This isn’t going to be a retrospective of the season itself, but rather a look at how it made me feel. If you don’t want to read that, I understand.
It’s no secret that this Oilers season was tough for me. Starting with The Trade in June and ending on May 10, it was a tumultuous year to say the least. Losing Game 7, hard as it was to watch, is the best thing that could have happened for me as a fan and for the team in general.
With the pressure of a fan base on their shoulders, the 2016-17 Oilers hit the ice in October and came out flying. With a 7-2 record after 9 games, the team seemed unstoppable. For the skeptics among us that start seemed a little too good to be true, and it felt an awful lot like the Oilers were playing above their pay grade. As Oiler fans, we’d been used to seeing them play well for stretches and then lose a bunch of games in a row, nearly ad nauseam. But as the season progressed there were more highs than lows, the dreaded January slump didn’t happen, and as the season drew to a close the Oilers were not only in a playoff spot but were second in their division and had clinched first round home-ice advantage.
There was a lot made of this being the first postseason for a number of guys on the team, most notably Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Under the leadership of captain Connor McDavid, and led offensively by Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers looked poised to make a run at the Stanley Cup. The first playoff games in Edmonton since June of 2006 brought with them tension, nerves and excitement reminiscent of that Cup run a decade ago. This year, however, the Oilers were going all the way, weren’t they?
With each passing game, the sense of dread I felt as a fan increased. I didn’t really want the Oilers to make it into second round because I wasn’t sure that we (the fans) were ready for more playoff hockey. I was pretty sure that the Oilers wouldn’t get past the Ducks, and I was hoping for a quick end to this postseason.
Before I get called a bad fan (it’s happened many times, so don’t bother), I’m well aware that my skepticism and occasional negativity about the team and the season hasn’t exactly been hidden. I said very publicly that I just wanted the season to be over, because I wasn’t ready to accept that the Oilers might, in fact, be good. They’re better, but they’re not quite there yet – lots of offseason work needs to be done to build a real contender.
So when I joined my friends to watch game 7 of the Anaheim series, I had already decided that I didn’t care what happened. Once the Ducks tied it up I was pretty sure they’d end up winning, but until the game was over I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. At the final horn, an entire season’s worth of feelings just evaporated.
As it turns out, I had some real feelings about the game, and the season. I was in a place I love with people I love and we were all there together with the express purpose of cheering on our favourite team. I cried when it was over, and whether those tears were for the season that was or the promise of what’s to come I don’t know. What I do know is that for the first time all season, I had a feeling other than ambivalence regarding the Oilers. A small part of me wishes they’d made it to the Western Conference Final but that will just have to wait until next year.
Against all odds, I’m ready for next season and I can’t wait to see what these Oilers have in store for us next.
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