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Edmonton Oilers duck media at Stanley Cup Final by holding secret practice

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Jun 11 2025, 10:10 pm
Edmonton Oilers duck media at Stanley Cup Final by holding secret practice
Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers are doing what they can to quiet the noise as they prepare for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.

After getting walloped in Game 3, the Oilers trail in the series against the Florida Panthers 2-1.

Looking to give the group a bit of a breather from the relentless media scrutiny that comes with playing in a Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers brass told reporters that they would have a day off on Wednesday, with only the scratches set to skate. On top of that, they didn’t specify what time their scratches would be skating at.

Reporters in Florida seemed to believe it was intentional, as 16 Oilers players, including Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, hit the ice.

Adding to the deception, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch held his media availability via Zoom, rather than in-person.

This decision goes against NHL standard, as any time a team holds a practice, players are required to be made available to speak with reporters afterward. There is no set fine in place for such an incident; however, the league is able to punish a team financially for this scenario should it see fit.

Oilers reporters that travelled to Florida to cover the Stanley Cup Final, naturally, were not pleased.

TSN’s Ryan Rishaug noted it was his first time seeing such a move throughout all the Stanley Cup Finals he has covered in his career.

“Clearly feeling they need to give their guys a break from the Stanley Cup spotlight that is getting hot,” Rishaug said.

Sportsnet’s Mark Spector described it as “subterfuge.”

“Oilers pull a fast one on the Stanley Cup media contingent,” he said.

We’ll see if the break from the media helps the Oilers Thursday night in Florida, as they try to bring the series back to Edmonton tied 2-2.

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