FACEOFF: Inside the NHL (2024) s01e06 Episode Script

1
[announcer 1]
The rats rain down.
The Panthers win Game 2
by a 4-1 score.
And the Panthers lead
the Stanley Cup final
two games to none.
[announcer 2] And the Edmonton engine
has an oil leak
after a couple of games.
[McDavid] Right fucking now.
Right fucking now! Right fucking now!
[McDavid] I am not gonna say
that I came in the room
and was looking to have a meltdown,
but, uh,
you know, ultimately I felt
that there was a sense of urgency
that our group needed to get to,
and we didn't get there.
That's not fucking good enough!
It's the fucking finals!
[Draisaitl]
We all want the same thing.
We all want to win so badly,
and he's the leader of that.
There's nobody that wants to win
more than Connor McDavid.
[McDavid]
Dig the fuck in,
right fucking now!
Whatever the fuck you have!
It's a high-emotion situation.
Obviously playing in the Cup final,
being down two,
feeling like we didn't play our best.
Not great, but not irreversible.
[announcer 1] Still holding,
and their time ticking down.
[announcer 2]
Great work by Ekblad.
[announcer 1] The Florida Panthers,
they get it out.
They're gonna win Game 3
of the Stanley Cup Final.
The puck goes all the way down
-[buzzer blows]
-And that is it.
[player] Yeah!
[announcer 1]
The Florida Panthers hold on
and win Game 3
to take a three-games-to-none lead
in this best-of-seven Cup final.
[Bissonnette]
Only ten times in the history of sports
has a team even forced Game 7
when being down 3-0.
So the writing's on the wall.
[applause]
[Tkachuk] All right, boys.
Fuck, we're that close.
Fucking that close to our dream,
and it takes a whole organization
to get it to this moment right now.
So I'm gonna go a little
off the board here. Huffer.
[all cheer]
[Tkachuk] We were just feeling it so much
going into it that,
I don't think it mattered
who we were playing.
-One more?
-[man] Yes!
[cheers and applause]
[announcer]
The Panthers are one win away
from hockey's ultimate prize.
[Bissonnette] I'm thinking this series is
over. I think it's gonna be a sweep.
I've written off the Edmonton Oilers
after going down 0-3.
[broadcaster] The 1942 Maple Leafs
are the only team ever
to win the Cup after being down 3-0.
How do the Oilers stay alive?
[Blackburn]
You know that if you lose that game,
your season's done.
So if there is a desperation meter,
it gets cranked all the way up.
[player] Come on boys, hey?
[Blackburn] If anybody can put
a team on their back
and come back from a 3-0 series deficit,
I think it's Connor McDavid.
[announcer] McDavid walks in front
with a shot and scores!
[Blackburn] You know McDavid
wants to win a Stanley Cup.
Like, he has been that guy
his entire life.
[announcer] McDavid What a goal!
[Redmond] Connor McDavid is arguably
the best player since Wayne Gretzky.
I can't imagine the weight of,
"What if I never win?"
He cannot allow that to happen.
[announcer] Connor McDavid!
[Blackburn] All this talk
about Connor McDavid,
and how good he is, and how he's
the best player on the planet,
I don't think Matthew Tkachuk
gives a damn.
[Tkachuk]
Fucking punk. Fuck you.
[Blackburn] They came so close last year
and had their hearts ripped out,
so going up 3-0,
they're one game away
from everything they've ever dreamed of.
And Matthew Tkachuk
is at the center of that run.
[announcer]
And tempers flaring in earnest,
with Tkachuk involved.
[Blackburn] He's driven by a generational
legacy to bring the Cup home,
and it doesn't matter who's standing
on the opposite side of him.
He thinks that he can
find a way to win.
-[Tkachuk] Go! Go!
-[announcer] Puck out for Tkachuk. Scores!
[Nurse] Right now, you have two players
who are willing
to do absolutely everything
so that they can bring
the Stanley Cup home.
These guys both have been starved
of the Stanley Cup for a very long time.
At the end of that period, just grind it
out. Get it in, grind it out, get it in.
[Tkachuk] Hopefully when my career's
all said and done,
I'll have a few Stanley Cups
to the name.
You little fuck!
[McDavid] I want to chase as many
as you can possibly win.
That's what it's all about, is winning.
[referee] Let go now.
[Tkachuk] Fuck are you bitching about?
[Tkachuk]
It was easy after the first three games.
You're up 3-0, you really haven't had
to deal with a lot of, like,
comeback in games,
or we were playing with the lead.
We were so confident.
There wasn't any doubt.
There was no doubt.
[Blackburn]
For somebody like Matthew Tkachuk,
given what he went through last year,
he's been there.
He knows that having three
doesn't get you the Stanley Cup.
[therapist] I remember the hit.
It was one of those things where, like,
I don't know how the hell
He was operating on, like, pure adrenaline
at that stage of the game.
I got hit from, like, the side here.
Just in open ice.
I kind of didn't really
I didn't Didn't see him coming.
[announcer] Oh! Big hit!
Tkachuk is flattened on the play.
Tkachuk's in some trouble.
[Tkachuk] So I got hurt in Game 3,
just thinking, like,
maybe a rib was out,
or maybe just popped my shoulder.
I didn't think anything crazy.
[announcer]
And a penalty coming up,
as Tkachuk gets some assistance
to the Florida bench.
[Tkachuk] And that's when I went
and did all my CT scans.
and my MRIs.
[announcer] There's no question
that was a hard hit on the shoulder.
[Tkachuk] And they're like,
"Matthew, this is bad."
Fractured sternum, dislocated SC joints.
Spasm muscles up to my head,
through my neck.
And basically like this whole area
from here to here was shut down.
They weren't expecting me to play.
And I'm like, "Well, I'm not gonna
go down that easy."
[therapist] We were adamant
he wasn't gonna play again.
And he basically came in and said,
"Listen, this is not about me.
You know, this is about
the culture of the team."
And we're like, "Okay then,
lift your arm."
And he's like, "We'll figure a way,
let's do this.
I got one more game in me."
You know, the following morning, like,
didn't Brady have to get you out of bed,
for crying out loud?
Yeah, for the next game two days later.
[Brady] That was the most
outrageous thing I've ever seen.
I grabbed him,
almost like a big bear hug
and, you know, slowly lift him.
And he was just wincing in pain.
Right then and there I'm like,
"I can't believe he's about to play."
[crowd cheering]
[Tkachuk]
So it's 2-1 going into Game 4.
I felt as bad as you could
probably imagine yourself ever feeling.
[Bissonnette]
He is just cut from a different cloth.
The fact that he was playing
with a broken sternum,
that is just banana lands.
Like, what are we talking about here?
[Tkachuk] I just hit my breaking point
at the end where I just couldn't play.
[Subban]
He's a winner, for me.
That's the type of guy
you want to go to war with.
There's a lot of guys that I wouldn't.
[crowd cheering]
[Tkachuk]
In Vegas for Game 5 last year,
I'm just sitting in the locker room
with a big ice pack on,
just being able to do nothing.
That was the worst part for sure,
not being out there with the guys
and being able to battle
to the last second with them.
Bad breaks, but try to spin it in a way
where the knowledge of hockey
keeps growing,
and how you're gonna play as a team.
So we're taking advantage of that
right now.
[broadcaster 1] Edmonton definitely
a real air of desperation to them.
[broadcaster 2] I'm certainly not
predicting Edmonton comes back
in the series.
[Draisaitl] Down 3-0,
you know you dug yourself a big hole,
especially in the Stanley Cup finals.
And whether you want
to listen to it or not,
you still see it, you hear it,
and you're aware of it.
[McDavid]
There was so much pressure,
but nobody puts more pressure
on me than me.
No media, no fans,
no friends, no family,
nobody puts more pressure on me than me.
Everyone's here filming,
so just so you know.
[trainer on phone]
Okay, I'll keep it clean.
Start on your belly,
and we'll do your pec first.
[McDavid] Anyone who's down 3-0 just says,
"You gotta get one."
Come forward a little bit.
[McDavid]
Obviously when you're in that situation,
you only have one thing in mind.
[trainer] Maximum tension.
[McDavid] And that's winning.
[cheering]
[announcer] The Oilers on the brink.
The Panthers on the cusp.
It is the first elimination game
of the final.
Edmonton looks to buy more time.
And another capacity crowd
at Rogers Place
hoping the Stanley Cup
is a no-show tonight.
I feel like we're doing
the NBA walkout right now.
In hostile territory.
[Brady] Game 4 in the Cup final,
it's pretty amazing to see.
I know it would be great for our family
for him to be able to win the Stanley Cup.
[indistinct chatter]
[Blackburn] Keith Tkachuk's considered
one of the best players of a generation.
But one of the best to never win it.
[announcer] Tkachuk is in alone, scores.
Here comes Tkachuk. They score.
[Bissonnette] Keith Tkachuk,
an incredible American goal scorer.
Over 500 goals.
[announcer] This guy, right here, and he's
one of the premiere players in the game.
[Subban] Keith should be in
the Hall of Fame. I want him to know that.
It's nuts to me
he's not in the Hall of Fame.
Hey, you got this one?
Alright, thank you.
Perfect, he's got the first one.
[Bissonnette]
In order to win a Stanley Cup,
all the pieces have to come together.
Unfortunately, Keith Tkachuk
was never able to win one.
Drink up so you can get tired
and take a nap for Daddy.
[Bissonnette] And now that his kid
has the opportunity to do so,
I'd have to imagine that's a heavy
weight on Matthew's shoulders,
and something that he wants
to accomplish for the family
in order to solidify their name
in hockey history.
The reason why he's so big
is because of me.
-Yeah. He's definitely
-I'm a big guy.
Definitely following
in his father's footsteps, I think.
Nobody knows what it's like
to be Matthew Tkachuk.
When you're a young kid
and your dad has played,
you know,
he didn't get his name on a Cup,
but he knows his dad's deserving.
So Matthew Tkachuk wants
to get their family name on that Cup.
People don't understand the pressure
that comes with all of that.
[Tkachuk] All right, boys,
I got the fucking read tonight.
[all] Yes!
I guess there's not much really to say.
Fuck, I love every single one of you.
We dream of this spot.
Let's go have more fucking fun
than anybody else.
We got Rhino, we got Bark,
we got Roddy, we got Niksy,
we got Monty as well.
And in the cage we got Bobby.
[all cheer and applaud]
Game 4 is probably the hardest one
to focus for.
I was wired.
Cup's in the building for the first time.
Doing it on the road.
[crowd] Let's go, Oilers!
[Tkachuk] Hostile environment.
It was crazy.
[announcer]
It's every hockey player's dream,
but most never get as close
as Matthew Tkachuk
and his Panther teammates are
right now here in Edmonton.
Florida one win away
from its first Stanley Cup championship.
And the Edmonton Oilers
trying to stave off elimination tonight
here in Game 4.
[McDavid]
Our focus kind of shifted to,
let's make it as tough and grueling
on the Panthers as we possibly can.
[announcer] There's McDavid!
He scores!
Connor McDavid on the scoresheet!
And it's 4-1 Edmonton.
[excited chatter]
[announcer] And it's not just somebody.
It's McDavid on the board.
And the place erupts
for his first career Final goal.
[McDavid] Just make them fly
across the continent
as many times as we possibly can.
Fuck me man, let's go.
[announcer] McDavid out in front.
They score!
The most all-time assists
in one playoff year is Connor McDavid.
Thirty-two, ahead of Gretzky's thirty-one.
[Zito]
It's very difficult to articulate
the emotional side of the Cup.
You learn a lot from last year.
We learned a lot from going and losing.
And it seems like every day
there's something new that you're like,
"Oh, that's another thing
that I learned."
But getting there and leaving
empty-handed,
it's a terrible feeling.
[crowd cheering]
[announcer] And an historic victory
for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4.
Eight to one.
Just about everything went the way
the Oilers would have dreamed.
Just a great way to push this series
back to Florida.
And so these teams
will make the longest flight
in Stanley Cup Final history:
2,541 miles back to Sunrise.
[Draisaitl] Very emotional,
very exciting night for us.
I think just the relief
of giving ourselves a chance.
[Tkachuk]
Obviously very disappointing.
But at the end of the day, we're up 3-1.
We're going back home,
you know, with a game plan in Game 5,
and we're ready to go
and try to win it at home.
[Ekholm] Ha-ha! Oh, yeah!
Ha-ha! Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!
[Subban] They brought the energy
and they brought the juice.
They brought the fight that we didn't see
in the first three games.
[man] Whoo!
[Subban] And all it took
was for Connor McDavid to say,
"It's not over yet."
[McDavid]
We played a very patient Game 4.
You know, we didn't go into that game
saying, "Let's score eight goals."
We tried to score our way
out of this thing,
and what came out of it was a pretty good
effort and a great game.
[man] Shania!
[Blackburn] It seemed like everybody
was already crowning the Panthers.
And then all of a sudden
it's a party in Edmonton.
They kicked the crap
out of the Panthers.
Now, like, there's hope
and there's some belief
on Edmonton's side
for the first time in the series.
Way to get the people going.
Way to get the people going.
[inaudible]
[Kelly McDavid]
I think knowing Connor, he's in a zone.
And this is a great win.
And it's definitely a high.
Um, but I know that he'll, in his mind,
he's gonna sort of compartmentalize it
a little bit
and, uh, move on to the next game.
How are you? You did great. How are you?
[Brian McDavid] We've talked about winning
the Stanley Cup since he was 4 years old.
Connor, you could just tell.
You watch him in the warmup,
you can tell, you know,
he's gonna have a night.
And then, of course, to break,
you know, Wayne's record.
We get one there, and they're flying back,
they'll be nervous.
-They'll be nervous.
-Totally. I completely agree.
They're not nervous yet,
but they'll be nervous after.
For sure.
[Brian McDavid]
Never, ever bet against Connor, ever.
-Okay, you ready to go? Okay.
-Yeah.
-Okay. Yeah.
-Ready to go?
[McDavid] Any time you are competing
with a guy like Gretzky,
it's always special and something
that is not lost on me.
That being said, we're going through
the heat of the battle.
We're in the finals,
we're trying to keep our season alive.
It was kind of just marching forward,
and we'll worry about, you know,
enjoying it or looking back later.
-Thanks, guys.
-See you.
[dramatic music playing]
[Lauren]
When you're partners with someone,
you go through the same emotions
that they go through.
We know how it feels
and how they feel.
You just see how much
they want this.
They're like, okay, we gotta
-We gotta win this.
-We gotta win this.
And that's where
their intensity comes from.
-Yeah, this is everything.
-Yeah.
-I just want this so bad for them.
-I know. Same.
[suspenseful music playing]
[announcer] Take two for the Panthers'
attempt at history here in South Florida.
Matthew Tkachuk still exuding confidence
this morning when he said
they are going to go capture
the biggest goal of their lives
here tonight.
[man] You got this, Connor!
[crowd cheering]
[announcer 1]
Fans on their feet here in Sunrise,
hoping to watch their team
win the Stanley Cup.
[announcer 2] Are the Oilers
ready to play spoiler
and take this series
back to northern Alberta?
Are the Panthers
ready to make history here tonight?
[announcer 1]
And Game 5 is underway.
[crowd] Let's go, Panthers!
[McDavid] Early in the series,
we were hurting ourselves with mistakes.
Trying to make something happen
offensively right away.
Fuck!
[announcer 1]
Looking for a shorty! Scores!
[McDavid] Game 5. We were comfortable
playing more of a patient game.
[announcer 1]
A Bouch bomb!
And it's 2-0 Edmonton.
[McDavid] And it paid off.
[announcer 2]
Here's McDavid. Bottom of the circle.
He scores!
[all cheer]
[player] Whoo! Yeah!
Great fucking playing.
Fucking right.
[announcer 2]
It's 3-0 Edmonton.
And they can't bear to watch
here in Sunrise.
We're still fucking good, eh?
Hey! Quick! Quick!
[announcer 1]
It's a chance for Tkachuk. Shooting!
-Scores!
-[horn blows]
[announcer 2]
Matthew Tkachuk breaks the seal,
and a huge Panther goal.
No fucking way.
[Blackburn] You can't allow Florida
to build on momentum.
You have to respond pretty quickly.
Let's go get another one.
[Bissonnette] You learn a lot
about someone as an individual
when their backs are against the wall.
And Connor McDavid showed us
everything that he's made of.
[announcer 1] Edmonton try to regain
that three-goal advantage.
Nifty move through a double team!
What a play by McDavid!
And Perry scores!
[announcer 2]
This is a brilliant play by McDavid
in the midst of it all.
[player 1] Oh, my God!
[player 2] What a chance!
[Subban]
What did he do through the defense?
Tic-tac-toe. He put a few guys
in the McBlender.
That's what happened.
What a play, Davo.
Yeah good play.
[announcer 1]
And we are through two.
The fuck are you going to do?
[announcer 2]
Five goals here in the second period.
And at no time does the game seem settled.
[Tkachuk]
Oh, my God. No way!
[Maurice] They're gonna sit on it.
They fucking are.
So we're gonna get our action
on the change of fucking possession.
In the offensive zone, you hunt.
That's where you'll fucking get them.
We're in a great fucking spot.
-[player 1] Great spot.
-[player 2] Play fucking three in here.
Been here lots of times, eh?
This is nothing fucking new.
That being said,
let's blow the fucking doors off them.
[applause]
[player 1]
Let's fucking go, men. Come on, men!
[player 2]
Finish the fucking job!
[announcer 1] To me, this third period
is gonna be about poise and patience.
[players grunt]
The Panthers clearly have to make
a comeback,
but you can't go so crazy
trying to make a push offensively.
Then you give up a fifth one.
[announcer]
Ekman-Larsson sends it in behind.
Off the back wall to Tkachuk.
And then he got knocked down.
They can't clear it. Tkachuk's alone.
Ekman-Larsson scores!
[player] Fuck, yeah!
[announcer]
It's a one-goal game.
[Tkachuk] I felt that if we could
just get one more,
that tying goal, like, we had a chance.
I just fucking really wanted
to win that game.
[announcer]
The net is empty for Florida.
The extra attacker is on.
And a stop made by Skinner.
God damnit!
[Tkachuk] I felt like I was playing
the whole third period.
We were double shifting, at that point.
Like, we were gassed.
Everything we had left in the tank
to try to get that tying goal.
[announcer]
Under 30 seconds to go.
Played out again toward the empty net.
This one's on target!
It is swept away by Tkachuk
at the last moment!
[Blackburn] That moment
was probably the greatest play
in Stanley Cup final history
for about four seconds
before it didn't matter.
[announcer]
But McDavid scores!
[team cheers]
Connor McDavid sends this series
back to Alberta.
We actually, as a group,
believed that we're in this,
and we can win four in a row.
-[player 1] Fucking 'Berta, baby!
-[player 2] Gas it up, baby!
-Fucking gas it up! Let's fucking go!
-Fuck yeah, man!
Let's fucking go!
[Tkachuk]
We should have won Game 5.
Start to finish, we were dominant.
Dominant.
We deserved a lot better
than that game.
[announcer]
And there'll be a lot of soul-searching
for the next 48 hours for Florida.
[Blackburn]
You start to worry about the Panthers
and the crack in the foundation.
The Oilers blow them out in Game 4.
The seed of doubt maybe is planted there,
but it is certainly watered in Game 5.
And you start to wonder
if the doubt creeps in for Florida.
[crowd applauds]
[man] Whoo!
[McDavid] It was a big game.
It was a big game for our team, you know?
Tough environment. On the road.
This is what our group does.
Our group responds.
And we always play great
when our back's against the wall.
And we're gonna keep going.
We're just gonna keep going,
and, uh, be ready to roll
for a big one on Friday.
[producer]
Do you think about legacy tonight?
Do you think about
"I'm the greatest player in the world
right now."
No. No. No, I don't think about that.
No, it's about
It's about winning.
It's always been about winning.
Um, it will always be about winning.
Um, and we took one more step.
Um, and that's it.
[broadcaster]
The Edmonton Oilers,
Connor McDavid
with an epic win last night.
[broadcaster 2]
Florida's got to be feeling it.
Even though they're up 3 to 2,
I think they're in
a little bit of trouble.
The next couple days,
all they're gonna hear is,
"Are you guys hearing the footsteps?"
[Tkachuk]
We wanted to end it in Game 5,
but, um, they're such a good hockey team.
Very rarely in sports
do you beat a team four games in a row,
especially a team of their caliber.
And how you play ultimately
throughout the whole series
is how well can you execute
your game plan
towards the end of the series,
and how much can you wear them down?
So hopefully we've worn them down enough
where we can get a win here in Game 6.
[broadcaster] Now we've got a series.
This is very real.
And Game 6 in Edmonton
is going to be a banger.
[announcer]
For Connor McDavid and his mates,
the job is only half finished.
Tonight, they face elimination
against the Panthers team,
hoping the third time is the charm.
[Subban] If they get up early there,
the roof's coming off.
[announcer 1] And it's headed
to Draisaitl.
With a lot of help.
Draisaitl, down low, they score!
Beautiful pass!
And it's 1-0 Oilers.
[announcer 2] Leon Draisaitl,
welcome to the series.
Let's go, what a play.
[announcer 1] In front, and knocked away.
Good spin by Bouchard, hold on!
Break away!
[suspenseful music playing]
[announcer 1]
In the express lane!
Scores!
[crowd cheering]
[uplifting music playing]
[announcer 1]
They haven't stopped believing.
And this series gets dragged back
to South Florida
for a winner-take-all
Stanley Cup Final Game 7.
And they won 5-1 tonight
without a point
and without a shot on goal
from Connor McDavid.
[man] Fucking-A, boys!
Come on, one more.
One more, huh? Let's go.
Great job, boys.
No one's getting ahead of ourselves, huh?
Next one's gonna be the fucking
hardest one, let's understand that.
This is going to a guy who
is under so much pressure all the time,
but he stepped up in a big way
and got us going: Leo.
[all cheer and applaud]
[Tkachuk] We had a players-only meeting
after Game 6.
After that, turn the page right away.
Just forget about it.
Travel back to Florida
because you realize there's one game left.
Go and win the thing.
[Blackburn]
Heading into a Game 7,
you now have the desperation
coming from both sides
because the Panthers don't want
to be known as the team
that choked it in the final
after going up 3-0.
Like, that is humiliating.
That's demoralizing.
[Zito]
I think the range of human emotions
probably courses through me every day.
You are at once excited,
appreciative,
nervous, reflective.
Tomorrow night we have a game.
Possibly win the Stanley Cup.
And how you got here doesn't matter.
[Tkachuk] The Stanley Cup final,
everything just get magnified so much.
But the emotions now are
You know, you build
for a whole entire season,
and it comes down to one game.
I mean, it's 24 hours away, almost.
It's crazy, the Cup's in the building
and will be for one team.
So the desperation on both sides
will be huge.
[reporter] If you win tomorrow,
you win the Stanley Cup.
If you lose, you're the team that blew
the 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Is this a career-defining moment?
I think the talks with leads in series,
whether it's 3-0, 3-1, 3-2,
whatever it is, it's a lot of noise
coming from everybody but us.
Most teams, when you lose three
in a playoff series,
you don't have a chance
at another game.
And somehow, both of us
have an opportunity still.
So, um, very exciting.
Kind of leave it all out there.
You know, you don't win a series
with three games.
It's first to four.
We won three. Doesn't mean anything.
They won the next three. It means nothing.
You dream about this. Like, this is
I never dreamed about, you know,
winning the Cup in Game 4 or 5 or 6.
Or, you know, scoring the big goal
or making the big play in those games.
It was always, you know,
my brother and I
playing mini hockey downstairs
or street hockey outside.
And it was Game 7.
Always. Each and every single time.
[woman] Is it seven, Matthew?
Okay.
[crowd] Let's go, Oilers!
[McDavid]
Game 7 for the Cup is special.
We want the Cup!
It's a heck of an opportunity
in front of us
to realize a lifelong dream
and get it done.
[woman] Let's go, Panthers!
[Blackburn] The Oilers have known
both triumph and tragedy
in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.
The last time they won a Cup in Game 7,
it was the Great One, Wayne Gretzky,
who made an unbelievable play
to win the Cup for them.
[announcer] Grasps at the puck,
Gretzky intercepts it, to Kurri.
Kurri puts it off the left post and in.
[Blackburn] I would have to imagine
that Connor McDavid
is well aware of that history.
[broadcaster] I get the feeling
that we are about to witness
one of the greatest spectacles
that I can remember in my lifetime.
Like, I can't imagine higher stakes
on both sides.
You never know how careers go.
This is Connor McDavid.
This could be his only real shot.
And then on the other side,
the Panthers facing
an all-time blown lead,
all-time choke job.
Unbelievable that we get
to witness this tonight.
[interviewer] Connor, in those times
where your mind is wandering,
what do you do to refocus?
There's still a game to play on Thursday,
and it's going to be the toughest one.
They're going to be ready.
We're going to be ready,
it's going to be a great game.
Just excited. Excited for the opportunity.
Excited to play.
It's the last game for a while,
so I'm just looking forward to playing.
[Tkachuk]
Take care of home ice, boys.
You fucking put me in that locker room
last year in Vegas, Game 5.
You tell me you have
a fucking Game 7 at home?
You fucking kidding me?
[player 1] You're awake. Come on, men.
You're a fucking star here, hey, fellas?
[player 2] Unshakable belief, brother.
Fucking-A, we've had that the whole year.
[excited chatter]
[Blackburn] If Tkachuk wins,
you got the Panthers winning
their first Stanley Cup.
[crowd] Let's go, Panthers!
[Blackburn]
And put his name on the Cup,
which is something that Keith never did.
But Connor McDavid
winning his first Stanley Cup
after going down 3-0 in the Cup Final and
climbing all the way back would be wild.
I don't think either Matthew Tkachuk
or Connor McDavid
could be more desperate in this moment
heading into Game 7 to win it.
[crowd] Let's go, Panthers!
Let's go, Panthers!
-[Blackburn] It can only go to one.
-[crowd] Let's go, Panthers!
[announcer]
Game 7.
Winner take all tonight
for the Stanley Cup.
[Tkachuk] I love Game 7's.
There's nothing like it in the world.
Because we're putting everything
we've ever had into these 60 minutes.
There's no tomorrow.
Win or lose, there is nothing tomorrow.
[McDavid]
It's nerve-racking. It's exciting.
It kind of plays with all your emotions.
There's really no game that you
can play in that's bigger than Game 7
for the Stanley Cup final.
[announcer]
This is, without question,
one of the most meaningful games
in the 107-year history of the NHL.
[referee]
We're good! Have a good one, boys!
[McDavid] A lot of emotions.
You know, a pretty nervous start.
Crowd was going crazy.
[whistle blows]
[announcer 1]
Penalty here, just 2:21 in.
[announcer 2]
It's gonna be a two-minute minor.
Four! Four! Give him four!
Give him four!
I don't care. Give him four.
Four! Four!
[referee] Minor penalty, 37. High stick.
[Tkachuk] It's a little bit
of feeling out at the start.
But then once something happens,
you know, you get hit, you hit somebody.
It's like, all right, let's go.
We're in it.
[Maurice] Get something to the net.
Get something to the net!
Help him! Help him! Help him!
Go! Go!
[announcer] They score!
[player] Yeah!
Evan Rodrigues threw it toward the net.
[cheering]
And a 1-0 Florida lead.
[excited shouting]
[Tkachuk] Getting the first goal
and getting our crowd into it was awesome.
Like, huge.
-[Maurice] Good start, baby. Good start!
-[crowd] Let's go, Panthers!
Let's go, Panthers!
[McDavid]
Being down one, that was tough.
But obviously the focus
is find a way to get it in the net.
Up our fucking urgency
and let's fucking go.
We gotta get one.
[announcer]
The Oilers have to take a deep breath
and get themselves back to work.
Ceci ahead, great pass.
[player] Up! Up! Up! Up!
[announcer]
Here's Janmark in alone.
He scores!
[Janmark] Yeah!
[announcer] Mattias Janmark
just tied it at one!
[player 1] Fuck yeah!
Let's go!
[cheering]
[announcer]
Well, if the teams were nervous,
it was not evident.
Very little from Connor McDavid
in this first period.
We're going to find it,
we're going to find one.
They're going to get tired
running around like that, man.
-Take advantage.
-Let's tilt the rink here.
We know this game's
going to be a tight one.
Fuck yeah.
[Tkachuk] That's a great period, boys.
[player] Keep fucking earning it.
Keep earning it.
Hang onto it down there.
Hang onto it and we'll tilt the rink here.
Stick to the fucking process, man.
[Tkachuk] Now we do that again.
We do that again. Keep changing well.
Keep changing well, we'll catch them.
Come on, boys, hey?
Skating your fucking ass off.
All night.
[crowd] Let's go, Panthers!
Let's go, Panthers!
[announcer] Bodies are flying.
There's a call here.
I fell. I fell. I fell.
I fell.
[announcer] Matthew Tkachuk
for tripping here.
[referee] Minor penalty, 19, tripping.
I fell.
[Brady] Fucking awful call.
That's a fucking awful call.
Early, early.
Should be ready for the pass.
Okay, got it.
Let's go here, our time. C'mon!
[announcer]
Oilers are on the power play.
[Maurice]
Stay sharp! Stay sharp, baby!
[announcer]
McDavid, they drop it back to him,
so he comes with some speed.
Doesn't take him long
to get to full speed.
McDavid, Bouchard.
Save made by Bobrovsky.
McDavid circles,
throws it to the side of the net.
Covered by Bobrovsky.
[announcer 2] The power play for the
Oilers goes for naught.
[Subban]
Defense wins championships.
Massive, massive penalty kill.
[McDavid]
It's frustrating. It is very frustrating.
In the moment, you're just saying,
"We're gonna get another look.
We're gonna get another look."
Just keep going.
[player shouts]
[Tkachuk] Cup Final, like,
it's not supposed to be easy.
So, like, let's go get the next one.
[announcer]
Foegele tries to walk out in front.
It was "Pray!" in the crease,
and played away from harm.
Here's Reinhart on the counter.
Sam Reinhart scores!
-[horn blowing]
-[all cheering]
[player] Fuck, yeah.
[crowd] Let's go, Panthers!
[announcer]
And this place is rocking again.
[crowd] Let's go, Panthers!
[announcer] And the Florida Panthers
will take a 2-1 lead to the third period.
[player] Fuck yeah,
let's go earn that shit.
[Tkachuk] Okay, we got it. We got it.
We gotta get it, though.
Gotta get it.
Gotta try to go get the next one.
[man] Back against the wall
one more time.
-One last fucking time. Keep pushing.
-Fucking right.
We just keep pushing.
That's it. Just keep pushing.
It's coming, boys.
[Tkachuk]
Forwards, let's all be aware too.
Obviously we want fucking Barky
on McDavid all night.
So be aware of our changes.
Make sure you're fucking listening.
[player] Third's been our best
all fucking year, eh?
All fucking year.
[Tkachuk] Low scoring, that's our game.
That ain't theirs.
They can't play that way.
We're the fucking best at it.
[Knoblauch] This just fucking adds
to our story of our year.
Fucking where we started
and where we're gonna fucking end.
All right? We're gonna fucking do this.
You got 20 minutes,
let's fucking go get 'em.
[man] Shake and bake here!
Here we go!
Come on, here it comes.
Let's fucking go. Come on!
[announcer] One-goal deficit
headed to the third.
One more comeback required
for the Oilers.
[McDavid] I was proud of the way
our group fought in the third period.
Understand that, you know,
it's a big moment,
and try to be patient.
[announcer]
Here's McDavid.
Pass batted down by Tkachuk.
[player] Hey!
[announcer 1]
McDavid lost it. Up high.
McDavid hasn't found any room yet.
[announcer 2]
They've been able to contain McDavid
and not allowing him the free ice
where he can make things happen.
Let's go, let's go, hey!
Let's go, regroup.
[Tkachuk] We locked it down so well
in that third with McDavid.
[announcer]
Down low, McDavid!
Free puck mayhem! And they cannot score!
McDavid was all alone at the net front.
[McDavid] It's disappointing
that it didn't go in.
I made the move I wanted
and just wasn't able to tuck it in.
[broadcaster] Each tick of the clock
is a little tighter.
Gets to be a little harder
to make a play.
The pressure starts to build,
even just moment by moment.
[announcer] Towards the net and tipped
over the cage by McDavid.
[McDavid] Nine times out of ten
that puck finds a way to get in the net.
But for whatever reason, it didn't.
[Tkachuk] You see the guys diving
and blocking shots,
willing to put their face on the line.
Like, that's how our team is.
[announcer]
The net is empty with 1:10 to go.
Edmonton with all kinds of pressure.
McDavid spins away.
Centers one! Oh, Bobrovsky!
Twenty seconds to go.
One last gasp for Edmonton.
[player] Go, go, go.
[announcer]
Twelves seconds to go.
[crowd cheering]
Three seconds to go!
-[horn blows]
-The Florida Panthers
have won the Stanley Cup!
[players shouting and cheering]
[announcer]
As this remarkable Oiler comeback
falls one game short.
You know, the heartache of losing
a Game 7 after just such an effort
to get this team and this franchise
back to the Stanley Cup Final.
[uplifting music playing]
He did it!
Dad, he did it!
Stand up, stand up.
[Chantal] He did it!
[announcer] The Tkachuk family,
Keith Tkachuk wiping tears from his eyes.
A distinguished 18-year career,
but Matthew has just done something
that he did not do:
win the Stanley Cup.
[Tkachuk] I'll never be able
to explain how I felt
when that clock hit zero.
The most incredible feeling
you could ever have in this sport, ever.
[uplifting music playing]
[Chantal] He did it! He did it!
[crowd cheering]
[announcer] Connor McDavid,
you know, what a regular season.
A hundred assists.
Look at the respect
that he's gonna get.
Did everything he could
during this playoff run.
Just an amazing performance.
-Congrats.
-Well deserved, well deserved.
Hopefully we'll see you next year,
alright?
Appreciate it, yeah.
[McDavid] We had our looks,
we had our chances.
But ultimately, nothing went.
That's the way it goes.
[somber music playing]
You won the Conn Smythe.
-[McDavid] They want me to go out there?
-Yeah.
[Bettman] The player who is going to be
given the Conn Smythe this year
led the playoffs in scoring
and broke Wayne Gretzky's assist record
for playoffs.
The winner of the Conn Smythe
is Connor McDavid.
[announcer 1] Connor won't come out
to accept the award.
[announcer 2] You know,
for Connor McDavid,
that's got to be a tough one.
The ultimate goal
is to win the Stanley Cup.
[McDavid]
We lost in the most heartbreaking way.
It was a moment
that I'll never forget, ever.
Um, and something
that no Conn Smythe Trophy, no
I wouldn't have gone out there
for a million dollars.
[announcer] Only one trophy that everybody
wanted to see presented tonight.
[official] Ladies and gentlemen
the Stanley Cup!
[crowd cheering]
[player] Yeah!
Yeah!
[announcer]
Well, there's Matthew Tkachuk.
It's the Tkachuk family.
Yeah! Yeah!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Yeah!
[Tkachuk] For me, 26 years of hard work
going into one moment.
So, just so cool. You can't describe it.
They say it's 35 pounds.
That first time you lift it up,
it does not feel that heavy.
And the more times you lift it now,
you realize your pecs are sore
and your shoulders are sore
because it's It's not easy.
Fucking right. We did it.
I can't believe it.
[cheering]
[somber music playing]
[Hyman] Hey, there's nothing
that's gonna make this feel better.
Nothing we say.
But I know we're gonna be back.
I fucking know we're gonna be back, boys.
I know it in my fucking heart.
There's nothing that's gonna be
Make this feel better.
This is the fucking worst feeling
in the world.
[crying]
[indistinct chatter]
[Chantal] Brady!
Brady!
[Brady]
You won the fucking Stanley Cup.
Oh, my fucking God.
Hey, congratu-fucking-lations, hey?
You won the fucking childhood dream.
You won the childhood dream.
[Chantal] Matthew.
Race, race, race, race!
Yay!
[man] Matthew wins the gold!
[Keith] I'm just fucking proud of you,
I'm so proud of you.
I'm so proud of you, man.
Fuck, I cried man.
I can't believe I'm gonna hand my dad
the Stanley Cup right now.
Hey!
[reporter] Turn around!
How's it feel?
[Tkachuk] Seeing him lift up the Cup
in front of all my teammates,
and guys I went to battle with all year
that he saw as well,
you can't make it up.
So special to me.
[reporter] Matthew!
Hey
[woman] Whoo-hoo!
Don't say it's over ♪
'Cause that's the worst news
I could hear ♪
I swear that I will ♪
Do my best to be here
Just the way you like it ♪
Even though it's hard to hide ♪
Push my feelings all aside ♪
I will rearrange my plans
And change for you ♪
[McDavid] There was a lot of, uh
A lot of pain in that room.
A lot of, uh
Uh yeah.
Like, I can't even explain it to you.
So fucking hard.
[man] Get the fucking cameras
out of here, man.
[guard] Okay, go.
[McDavid] I don't think the average fan
or the average person
understands, um, those moments.
You've just gone through
months and months and months
of just, like, grinding and working,
and all these ups and downs
and peaks and valleys.
[reporter]
Is there a moment for you personally
that you thought could go the other way?
Um, I mean, you want me to say
the chance in front, I guess.
But, yeah, I wish it went in,
but, you know, um
it didn't, you know?
Thanks.
One day, when we, um
When we do lift that trophy, it'll be
something that I look back on
and point to and say,
"This is what made it all worth it."
[all cheer]
If it's the beaches ♪
If it's the beaches' sands you want
Then you will have them ♪
If it's the mountains' bending rivers
Then you will have them ♪
If it's a wish to run away
Then I will grant it ♪
Take whatever you think of ♪
While I go gas up the truck ♪
Pack the old love letters up ♪
We will read them
When we forget why ♪
[all cheering]
Hey, Amazon, good luck charm.
[Tkachuk]
My dad played on some great teams
and, you know, obviously was never able
to pull through.
But I think if you ask him,
he wouldn't change a thing
for this moment right now.
The Tkachuk name's finally on it,
and it's so important for me
to share that with my family.
[Subban]
This year was one of the craziest years
in the National Hockey League.
I mean we had heartbreak, we had triumph.
We had the league's best player
lead his team from down 3-0
in the Stanley Cup Finals,
only to see a family legacy fulfilled.
Yeah!
[Subban] One one team
can etch their name on the Stanley Cup.
And when it happens,
it usually leaves every other player
sitting there thinking in their stall
or back home, "What's it gonna take?"
[laughs]
[Nylander] Take a couple weeks
to digest what happened.
Come back home to Sweden.
You know, get to see the family
and then hang out with my buddies.
[laughter]
Slowly start to get back into working out.
And you know that next year,
you get another crack at it.
[crying]
Yeah! Turn the camera off, dude.
[Hughes] After a long, hard season,
you can kind of, you know,
look back and appreciate everything
and be proud of yourself,
and getting away from hockey
and not just being a hockey player.
Now I can enjoy the summer
and look forward to getting back.
[strums]
I was really hoping
that we were gonna come
and there was gonna be
a lot of people here working.
At the end of the day,
I'll have an opportunity
to do something you love every day.
I think that's the most important thing.
[laughing]
[Landeskog] For me, to get the opportunity
to suit up and skate on that ice again,
I am never taking any of that
for granted again.
Come here!
[interviewer] Who's got the better sty,
between you two?
[both laugh]
[Draisaitl] When you're one game away
from achieving it all,
the hard part is more so
just the what-ifs.
I could only imagine what it feels like
when you actually do get there.
[McDavid]
This is what I was supposed to do.
I've worked really hard
to be in this position.
Is there pressure to do it?
Sure, there is.
But nobody wants the Stanley Cup
more than I do.
[announcer]
What a play by McDavid!
[McDavid]
This will be the thing that I chase,
until I can't chase it anymore.
[upbeat techno music playing]