Oilers made unwanted NHL history in back-to-back Stanley Cup losses to Panthers

Another year, another NHL season in which a Canadian team has failed to lift the Stanley Cup. It's been 32 years since the Montreal Canadiens were kings of the league (1993) and the Edmonton Oilers have now blown two straight opportunities to end their national title drought.

The Oilers fell 5-1 in Game 6 of this year's Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers, ending the series one game sooner than last year's final in which Edmonton fell to the same opponent. That means the Oilers made some kind of history this season. Just not the kind they wanted.

Edmonton became the first team in 47 years to lose to the same opponent in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. The Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues were both defeated, ironically, by the Montreal Canadiens in back-to-back seasons (1977-78 and 1968-69, respectively).

Is the Canadian Stanley Cup curse now just the Oilers Cup curse?

To add insult to injury, it seems that Edmonton has been the key to deciding the winner of the Stanley Cup the whole time in recent years. In fact, each of the last four NHL champions have defeated the Oilers at some point in the playoffs. That's only ever happened twice before in league history.

The Colorado Avalanche beat Edmonton in the 2022 Western Conference Finals, later lifting the Stanley Cup. The Las Vegas Golden Knights beat the Oilers in the 2023 Western Conference second round, later earning the franchise's first-ever championship. And Florida beat them in the 2024 and 2025 finals for its first and second-ever titles.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champions from 1938-41, and the Bruins fell victim from 1977-80 — including those back-to-back finals losses to Montreal.

If the Oilers somehow lose to the eventual champion for a third straight year, they would become just the third team in NHL history to accomplish that unwanted feat. The Maple Leafs (1938-40) and Blues (1968-70) would surely enjoy the company.

Now, if Florida and Edmonton somehow recreate this year's Stanley Cup Finals result in 2026, then the Oilers would be making pure NHL history as the first team to ever lose three consecutive championships to the same team — and vice versa for the Panthers.