Like the “American Nightmare,” Cody Rhodes once did, the Edmonton Oilers have a story to finish.
The WrestleMania 39 main event featured Rhodes facing Roman Reigns, who at the time was in day 945 of the most dominant world championship runs in wrestling history. Regins earned the name “Tribal Chief” and ruled with an iron fist. He was in at the time, his third straight WrestleMania main event defending the same title.
This title fight featured plenty of drama, suspense, and some interference from Roman’s cousins, the Usos, and the tag team that ended their over 600-day tag title reign, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
Just when Rhodes was about to win, the youngest member of Roman’s Bloodline made his presence felt. The younger brother of the Uso, Solo Sikoa, attacked Rhodes, giving Roman the chance to spear him, retain the title, and provide the signature image of the weekend. Rhodes is sitting in the middle of the ring, contemplating what his next move could possibly be.
Like that WrestleMania, last year’s Stanley Cup Finals featured one side in the Florida Panthers, who made the previous final (defeated in a gentleman’s sweep by the Vegas Golden Knights), facing the Edmonton Oilers, who last made the final in 2006. (defeated in seven games by the Carolina Hurricanes)
Through the first three games, the Panthers dominated most of the play. Florida won all three games, and except for the second half of the third game, Edmonton looked overmatched.
Then the next three games happened, and like Rhodes rallying back against Regins, Connor McDavid and company rallied back against Florida with three pretty dominant wins, setting up the two greatest words in sports: game seven.
McDavid is seen by many as the NHL’s best player, but not even he, another elite player in Leon Draisaitl, and the rest of the Oilers could bring the Stanley Cup back to Canadian soil for the first time since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. The Panthers won 2-1 and earned the first cup in franchise history.
Fast forward a year, and as WWE made their way to WrestleMania 40, The Rock – another cousin of Reigns got involved and eventually became “The Final Boss.” Rock embraced a mix of his legendary wrestling career and his actual position as one of the heads of TKO.
Rock and Reigns teamed up in night one’s main event against Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins to determine the rules of the Reigns vs Rhodes rematch on the next night.
The Rock blatantly used his power throughout the match to tilt the advantage in his team’s favor, and despite Rollins and Rhodes’ best efforts, “The Final Boss” pinned Rhodes, leading to “Bloodline Rules” for the night’s two main event.
What are these rules exactly? They don’t exist, except that there must be a winner in the ring. Regins and Rhodes put on their second classic in 24 hours, and it included an Avengers Endgame-esque series of appearances, including all of Roman’s family members previously mentioned, Rollins, John Cena, and The Undertaker, who was the last to interfere and chokeslam Rock.
Rollins, who used to team with Reigns as part of The Shield previously, told Cody that he would be exactly that for Rhodes and sacrificed himself, allowing Roman to hit Seth with the chair in the same way Rollins did to break the group up.
This proved to be just enough of a distraction for Cody, who evaded an oncoming spear, hit three straight Cross Rhodes, and “Finished The Story.” Rhodes won his first WWE championship and ended the 1,316-day title run of Roman Reigns.
Is the Panthers’ trade deadline acquisition of former champion and Boston Bruin Brad Marchand on the level of Rock’s involvement? Probably not, but the forward is one of the most notorious players in the NHL for his tactics.
The defending champions have mostly dominated throughout this playoff run. They beat their Floridian rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in five games.
In round two, though it took them seven games to beat their Toronto Maple Leafs, they won games five and seven by a combined 12-2 score in Toronto. (They won 6-1 in both games.) Marchand, who is now the first player to win five game sevens against an opponent in NHL history, scored the last goal of the series.
The Carolina Hurricanes suffered the same fate as the Lightning in the conference finals. Even down to losing the first three games in the series, winning game four on the Panthers’ home ice, and then game five at home.
Meanwhile, the Oilers had to struggle against the Los Angeles Kings in round one, but won the last four games to take that series in six. (This is the fourth straight year Edmonton beat LA in round one.)
In both rounds two and three, the Edmonton gentleman swept Vegas and the Dallas Stars. The Stars lost to the Oilers for the second straight year in the conference finals.
The rematch is now set on the ice with a few changes.
Along with Marchand, the Panthers also acquired defenseman Seth Jones at the deadline, and he’s been a huge addition to what’s already a stacked team. Jones was spectacular in the close-out game in Toronto.
The defending champions are still led by their core: goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, defenseman Aaron Ekblad, forwards Matthew Tkachuk, and captain Alexander Barkov. Though the roster has changed around these players, they have been the catalysts for their now third straight SCF run.
Edmonton retained its Western Conference title with plenty of McDavid and Draisaitl, but fellow forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and defenseman Evan Bouchard have more than carried their weight in this year’s run. Goalie Stuart Skinner has at times been dominant during this run as well, especially in the Stars series. Losing forward Zachary Hyman to injury is a huge loss, but another forward, Evander Kane, has had another really good playoff run.
Edmonton scores 4.06 goals per game, which is the most in these playoffs, while Florida, with 2.29, allows the least per game. The Panthers are third in scoring with 3.88, while the Oilers are fourth in goals allowed with 2.81.
Are we all about to acknowledge the Panthers as the next dynasty or will the Oilers finish their story?
Prediction: Oilers in seven.
Though both teams are good on the road in these playoffs (Panthers 8-2 and Oilers 6-3), Edmonton is 6-1 at home in these playoffs.
The penalty box will be key here, too. Edmonton has scored on 30% of their power plays, while the Panthers lead the playoffs in penalty minutes. Can Florida stay disciplined and keep things at even strength?
Will Florida remain a nightmare for the rest of the NHL, or will Edmonton make many Canadian dreams come true and finish their story?
Anyone else ready for these next 4-7 chapters?
About the Author
Michael Anderson is a remote studio producer for SiriusXM and a passionate voice in the world of sports media. Follow him on X and YouTube.
More content like The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals Preview:
The Future of Sports Streaming
Amazon Prime Saves Bally Sports and Sports Fans Everywhere
Read more about The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals:
NHL.com: Stanley Cup Final preview: Panthers vs. Oilers
Sportsnet: 2025 Stanley Cup Final Preview: Oilers vs. Panthers
Become a content creator for SportsE Media? DM our founder on LinkedIn or X.
Want to Start a Podcast? Learn how to launch your own professional podcast: Get Started Now
American Nightmare and Canadian Dream: The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals
Like the “American Nightmare,” Cody Rhodes once did, the Edmonton Oilers have a story to finish.
The WrestleMania 39 main event featured Rhodes facing Roman Reigns, who at the time was in day 945 of the most dominant world championship runs in wrestling history. Regins earned the name “Tribal Chief” and ruled with an iron fist. He was in at the time, his third straight WrestleMania main event defending the same title.
This title fight featured plenty of drama, suspense, and some interference from Roman’s cousins, the Usos, and the tag team that ended their over 600-day tag title reign, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
Just when Rhodes was about to win, the youngest member of Roman’s Bloodline made his presence felt. The younger brother of the Uso, Solo Sikoa, attacked Rhodes, giving Roman the chance to spear him, retain the title, and provide the signature image of the weekend. Rhodes is sitting in the middle of the ring, contemplating what his next move could possibly be.
Like that WrestleMania, last year’s Stanley Cup Finals featured one side in the Florida Panthers, who made the previous final (defeated in a gentleman’s sweep by the Vegas Golden Knights), facing the Edmonton Oilers, who last made the final in 2006. (defeated in seven games by the Carolina Hurricanes)
Through the first three games, the Panthers dominated most of the play. Florida won all three games, and except for the second half of the third game, Edmonton looked overmatched.
Then the next three games happened, and like Rhodes rallying back against Regins, Connor McDavid and company rallied back against Florida with three pretty dominant wins, setting up the two greatest words in sports: game seven.
McDavid is seen by many as the NHL’s best player, but not even he, another elite player in Leon Draisaitl, and the rest of the Oilers could bring the Stanley Cup back to Canadian soil for the first time since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. The Panthers won 2-1 and earned the first cup in franchise history.
Fast forward a year, and as WWE made their way to WrestleMania 40, The Rock – another cousin of Reigns got involved and eventually became “The Final Boss.” Rock embraced a mix of his legendary wrestling career and his actual position as one of the heads of TKO.
Rock and Reigns teamed up in night one’s main event against Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins to determine the rules of the Reigns vs Rhodes rematch on the next night.
The Rock blatantly used his power throughout the match to tilt the advantage in his team’s favor, and despite Rollins and Rhodes’ best efforts, “The Final Boss” pinned Rhodes, leading to “Bloodline Rules” for the night’s two main event.
What are these rules exactly? They don’t exist, except that there must be a winner in the ring. Regins and Rhodes put on their second classic in 24 hours, and it included an Avengers Endgame-esque series of appearances, including all of Roman’s family members previously mentioned, Rollins, John Cena, and The Undertaker, who was the last to interfere and chokeslam Rock.
Rollins, who used to team with Reigns as part of The Shield previously, told Cody that he would be exactly that for Rhodes and sacrificed himself, allowing Roman to hit Seth with the chair in the same way Rollins did to break the group up.
This proved to be just enough of a distraction for Cody, who evaded an oncoming spear, hit three straight Cross Rhodes, and “Finished The Story.” Rhodes won his first WWE championship and ended the 1,316-day title run of Roman Reigns.
Is the Panthers’ trade deadline acquisition of former champion and Boston Bruin Brad Marchand on the level of Rock’s involvement? Probably not, but the forward is one of the most notorious players in the NHL for his tactics.
The defending champions have mostly dominated throughout this playoff run. They beat their Floridian rival, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in five games.
In round two, though it took them seven games to beat their Toronto Maple Leafs, they won games five and seven by a combined 12-2 score in Toronto. (They won 6-1 in both games.) Marchand, who is now the first player to win five game sevens against an opponent in NHL history, scored the last goal of the series.
The Carolina Hurricanes suffered the same fate as the Lightning in the conference finals. Even down to losing the first three games in the series, winning game four on the Panthers’ home ice, and then game five at home.
Meanwhile, the Oilers had to struggle against the Los Angeles Kings in round one, but won the last four games to take that series in six. (This is the fourth straight year Edmonton beat LA in round one.)
In both rounds two and three, the Edmonton gentleman swept Vegas and the Dallas Stars. The Stars lost to the Oilers for the second straight year in the conference finals.
The rematch is now set on the ice with a few changes.
Along with Marchand, the Panthers also acquired defenseman Seth Jones at the deadline, and he’s been a huge addition to what’s already a stacked team. Jones was spectacular in the close-out game in Toronto.
The defending champions are still led by their core: goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, defenseman Aaron Ekblad, forwards Matthew Tkachuk, and captain Alexander Barkov. Though the roster has changed around these players, they have been the catalysts for their now third straight SCF run.
Edmonton retained its Western Conference title with plenty of McDavid and Draisaitl, but fellow forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and defenseman Evan Bouchard have more than carried their weight in this year’s run. Goalie Stuart Skinner has at times been dominant during this run as well, especially in the Stars series. Losing forward Zachary Hyman to injury is a huge loss, but another forward, Evander Kane, has had another really good playoff run.
Edmonton scores 4.06 goals per game, which is the most in these playoffs, while Florida, with 2.29, allows the least per game. The Panthers are third in scoring with 3.88, while the Oilers are fourth in goals allowed with 2.81.
Are we all about to acknowledge the Panthers as the next dynasty or will the Oilers finish their story?
Prediction: Oilers in seven.
Though both teams are good on the road in these playoffs (Panthers 8-2 and Oilers 6-3), Edmonton is 6-1 at home in these playoffs.
The penalty box will be key here, too. Edmonton has scored on 30% of their power plays, while the Panthers lead the playoffs in penalty minutes. Can Florida stay disciplined and keep things at even strength?
Will Florida remain a nightmare for the rest of the NHL, or will Edmonton make many Canadian dreams come true and finish their story?
Anyone else ready for these next 4-7 chapters?
About the Author
Michael Anderson is a remote studio producer for SiriusXM and a passionate voice in the world of sports media. Follow him on X and YouTube.
More content like The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals Preview:
The Future of Sports Streaming
Amazon Prime Saves Bally Sports and Sports Fans Everywhere
Read more about The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals:
NHL.com: Stanley Cup Final preview: Panthers vs. Oilers
Sportsnet: 2025 Stanley Cup Final Preview: Oilers vs. Panthers
Become a content creator for SportsE Media? DM our founder on LinkedIn or X.
Want to Start a Podcast? Learn how to launch your own professional podcast: Get Started Now