Anaheim, Calif. – Michael Peca, who has been to the Stanley Cup Finals before, knows it will be different this time.
The Edmonton Oilers’ veteran center was the captain of the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 Finals against Dallas, and while Buffalo can have a bit of a Canadian bent to it at times, this is about the nation on the other side of the Peace Bridge.
“It means the world to me,” Peca said after the Oilers finished off a five-game blitz of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the Western Conference with a 2-1 victory Saturday night at the Arrowhead Pond.
“I was reflecting back to when I first got traded and I had dinner with Mr. Nichols, the head of the ownership group, and I thank them for allowing me to try and fulfill the two parts of the dream I’ve always had.
“Part one is winning the Cup. Part two is winning it with a Canadian franchise.
“We have as good a chance as anyone now. We know a nation’s behind us.”
The Oilers got a visit from Phoenix part-owner and coach Wayne Gretzky after the game, and Gretzky was saluting the franchise he led to four Stanley Cup titles before he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. You can take him out of Edmonton, but you can’t erase the memories.
The trip to the Finals also will be especially gratifying for long-time Oilers winger Ryan Smyth, who suffered through some tough seasons; standout defenseman Chris Pronger, who came to the Oilers last August in a trade with St. Louis; and goalie Dwayne Roloson, who has had a remarkable ride for a man who essentially was put up for auction by the Minnesota Wild as the trading deadline approached.
“It’s a great feeling,” Smyth said. “Stanley Cup Finals – that’s got a great ring to it.”
Pronger said, “Obviously, acquiring Dwayne at the deadline and getting that last piece of the puzzle ultimately has us to the Finals now. I’m happy for the guys, the guys who have been here a number of years and who have been through the lean years.”
Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish noted that “a lot of times when you want something so badly, as we did the last couple of games, that when you do accomplish it, it can be…anticlimactic. But this isn’t one of those instances. There is a tremendous sense of accomplishment at this point.”
There is one more series to go.