History has shown that sometimes losing a championship game in sports can see a team’s fanbase vent their frustration in destructive or antisocial ways.
But at the Ice District in downtown Edmonton, where tens of thousands of Oilers’ fans witnessed their team’s valiant efforts fall short of winning a Stanley Cup Monday night, peaceful — if sombre — scenes of fans consoling their fellow hockey die-hards played out and a sense of hope and positivity stayed in tact for many.
“As the true Oil fans who bleed blue and orange, we’re heartbroken,” said Gina Troman, a loyal fan of Edmonton’s NHL team who said she has been waiting for another chance at a championship ever since the Oilers lost in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. “We’re proud but we’re heartbroken.
“We fought so hard and we tried so hard, but we just didn’t have it tonight.”
The Oilers lost 2-1 to the Panthers in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla.
The defeat capped off a roller-coaster 2023-24 season that nearly resulted in one of the most dramatic comebacks in professional sports history when the Oilers won three-straight games to stay alive in the championship series after losing the first three games and being written off by many as incapable of coming back.
Tranquility prevailed as disappointed Oilers fans dispersed away from downtown Edmonton watch parties after Monday night’s loss. When asked about how Oilers fans were reacting, Troman acknowledged many were “crying while we’re finding a bar.”
“I’ve probably hugged more strangers than family members tonight than I have in the past year,” she said. “You rally around each other (and) you let the boys know that we are so proud.
“We were down 3-0, we were laughed at, and we came back and we had a chance.”
Scott Pattison, a spokesperson for the Edmonton Police Service, said Tuesday that he believes “Edmonton fans represented their team and city with class throughout the playoffs.”
“(It was) a fairly uneventful evening from a policing perspective,” he said in an email when asked about the crowds that converged in downtown Edmonton for Game 7.
“Incident numbers were rather negligible for Game 7, which was consistent with fan behaviour throughout the Oilers’ 2024 playoff run.”
Pattison noted that about 33,000 people had descended on Rogers Place, the Ice District Plaza (also know as the “Moss Pit”) and the Oilers’ neighbouring Fan Park for the game.
There was a visible police presence downtown during the game. An increased number of officers were seen on bikes and in riot gear patrolling near the arena.
Fans flocked downtown to watch the games either inside the hockey arena or on big screens outside the building. Lines formed in the morning and only grew throughout the day, with thousands of people showing up for the watch parties.
There was some initial chaos when some of the crowd tried to rush the gates to the fan park and Ice District Plaza when they opened Monday afternoon.
“It was crazy,” Police chief Dale McFee said. “We’re literally talking probably early on, 50,000 to 60,000 people, jamming the gates.”
Police had to force crowds back before entry to the two outdoor venues could resume.
With an hour to go before puck drop, police announced the plaza viewing areas were full and urged residents to stay away.
McFee said EPS, OEG and the city were all more prepared for the playoffs than in years past, and the force trains for and plans extensively on how to cover large events.
“Obviously we had to deploy a lot of resources last night to keep the community safe. For the most part, though, fans – as as they were for the whole playoffs – were very good and listened as a result, very, very minor, infractions,” McFee said.
There were only six arrests, police said. Five were for public intoxication and one was for mischief. There were also three overdoses, although two of those people walked away and refused further treatment, EPS said.
McFee added when there are large events such as the playoffs, EPS and RCMP partner up.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the score we wanted but at the at the end of the day, we did manage to keep everybody safe.”
Mary Loewen, better known as “Mama Stanley” by Oilers’ fans, had become a local celebrity at the downtown watch parties where she used makeup to make herself resemble a Stanley Cup.
On Monday night, she could be seen being asked for hugs by other fans as they struggled to come to terms with coming so close to a championship before losing.
“Because they believed just like I believed,” Loewen said when asked why she thought she was being asked for so many hugs. “I do believe.
“I know this isn’t the result we were hoping for but this has been an incredible nine weeks,” he wrote in a post on X. “It has been a time where we came together, and celebrated as one.
“Whether you were cheering from home, the Moss Pitt, Rogers Place, a viewing party or at a local restaurant or bar, thank you for your energy and your enthusiasm.
“We have many things to be proud of in Edmonton, but the people is what makes this city so special.”
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, ahead of Game 7, Oilers forward Zach Hyman thanked his team’s supporters.
“We’re nowhere without the fans,” he said. “We have unbelievable, passionate fans.
“They were as loud as they could be with the belief. You flash back to even November when probably the rest of the league counted us out, we still had fans who came to games, supported us, really believed that we were a good team and could come out of it.”
Sohi also thanked Oilers players on Tuesday for the playoff run they delivered this year.
“Your hard work and perseverance have got us through this incredible run, but more importantly, you brought us together,” he wrote. “For that we are so grateful.”
He added that he believes “it’s not over,” suggesting the team will play in another Stanley Cup Final next year.
“We played a great series and came back,” Loewen said. “It’s just heartbreaking that they just couldn’t …
“There’s always next year. But I am so proud of the boys — you guys did awesome and I love you.”
Troman said she was sometimes made fun of for being an Oilers fan when the club went through its most difficult years and spoke about why her loyalty has not wavered.
“As heartbreaking as it is (to lose to the Panthers), we have to show up next year,” she said. “We have to show up loud, we have to show up proud and we have to get it done.
“Everybody thinks we have no chance? We show up and we have a chance.”
With players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers’ roster, Troman said it would be “crazy not to believe in the team.”
“We don’t have to trade people just because they made mistakes. We’re a real team who deserves this,” she said.
“I hope, unlike 2006, that we come back next year and we fight … through the whole season.”
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
