Corey Perry has won a lot in his career. He’s also experienced many tough losses.

Perry has won two Olympic gold medals. He’s won a Stanley Cup, a World Cup, a World Championship, one World Juniors U20, a Memorial Cup and an OHL championship. He’s also been to the Stanley Cup Final four of the past five seasons with Montreal, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Edmonton and lost in all of them.

He is tied for 12th for most NHL playoff games with 215 and will likely move into the top 1o later this year. Very few NHLers have more big-game experience than Perry. I sat down with Perry to get his thoughts on tonight’s game, the challenge of returning to the NHL after such an emotional tournament, the art of gamesmanship and how he’s been able to remain consistent in his late 30s.

Perry: I mean, they’re pretty similar. They’re both humongous games. I’ve played in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final, and played in Gold Medal games, and they’re each winner-take-all. What it comes down to is who executes the best and who doesn’t deviate from their game plan too much. And, normally, it’s one mistake, and that’s the game. There are going to be a lot of nerves, but it is exciting nerves. You have to control them and not let them get you too wired. It isn’t easy.

Perry: I would say I’m an intense fan. I love watching and I know a lot of guys on that team. I played with many of them. It is exciting. I’m rooting for them. It will be a great game. The US has a really good team, and Canada has some really good players and a powerhouse team as well. I expect it to be great and hopefully, Canada will come out on top.

Gregor: Not many games have an electric start like we saw last Saturday between these teams. It is easy to get caught up in the raw emotion like that? Were you fist-pumping or standing up watching it?

Perry: I don’t know about fist pumping (laughs), but I was fired up. I think it was great for the sport of hockey. That game is going to be talked about for 10, 15, 20 years down the road. Where were you for the first nine seconds of the round-robin game at the 4 Nations? Are we going to see a 4 Nations again? That adds to it. All those things come into play, and to think some people thought that they’re just going to go out there and kind of play pond hockey. There’s a lot of pride involved in this. And when you put on that flag and that jersey for your country, it really means something. You could see that in how they are approaching this.

Perry: You’re playing with all the best players in the world, well at least of those four countries. And, essentially, it’s the best players in the world and then you come back. You’re on such a high, even more, when you win, and you have to take a step back or relax. You have to try and find that competitiveness again. Emotionally, it’s hard, but, mentally, it is also hard. I think the guys in this room who were there, they can do that. They know what’s at stake here, and we’re looking to finish strong. They know what our goals are and I’m looking forward to having them back.

Perry: Honestly, I have no idea. It’s just kind of been natural over time.

I think as you grow in this game, as you get older and you see more things, and you see guys older than you, how they manage a game and what they do. And you just take pieces from everybody, and you incorporate those into your game. I think that it is just who I am and how I was built as a player and how I grew up. I mean, I learned from a pretty good coach in junior in Dale Hunter. He ran London like an NHL team and the team instilled good habits, and when push comes to shove, you stand up for your teammates.

Perry:  I think it’s more through action because you can’t tell somebody to go out and do something. And it could be out of their character. All kinds of different things can happen in a game, so you can’t really say anything to an individual. The odd time you can address the group, but I think it is more through action and them watching and just taking it all in, soaking it all in, and really relishing that moment. It’s one of those things that you just, you continue to just do yourself and people follow.

Perry: I think I’ve been good at just being around the puck, being on the puck, and those are things that when I’m playing well, I’m all around it. I have it. And when I’m not, you can see it. I’m going one way, and the puck is going the other way. There are little things that I picked up over the years where I know how I’m playing. I can judge myself pretty fairly. It’s just a matter of being consistent, keep pushing, put your head down, and keep coming to work every day. I love it.

Since signing midway through last season, Perry has been a wonderful addition for the Oilers. He’s produced 20 goals in 92 games with Edmonton. As Draisaitl alluded to the team has benefitted from Perry’s gamesmanship and understanding of the game. His role has changed from early in his career when he was a first-line player and a 30-50 goal-scorer. He doesn’t play big minutes anymore, but he’s found ways to contribute. I’d argue that in the offensive zone from the hashmarks down, he is still a top-six player. His hockey sense and hands are still there. Even when he was a star player, speed wasn’t his main asset. He has slowed down a bit, and won’t win many footraces to pucks, but in the tight areas, he’s still very effective.

Perry is fourth on the Oilers in 5×5 goals with 10. He is tied for 79th among NHL forwards in 5×5 goals. and he’s tied with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Matt Boldy, Bo Horvat, Tim Stützle, Tom Wilson, Auston Matthews and others. Perry is 39th in goals/60. He’s been very productive, and I’d argue he’s had the most surprising season of any Oilers player thus far. Did anyone expect him to score at this pace?

It isn’t just his production that makes him valuable. He was a great calming influence for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl during last season’s run for the Cup. He knows what to say at key moments and has 1,580 NHL regular season and playoff games of experience to draw from — on top of his games representing Canada.

The Oilers need some of their younger wingers to elevate their production and consistency in the final third of the season. It is great Perry has been this productive, but at this stage of his career, he shouldn’t be playing on your top two lines. He’s seen an expanded role at times because the wingers ahead of him haven’t been able to produce. They need to watch how he finds ways to get involved in games and contribute and then do the same in their own ways.

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