Mile High Pollster: Fans say the curse of St. Patrick will live on in 2025 Cup Final

Will Edmonton in 2025 offer up another heartbreaker for Canada land?

The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will face off in the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive season, and this, among other standard themes, has sparked a debate regarding taxes and the advantages they offer to teams that can sign players and provide contracts that involve a lesser tax obligation. A rematch in the final also means McDavid could prove Canada’s hero and end the drought for franchises from up north. This pollster will address the tax debate and should give us a sense of who the fans think will hoist the Stanley Cup.

Money Talks

Astonishingly, a team from Florida has been in the Stanley Cup Final for the last 6 NHL seasons, but how much of that sunshine success can be attributed to the advantage that the Lightning and Panthers (among others) get from players avoiding state taxes? In my opinion, every franchise has more or less appeal for one reason or another, so I’m hard-pressed to say this offers an unfair advantage, although the saying is true— money talks.

The Slippery Slope of Embelishement

Another controversial topic has surfaced during the 2025 playoff bracket, as more and more players are being accused of embellishing to sell a call. The Avalanche only played one round of playoff hockey and still encountered an egregious flop from Jamie Benn. Mason Marchment was embellishing in the regular season and doubled down on that in the postseason. Refs gave Matt Thachuk an embellishment on a play that did not look like he sold the penalty, but the broadcast crew said it was a make-up call for a penalty he sold earlier in the game. I don’t even know how that works. It’s either a penalty or it’s not.

The last thing I want to see is the NHL look like the NBA. I understand the argument that it’s natural to snap your head back when you get high-sticked, but this is when we call on “the spirit of the rule and the integrity of the game.” I’m not going to pretend to know the line between gamesmanship and sportsmanship, but it exists, and I want to watch teams earn their advantages with integrity.

Rat and Repeat

Will the Florida Panthers be the second Florida team to secure repeat titles? It sure feels like they are poised to spoil Connor McDavid’s dreams of hoisting yet again. I bet they manage to give McDavid the Conn Smythe, even if Sergei Bobrovsky is the best player in the finals— again.

An overwhelming amount of voters took the Panthers in this poll, but I’d wager that has a bit to do with Avalanche fans’ disdain for Edmonton.

Canada’s Great Hope

Once again, the Edmonton Oilers offer a Canadian franchise a chance to bring the Stanley Cup back to the part of North America that founded hockey. It hasn’t happened since Montreal did it back in 1993. To put things into perspective, I was about 8 months old when a Canadian club last hoisted Lord Stanley’s cup.

Fans are slightly leaning toward another year of heartbreak for the land of Maple Syrup, but I consistently say the team that lost the first showdown often has the advantage in a rematch. It’s hard to say how that plays out in the playoff series, but I do think Edmonton should have that extra fire in them after coming so close last season. Still, it’s a no from me, dawg, as The Curse of St. Patrick lives on!

Let us know what you think of these polls in the comments!