For generations, Saturday has always been the night for hockey in Canada. It dates back to the 1930s, when weekly Saturday NHL games were first broadcast on the radio. In 1952, Hockey Night in Canada premiered on CBC, and the rest is history. Hockey on a Saturday evening is a tradition that nearly every Canadian fan alive today has grown up with.
Before there were all-sports networks, Hockey Night in Canada was often the only opportunity each week that fans had an opportunity to watch the NHL on television. It was appointment viewing. But even now, when every game is readily available to viewers, there still remains something special about hockey on a Saturday evening in Canada. Which brings us to tonight (June 14) in Oil Country.
Shortly after 6 p.m. local time, the puck will drop at Rogers Place for Game 5 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final between captain Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers and the visiting Florida Panthers.
To say that Edmonton is electrified for this evening would be the ultimate understatement. With the best-of-seven championship series tied 2-2 after Edmonton’s incredible comeback victory at Amerant Bank Arena in Game 4 on Thursday (June 12), the Oilers are now just two wins away from their first championship in 35 years, and the city can taste it.
With the stage set like this, it’s almost impossible to imagine any outcome but the Oilers winning. History agrees. There have been five Stanley Cup Final games involving the Oilers held in Edmonton on a Saturday night, and the home team is a perfect 5-0, outscoring the opposition by a total of 23-7.
Not only that, but those five games have included some of the most historic and memorable victories ever for Edmonton’s NHL franchise. Here’s a look:
Game 5 vs. New York Islanders: May 19, 1984
The Oilers captured the championship in franchise history by defeating the New York Islanders 5-2 at Northlands Coliseum in Game 5 of the 1984 Stanley Cup Final.
Edmonton, which 12 months earlier had been unceremoniously swept by the Islanders in the championship series, built up a 4-0 lead after two periods, with Wayne Gretzky scoring twice in the first period before Jari Kurri and Ken Linseman each chipped in a goal during the middle frame.
Related: Oilers’ 5 Most Memorable Games From Northlands Coliseum
The four-time defending champion Islanders made things interesting with New York forward Pat LaFontaine scoring twice in the opening 35 seconds, but Edmonton goaltender Andy Moog shut the door after that, and Dave Lumley put the game on ice with an empty net goal at 19:47.
As the final seconds ticked away inside a jubilant arena, Hockey Night In Canada’s Bob Cole delivered one of the most iconic lines in hockey history: “Folks, there’s a new bunch on the block in the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers, by name. The Oilers have won the Stanley Cup.”
Game 3 vs. Philadelphia Flyers: May 25, 1985
The next Stanley Cup Final game that the Oilers played on home ice also came on a Saturday evening. One year and one week after celebrating their first championship, the Oilers hosted the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 of the 1985 Stanley Cup Final. This was a pivotal tilt, with the series tied after the teams split the first two contests at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.
Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers. Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images
Once again, it was Gretzky setting the tone, scoring twice in the opening 85 seconds. By the time the first period was over, Edmonton led 3-1 and “The Great One” had a hat trick.
Mike Krushelnyski scored the lone goal of the second period, to put Edmonton up by a score of 4-1 through 40 minutes. Philadelphia battled back with third-period goals from Mark Howe and Brian Propp, but the Oilers managed to hold on for a 4-3 victory, thanks in part to their goalie Grant Fuhr.
Now in the driver’s seat with a 2-1 series lead, the Oilers never looked back and went on to defeat Philadelphia in five games to capture their second consecutive championship.
Game 3 vs. Carolina Hurricanes: June 10, 2006
The first Stanley Cup Final game in Edmonton in over 16 years took place, naturally, on a Saturday night, as the Oilers hosted the Carolina Hurricanes for Game 3 of the championship.
Rexall Place was a loud as it had ever been before the game even started. Trailing 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, Edmonton desperately needed a win, and the home fans were going to do everything they could to will their team to victory.
Riding that energy, the Oilers struck fast, with Shawn Horcoff tallying just 2:31 into the first period to give Edmonton an early lead. But the game quickly settled in, and the score remained 1-0 until Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour scored on Oilers goalie Jussi Markkanen midway through the third period to tie things up.
The game appeared destined for overtime, but the longest-serving and most beloved Oiler had other plans. With just 2:15 to play, Ryan Smyth banged the puck past Hurricanes netminder Cam Ward, sending the rink into a frenzy, and the noise didn’t let up until well after the Oilers had prevailed by a score of 2-1.
Game 6 vs. Carolina Hurricanes: June 17, 2006
Seven days later, the Oilers and Hurricanes again faced off on a Saturday night at Rexall Place, this time for Game 6 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final.
After cutting Carolina’s series lead in half with their Game 3 win, the Oilers dropped Game 4. But Edmonton stayed alive with a 4-3 triumph on the road in Game 5, when Oilers forward Fernando Pisani scored one of the most famous goals in franchise history, shorthanded in overtime. Now the Oilers were back home, trailing 3-2 in the series, looking to force a Game 7. They didn’t mess around.
Ryan Smyth, Edmonton Oilers. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Pisani and Raffi Torres scored second-period goals for the Oilers, and Smyth and Horcoff each tallied in the third period, as Edmonton rolled to a 4-0 victory, evening up the series at three wins apiece. It was a dominant performance by the Oilers, who outshot the visitors 34-16. Markkanen wasn’t busy, but he was good, joining Fuhr as the only Edmonton goalies with a shutout in the championship round.
Unfortunately for the Oilers, they lost the seventh and deciding game by a score of 3-1 at RBC Center in Raleigh on June 19, 2006.
Game 4 vs. Florida Panthers: June 15, 2024
Exactly 52 weeks ago tonight, the Oilers and Panthers squared off at Rogers Place in Game 4 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
With Florida leading the series 3-0, the Stanley Cup was in the house and the threat of having to watch the visiting team celebrate with hockey’s holy grail hung over the proceedings.
But there was a unique vibe in Edmonton that night. It didn’t necessarily come from the belief that the Oilers could rally to win the series, but more from a sentiment that, if this is the last home game of the season, then let’s go out with a bang. Whereas there otherwise might have been nervous energy, there was now a sense of “there’s nothing to lose.” It was freeing. So Edmonton’s fans held nothing back. Neither did its team.
The Oilers steamrolled Florida by a score of 8-1, setting the franchise record for largest margin of victory in the championship round. Seven different Oilers scored, and 15 different Edmonton players notched at least one point in what was the team’s first Stanley Cup Final win at Rogers Place.
Sparked by their emphatic victory, the Oilers beat the Panthers in Game 5 by a score 5-3 at Amerant Bank Arena, then came back home and defeated Florida 5-1 in Game 6, becoming just the 10th team ever in NHL playoff history to force Game 7 after losing the first three contests.
The Panthers, of course, won the deciding game by a score of 2-1, leaving McDavid and the Oilers absolutely devastated. They’ve been driven by that emotion ever since, bringing us to this pivotal moment tonight.
It’s Saturday night. It’s the Stanley Cup. And it’s in a hockey-obsessed Canadian metropolis. It simply doesn’t get any better than this.
