Blog Playoff Edition #3: Many years of suffering are FINALLY coming to the end for the Oilers

It was June 19th 2006, just two days earlier, the Edmonton Oilers had evened the Stanley Cup final between the Carolina Hurricanes. An incredible feet, considering the Oilers were down 3-1 in the series, and lost their starting goaltender Dwayne Roloson in Game 1. Hope was high that Oilers could pull of the victory and bring home Canada's first Stanley Cup win since 1993. What resulted was a very tight game, that ended on a very sour note... Days after the Oilers lost, things started to implode. Chris Pronger requested a trade, and the Oilers curse began.

Year after year, failure was a part of the Oilers continuum. 1st overall pick after first overall pick came and went. Sam Gagner, Magnus Paajarvi, Taylor Hall, Nail Yakupov. Each tantalizing players that just messed with Oiler fans emotions. There were alot of bitter Oiler fans, and who can blame them? Their fan base had every reason to be upset, however patience has finally paid off.

The Oilers are on the road to success and to me, it comes down to 4 things:

1) Connor McDavid: He is the next Sidney Crosby. He has that much of an impact on the team. He is the future of the NHL, and the Oilers have a true superstar. McDavid has the poise and leadership to take the Oilers were they need to go.

2) Cam Talbot : Finally the Oilers have a legitimate net-minder that they can rely on. He set the record for most wins by an Oilers goalie during the regular season with 42 wins. (2 more than Grant Fuhr in 1987-88)

3) An impressive blueline: For years the Oilers focus was on scoring. Drafting offensive.stars, hoping that would result in success. Trading Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson might have seemed like a bad move for the Oilers, but it is paying off. Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse have grown exponentially and are starting to have an impact on the team. The Oilers glaring weakness of the past is no more.

4) Todd McLennan: A coach that rivals the style of Mike Babcock. Management has been trying to find a good fit for this team, and they finally have found it with McLennan.

There is no reason to think that the Oilers can not make it the Stanley Cup Finals this year. They already had a 1-0 lead over the Anaheim Ducks, and they could easily beat either Nashville or St.Louis. Could we see McDavid hosting the cup in a few months??? Who knows what can happen. One thing for sure is that the Oilers years of misery are over. So Oilerd fans, rejoice!