” Gretzky said of the Oilers. “You can’t go into Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals and switch your goaltenders. That’s very rare that it’s ever happened.”

The uncertainty at the goalie position certainly did not help the Oilers. But that uncertainty stemmed from poor performance. So the issue wasn’t that they didn’t know who their goalie was; it was that Skinner performed poorly in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Oilers have now lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Panthers for the second year in a row. Their last championship came in 1990, which was two years after they traded Gretzky to the Kings.

Losing the Stanley Cup could have bigger consequences for the Oilers. Much has been made about Connor McDavid's future in Edmonton. One analyst laid out his reasoning for why McDavid should give the Oilers an ultimatum. And a former Oiler/current podcaster had some interesting comments on the situation as well and told fans he believes McDavid already knows what he's going to do. McDavid's most recent comments on the matter certainly didn't do much to make Oilers fans feel better.

Gretzky isn't the only one who isn't high on the Oilers. One hockey writer did not include Edmonton on the list of teams capable of challenging the Panthers for the 2026 Stanley Cup.