We win
By Phil Gretzky
Hunger to win
This series we saw a hunger to win that seemed to be missing from the last two series. In part that’s due to the personnel, and in part due to being tired of losing from past series, and in part due to learning through the hockey school of hard knocks.
It all started with Connor McDavid, and if you don’t believe me, just ask Leon Draisaitl.
In the playoffs, it often comes down to who wants it more. I always suspected LA’s mix of players wasn’t sufficient enough to win the series – after all, most of their core vets had already been there and done that, so they may be lacking that extra bit of motivation to win it. Oh, every NHL player wants to win in the playoffs, but the Edmonton Oilers, who are still seeking their first cup since 1990, would obviously be hungrier than a team who was one of the best teams in the league and two time Cup champs in the 2010s.
The vets didn’t have enough left in the tank and the young players who have started supplanting them didn’t know how to raise their game in the playoffs – something that I suspect LA will remedy within the next two or three seasons as their rebuild becomes 100% complete.
LA brought a lot during the series, but the Edmonton Oilers just wanted it that much more. The Kings reminded me a lot of the Oilers circa 2017.