Hockey is a fickle sport, and so few get to reach the pinnacle and have a chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Mug.
So when an opportunity presents itself to have a chance to do so, it’s hard not to relish in it.
And that’s exactly what the likes of Corey Perry and Adam Henrique are doing.
“I didn’t know where I was going to go, but I’m happy to be here, I’m happy to be apart of it,” said Perry, who started his season with the Chicago Blackhawks, signing with the Oilers in January, two months after his prior deal was terminated.
Perry’s no stranger to these streets. After all, this year’s Stanley Cup Finals are the fifth of his career, having gone to the final dance with the Stars, Canadiens, Lightning and the Ducks, the latter of whom he won his only title in 2007.
But that won’t stop him from soaking these moments in.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything. This is why we play the game of hockey, it’s what we grow up playing for,” said Perry. “It’s a tough trophy to win. It takes a lot of work, and sacrifice, and I think these guys are willing to do that.”
Henrique is another player who joined the Oilers partway through the season, arriving in a March 6 trade from the Anaheim Ducks alongside Sam Carrick.
He got his first taste of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012 with the team that drafted him, the New Jersey Devils, but only saw four other playoff games before arriving in Edmonton through no fault of his own. Over the years he had found himself on teams that weren’t playoff squads, let along ones that could go on a run as deep as these Oilers have in 2024.
“It’s been a lot of fun for me,” said Henrique. “Coming to a team with the aspirations of where we’re at and having an opportunity to win is special.
“I’ve been on a lot of rebuilding teams and teams that haven’t had this opportunity, so it’s something I don’t take for granted. To be a part of the group has been almost a bit rejuvenating, I guess, in a way. With the group that’s here, it’s a special group to be a part of and try to find my way within the group, find a role, that sort of thing, the guys have been great here and made the transition easy, which certainly helps.
“The change can be difficult sometimes I think for guys, so for me, the guys have done a great job just welcoming me and making it as easy as possible, so I can just go out and play hockey.”
Henrique found himself skating alongside Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown in Wednesday’s practice, continuing to highlight his versatility within Edmonton’s lineup. Throughout the playoffs, he’s played minutes with virtually every forward on the roster taking shifts on each line at various points.
“I think Knobber (Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch) does a good job of moving guys around, up, down, centre, wing,” added Henrique.
“I think to have that is a great asset in the group. And I think guys do a great job moving around and continuing to play, which says a lot about the group and in here, it’s a confident group. A lot of guys can play with a lot of different players and really don’t miss a beat.”
The Oilers will look to bounce back in the Stanley Cup Finals Thursday night after losing the first two games of the series in Florida. Puck drop is set for just after 6:00 p.m. MST.
