“It will be fun to play back there. I know the fans, they’re excited. So, I look forward to it. I’ll have to fork out some tickets, for sure, but it comes with the territory and I’m happy to do it.”
Published May 07, 2024 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 3 minute read
Edmonton Oilers forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane would like nothing more than to see the Stanley Cup go to Vancouver.
No, not as in seeing the Vancouver Canucks finally win the bloody thing.
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More like taking turns over the off-season touring the shiny chalice throughout their hometown as 2023-’24 champions.
But before they can think about that happening, they first have to knock off their hometown team in the Western Conference second-round playoff series between the Oilers and Canucks, which gets underway Wednesday (8 p.m., Sportsnet, CBC).
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“I know, I’m sure, a lot of people that are a little torn here, but it doesn’t matter, it’ll be fun. Obviously the first time playing playoffs in my hometown,” said Nugent-Hopkins, who hails from Burnaby, B.C., in the heart of metro Vancouver. “I expect it to be loud, for sure. On both sides. I know in the first round in Van., from what I heard it was a great atmosphere. So, we’re excited.
“You kind of feed off the crowd, either way I think it gives you energy. So, it’s going to be fun. Two Western Canadian teams.”
The last two Canadian teams standing, in fact.
And ones that don’t necessarily like each other much, regardless of the three decades that have passed since their last playoff meeting back in 1992.
Since then, both clubs never seemed to peak at the same time.
“When I first got in, obviously they were a good team,” Nugent-Hopkins said of his rookie NHL season in 2011-’12, when the Canucks were fresh off an appearance in the Stanley Cup final. “We were kind of building to become a good team and it kind of switched for a bit. Obviously, now we’re both at a similar level here and seeing each other in the second round.
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“When one team’s good and one team’s struggling a little bit, you don’t build that rivalry quite the same. But of course we’ve seen each other over the years and it doesn’t really matter because both sides have the same goal and are going to do whatever it takes to get there.”
This season began with the Canucks handing the Oilers an 8-1 loss in their opener at Rogers Arena, on the way to sweeping all four regular-season head-to-heads. Three of those results came while the Oilers were off to a 2-9-1 start that led to a coaching change, mid-stream. So, there are certainly the building blocks for hostility, at least, in this one.
“It will be fun. I think anytime two Canadian teams get together, especially in the playoffs, there’s that little extra and you’ve got to enjoy it and try to use it as even more leverage to play your best game,” Kane said. “Obviously, with it being Vancouver I’m going to have some friends and family in the stands and be in front of a very hostile environment.”
He’s not necessarily expecting it to become the next Battle of Alberta, which Kane participated in on the way to a 4-1 series win in the second round of the 2021-’22 playoffs.
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“Obviously, two teams that didn’t like each other very much. I think with Vancouver and our team, that’s probably going to be very easy to muster up.”
Both Nugent-Hopkins and Kane, who are playing on the Oilers second line centred by Leon Draisaitl, remember what it was like attending Canucks games in the past.
“I didn’t get to too many games when I was growing up, but definitely the ones that I did get to were special for me and I have great memories from them,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “As a Canadian kid, you naturally root for the team that you grew up near. Obviously, that changed pretty quick about 13-14 years ago.
“It will be fun to play back there. I know the fans, they’re excited. So, I look forward to it. I’ll have to fork out some tickets, for sure, but it comes with the territory and I’m happy to do it.”
Now that they’re in Oilers blue, however neither one is expecting any sort of happy homecoming when it comes to the current crop of Canucks faithful.
“Obviously, as a kid growing up in the city you’re a fan of the Canucks, I was a big Markus Naslund fan when he was there for a long time,” Kane recalled. “It’s a fun arena to be in as a fan and I’m sure they’ll be as hostile as ever with a big Canadian matchup.”
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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