It looks like the 2025 Stanley Cup Final is shaping up to be an exciting rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers! The Oilers clinched their place in the Final with a strong 6-3 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final. Connor McDavid was on fire, scoring a goal and adding an assist to his tally. He hit a milestone with his 100th career playoff assist in just 90 games, which is pretty impressive—only Wayne Gretzky did it faster. Edmonton’s playoff journey has been quite something, right?
They’ve got an 11-4 record and a +17 goal differential. Florida, the reigning champs, made it to their third straight Stanley Cup Final after taking down the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers bounced back from a 2-0 hole in the first period, thanks to goals from Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues, and Anton Lundell in a strong second period. The players definitely played a big role in pushing their teams to the top of the league, but let’s not forget that the coaches made history along the way too.
On X, the NHL Coaches’ Association revealed a statistic, stating, “Kris Knoblauch and Paul Maurice are the first NHL head coaches to appear together in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals since Al Arbour and Glen Sather in 1983 and 1984.” In a historic twist, Paul Maurice from the Florida Panthers and Kris Knoblauch of the Edmonton Oilers are gearing up to go head-to-head in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. This is the first time since 1983 and 1984 that we’ve seen the same head coaches clash in back-to-back Finals.
Last time we saw something like this was with Al Arbour from the New York Islanders and Glen Sather from the Edmonton Oilers, highlighting just how rare this coaching rematch really is. Maurice has coached more than 1,800 regular-season games, making him the second all-time in NHL history for games coached, just behind Scotty Bowman. Paul Maurice has a lot of experience under his belt, but he’s still chasing that second Stanley Cup win with the Panthers.
Back To Back!
Kris Knoblauch and Paul Maurice are the first @NHL head coaches to appear together in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals since Al Arbour and Glen Sather in 1983 and 1984. pic.twitter.com/wErWkxugU2
— NHL Coaches’ Association (@NHLCoachesAssoc) May 30, 2025
Knoblauch, on the other hand, brings a contrasting narrative. So, Knoblauch was brought on by the Oilers back in November to turn things around for a struggling season, and it’s pretty impressive how he’s led the team to the Finals with only 69 games of NHL coaching under his belt. His calm and composed vibe has really become a signature part of his coaching style, getting a lot of love from both players and colleagues. Do you know what the Panthers did when they clinched the Eastern Conference Final?
Paul Maurice’s Florida Panthers are avoiding the curse
In 2023, Matthew Tkachuk talked about the team’s feelings after winning the Eastern Conference Final, saying, “The last thing that we’re going to do is be superstitious about not touching it. Like, nobody said we were even going to make the playoffs. I think it’s pretty cool to touch it, carry it around, and take picture with it. We earned that thing.”
Well, after that choice, things didn’t quite turn out the way we wanted, and the Panthers ended up losing the Stanley Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. The Panthers took some time to think about what went down last year, and they’ve decided to shake things up a bit for 2024. Captain Aleksander Barkov and the team made a point to avoid touching the Prince of Wales Trophy after their win against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.
The result? They took home the Stanley Cup Finals trophy after beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7. This year, Paul Maurice’s team was spotted once again not touching the Prince of Wales Trophy, steering clear of that curse. Do you think they’ll take home another Stanley Cup this year? We’ll just have to wait and see.
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