Former Wisconsin men’s hockey player among Big Ten alums in NHL Stanley Cup Final
Former Wisconsin men’s hockey left wing Dylan Holloway is one of five Big Ten alums to reach the Stanley Cup Final this summer.
The 6-foot-1, 206-pounder will represent the Edmonton Oilers during their 2024 title run. Pitted against the Florida Panthers, the Edmonton Oilers laced up for game one on Saturday night in Sunrise, Florida.
Holloway will share the ice with fellow conference alumni Zach Hyman, William Lockwood, Mackie Samoskevich and Kyle Okposo. Hyman, Lockwood and Samoskevich represented the University of Michigan during their collegiate tenures, and Okposo attended the University of Minnesota before making the jump to the NHL.
Drafted 14th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, Holloway played his final season at UW in 2020-21. The same season, he earned a First-Team All-Big Ten nod and was named a Top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as a sophomore.
Holloway appeared in 58 games during his two years in Madison and totaled 19 goals, 33 assists and 52 points from 2019-21.
Through two NHL seasons, the Bragg Creek, Alberta native has registered 18 points in 89 career games in Edmonton. He has scored three goals in 18 playoff games for the Oilers this postseason.
Here are some of the Edmonton Oilers’ famous fans.
With the Edmonton Oilers set to compete in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, it’s worth taking a look at the famous fans who root for the Oilers in their journey to a championship.
From a major rock band to a television actor, these five sets of Oilers supporters help represent the fandom on stage and on the screen.
We might even include a few … photographs … with the names of these fans.
Let’s take a look at who they are and how they’re linked to the team.
Brett Kissel
Jeremy Chan/Getty Images
The Canadian country musician is an Oilers supporter, per the NHL. The Edmonton fan recently took over a Vancouver radio station to rep for his beloved hockey team.
Per the NHL, the Alberta natives of Nickelback support the home team. The Canadian rock band performed at the Tim Horton’s NHL Heritage Classic last year at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium. The Oilers have fully embraced the band’s fandom, too.
Ouch! Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch takes shot at Bills ahead of Stanley Cup Final
Well, that was uncalled for, Kris.
The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will do battle in the upcoming NHL Stanley Cup Final. Ahead of the series, Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch was asked about championship experience … or lack thereof for his team.
In answering how important having that is, he mentioned the Buffalo Bills. And not in the nicest of ways.
Knoblauch, referring to the four straight Super Bowls the Bills lost in the early ’90s, used the football team as an example of why experience might not matter all that much.
Knoblauch’s comment can be found in the Sportsnet clip below:
"You can ask the Buffalo Bills how important Super Bowl experience is."
There’s going to be SO much jet lag during this year’s Stanley Cup Final.
Whoever charters the planes for the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers during this year’s Stanley Cup Final better ensure the seating is extra comfortable.
And that’s putting it lightly.
As Connor McDavid’s Oilers get set to square off against Matthew Tkachuk’s Panthers during Game 1 of the NHL’s championship round later this week, both teams will have much more to contend with than just the on-ice battle.
According to ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark, the travel distance between the city of Edmonton and the town of Sunrise, Florida (which is just north of Miami) is 2,541 miles. That is officially the longest travel distance in Stanley Cup Final history, surpassing the trek the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins had to make all the back in 2011.
This year’s Stanley Cup final between the Oilers and Panthers will be the furthest between two cities in NHL history, per ESPN Stats and Information.
It’s a distance of 2,541 miles. Here’s a chart previous long-distance Cup finals: pic.twitter.com/vvilygdn60
The NHL appears to have accounted for this distance by giving the Oilers and Panthers at least three segments of three-day rest between games if the Stanley Cup Final goes seven games. Even still, traveling that far multiple times in a 2-2-1-1-1 series format is just wild to consider.
Whoever can beat jet lag best will probably hoist the Stanley Cup.
He’s basically been an All-Star since he’s come into the league, making the game for seven out of the nine years he’s played. He’s a three-time Hart Trophy winner already at just 27 years old. He’s led the league in total points and assists multiple times. There’s not much more you can say about his time in Edmonton.
Well, actually, there is one thing. He’s never won The Cup.
That’s the only thing missing — that elusive Stanley Cup. The Oilers have never even made the Finals until now during McDavid’s reign. This is the first time Edmonton has been back since 2006.
If McDavid wins this? He’ll solidify himself at 27 years old as one of the greats in the game and he’ll do it with the same franchise Gretzky put on the map.
But standing in his way are the Florida Panthers. And — let me tell you — that is not a team that budges easily. Just ask the New York Rangers.
This is a chance at redemption for Florida. Last season, after making it to the Finals, the Panthers lost 4-1 to the Golden Knights. You can’t blame them — that team was decimated by injury by the time the Finals rolled around. This year, it’s a different story. Florida is healthy and hungry.
Nobody on that side cares about McDavid’s place in NHL history. The Panthers only care about making up for lost time. And, let me tell you, they’ve been playing like the NHL owes them one all postseason long. The Panthers have been beating up opponents and fighting to get back. There was no way Florida was going to miss these Finals.
This is going to be an excellent series. Lock in. It all starts on Saturday.
Caitlin Clark has more to worry about than being bullied
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to a call during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at Grainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Once again, this weekend, we got a bunch of whining from the outside about somebody being a little too physical with Caitlin Clark.
Give me a break with the copious amounts of hand-wringing here. You’d think none of these folks have watched — let alone played! — professional sports before. Rookies struggle. Sometimes, things get physical. Sometimes, players don’t like each other! It is what it is.
Clark and the Fever have much bigger problems. Both Clark and Aliyah Boston suffered minor injuries against the Liberty on Sunday. They’ll both recover. But, more importantly, Clark can’t seem to figure out how to beat WNBA defenders and the team’s offense runs through her right now.
That’s the bottom line when it comes to their problems. Figure that out and, I guarantee you, the extra stuff won’t feel half as important as everyone is making it out to be.
Straight cash, homie
(Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Justin Jefferson is laughing straight to the bank, folks. The Minnesota Vikings wideout just signed a deal making low-level quarterback money.
Jefferson inked a four-year, $140 million deal with the Vikings that includes a $110 million guarantee. That includes $88.7 million due at the deal’s signing, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
This is the biggest non-QB deal in NFL history, according to Schefter, just eking out Nick Bosa’s deal with the 49ers by $1 million. He’ll be making $35 million annually.
Welp. I guess folks can cancel all of those trade talks surrounding Jefferson. He just cashed out, folks. Good on the Vikings for finally getting this done. It’s about time.
Quick hits: The greatest NBA Finals ever … An incredible baseball trick … and more
But there he was, with the Oilers sealing up Game 4 on Wednesday night and attempting to score on an empty net, taking his stick and slashing leading playoff scorer Leon Draisaitl with two hands, which very much looked deliberate and could be interpreted as an intent to injure.
After review, Pietrangelo was given a five-minute major and game misconduct, although it wasn’t a match penalty. Still, it’s time for Player Safety to take a look at this and suspend the defenseman for at least a game.
Alex Pietrangelo gives Leon Draisaitl a two-handed slash after an empty net opportunity. pic.twitter.com/wziPdleLDx
Evander Kane has made yet another undisciplined play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Evander Kane is once again in hot water after yet another undisciplined play and the NHL has no choice but to act this time.
On Monday, during Game 3 of the Edmonton Oilers’ second round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Kane took a run at Alex Pietrangelo at the end of the first period. After the horn blew to signal time, Kane finished his check into Pietrangelo, cross-checking the Golden Knights’ defenseman in the face with this stick.
Kane was assessed a two-minute minor for cross-checking to give the Golden Knights a power play to start the second, as the play was as unnecessary as it comes.
While the officials on the ice gave Kane a minor penalty for the infraction, the Oilers’ forward has been stirring the pot all series long for Edmonton. In Game 2, Kane received a double minor and a 10-minute misconduct for roughing after this brutal scrum where he landed multiple body blows to a defenseless player on the ice.
Referee Kelly Sutherland getting out his handy dandy notebook while Evander Kane lands 5 unanswered body shots to Kolesar, lying on his back. pic.twitter.com/TRD2QRfOgB
“When you want to [expletive] around, sometimes you gotta find out.”
Well, considering Kane has been at the center of two reckless plays in two games, surely now is when he finds out about consequences? Yes, the referees on the ice penalized Kane for the dangerous cross-check, but enough should be enough for him at this point.
Here’s how NHL fans reacted to Kane’s dangerous cross-check to the head of Pietrangelo.
A resident of Southern California, Will Ferrell is well known for showing off his passion for the region’s professional sports teams. In particular, of late, Ferrell is a fixture at Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings — since both squads are in the playoffs at the same time.
With the Kings battling the Edmonton Oilers, Ferrell recently broke out some crazy face Kings-inspired face paint to show his love for his favorite hockey team. It’s cool to see such commitment from him, but there’s just one problem:
Oilers fans noticed Ferrell’s recent elaborate face paint and recreated it to a tee on Tuesday night:
If that weren’t enough salt in the wound for Ferrell, the Oilers have won the last two games — while scoring “face” goals — to take a 3-2 series lead and put the Kings on the brink of elimination. So, fans troll Ferrell’s face paint, and his team is losing the series. Brutal!
But Zach Hyman of the Edmonton Oilers topped him just hours later.
In the Oilers’ 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series, Hyman — who scored the overtime game-winner in Game 4 — was in front of the net when a slap shot from Evan Bouchard hit him right in the face … and then went into the net. It counts, although Hyman was of course in some pain.
It won’t surprise you at all to know that Hyman stayed in the game.
On Wednesday night, McDavid notched 60 goals for the first time in his already illustrious career. He’s the fourth player this century to score at least 60 goals in a season (after Alexander Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, and Auston Matthews) and is the fastest to reach the milestone (just 72 games) in the salary cap era.
After scoring his 60th goal to beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 in overtime, McDavid was clearly feeling himself in an NHL on TNT postgame interview. He seemed to (understandably) be over the moon. When analyst Paul Bissonnette — a former NHL player — asked McDavid about whether he could get a special shirt the Oilers star was wearing to spark a comeback, McDavid responded with the most casual zinger:
PHEW. I personally love how McDavid barely cracks a smile while saying Bissonnette is where he should be. That’s what makes the delivery of the joke perfect. Hey, when you’re king of the hockey world, you’re free to say things like this in any tone you want.
