NHL teams that lost out in the Cup Final only to win it soon after

You may or may not remember that the Edmonton Oilers lost the Stanley Cup Final in 1983, but it set them on a path to winning five Cups in seven years.

Jun 24, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) controls the puck against Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) during the third period in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) controls the puck against Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) during the third period in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports | Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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Conn Smythe Trophy controversy in Game 7? No.

Having beaten two of Gretzky's lesser playoff records for most points in a playoff season with 42 - and finishing a mere five points away from the all record of 47 in the process - McDavid became only the sixth player in NHL history to win a Conn Smythe while playing on the losing team.

While some are butthurt because McDavid didn't skate back out onto the ice to accept the trophy, let's just be honest here - stop being oversensitive and give the guy a break. He just captained his team to a Stanley Cup loss, thus losing the trophy he really wanted to win, and winning a trophy he didn't really want to win in the Conn Smythe. If you ask him I'm sure he'd rather have that reversed.

If you're one of those people - what's wrong with you? The guy is already miserable and doesn't want to face a crowd in enemy territory that was already booing his selection in the first place. Who knows how they would've reacted if he had come back out on the ice to get the trophy? It just would've made him more miserable.

That's another reason I was hoping the Oilers would win - the Florida Panthers fans have been largely classless throughout the whole series. They booed the announcement of the starting lineups for the Oilers before each game in their building, and they booed McDavid's selection of winner of the Conn Smythe. Florida is known as the land of the crazy, now we know it's also the land of the classless.

McDavid is the Oilers - and the league's - marquee player. He's allowed to have private time, especially after what happened to his team in game seven. Don't begrudge the guy because he's human. He's allowed to be human.

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