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Wayne Gretzky Reveals Secret to NHL Team Success Amid Stanley Cup Final

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jun 6, 2025 6:53 AM ET

The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are battling again in the Stanley Cup Final, meeting in the finals for the second year in a row. Edmonton took Game 1 in overtime, winning 4–3 at Rogers Place on Wednesday night.

Although both teams have lost and added players from last year to this season, NHL legend Wayne Gretzky believes there’s a clear reason why they’ve returned to the Final.

Appearing on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Thursday, after attending Game 1, Gretzky said team chemistry is the one thing that all real contenders share.

“We’re always together, I mean especially when you’re playing, it’s 20 guys and you go to dinner together,” Gretzky said. “The teams who do that are more successful.

"The teams where four guys go one place and three guys go to another place... they're not a team.”

"The teams that are always together are more successful..

The Panthers and Oilers are always together..

They will go thru a wall for each other"@WayneGretzky #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/6stZQHrfNj
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 5, 2025

Gretzky pointed directly to the Oilers and Panthers as examples of that winning formula.

“You look at the Edmonton guys, they’re always together. You look at the Florida group, they’re always together, Tampa Bay...,” Gretzky said. “Those teams, year after year, are successful, there’s no secret to why it is.

”They’ll go through a wall for each other, and you gotta have that in our sport.”

Gretzky also believes Edmonton has what it takes to finally bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada.

“This is the team to do it,” Gretzky said. “I don’t think Florida has played a team that is as physical as Edmonton. The speed of Edmonton matches Carolina, but Edmonton’s a little more physical.

”And when you get to three championship series in a row, you're physically beat up.”

Game 2 of the series takes place Friday night in Edmonton, with the Oilers holding a 1–0 lead.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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