June 24, 2024 by Eric Friesen

It’s been 36 years since Wayne Gretzky last played for the Edmonton Oilers, but “The Great One” still bleeds orange and blue.

Though Gretzky went on to play for the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers during the final 11 seasons of his illustrious career, he will always be best remembered for his decade with the Oilers (nine seasons in the NHL and one in the WHA). Gretzky was at the height of his powers with the Oilers — setting 49 NHL records, claiming 23 individual awards and winning four Stanley Cups as captain.

Gretzky even rejoined the organization as OEG Vice Chairman and Partner from 2016 to 2021, before embarking on a broadcasting career as a hockey analyst with TNT. In an interview with Hockey Forever on Instagram on Sunday, Gretzky said he thinks the Oilers will win the Stanley Cup on Monday night.

“Edmonton, I picked them at the beginning, and then we were down 3-0, and I got nervous,” said Gretzky during a round of golf. “But Florida’s good. They’re both good. Edmonton, I think, is just a little faster. And Florida, they’re grinders and they play hard and scrappy. You know, they’re just well-coached. I’m just going with my heart.”

Aside from his ties to the organization, Gretzky has good reason to believe the Oilers will win the Cup. The Oilers have outscored the Panthers 18-5 over the past three games, they have dominated in every aspect of the game, and they are 5-0 when facing elimination during the 2024 playoffs.

Thanks to their 5-1 victory at Rogers Place in Game 6, the Oilers became the first team since 1945 to force Game 7 in a Stanley Cup Final. Now, they have the opportunity to become only the second team in NHL history and first since the Toronto Maple in 1942 to win the Stanley Cup after trailing 3-0 in the Final.

Related: 3 milestones Connor McDavid could reach in the Stanley Cup Final

Though he’s only focused on winning the Cup, Connor McDavid is also on the verge of making history. McDavid has already shattered Gretzky’s NHL record for most assists in a single playoff year (34) and could break two more in Game 7 on Monday.

McDavid enters Game 7 with eight assists and 11 points in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. He needs three more assists and three more points to break Gretzky’s records for assists and points records in one Final, which he set in 1988. If McDavid picks up three points in Game 7, it’s likely the Cup will coming back to Edmonton with them.

Just five weeks ago, was the 40th anniversary of the Oilers first Stanley Cup in franchise history as well as Gretzky’s first Cup. Gretzky was the first Oiler to ever get hoist the Cup, which kicked off one of the greatest dynasties in NHL history.

Now, four decades later, McDavid can become the first Oiler from the generation to raise Lord Stanley’s mug over his head — something Gretzky predicted years ago.

“When you do win, and you will win the Stanley Cup, the feeling is just over the top,” Gretzky told McDavid during a one-on-one conversation for GQ Sports on April 2, 2020. “So, when you actually lift the Cup, it’s pretty special. You will lift it one day, because you’re too good.”