Things got weird in Edmonton on Saturday night.
As the home side was getting slammed by the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, the broadcast caught a fan taking off an Oilers jersey to reveal a Panthers jersey underneath.
Who knows if this was just for the cameras or if this was a Panthers fan with too much time and money on their hands? However, the stunt caught many eyeballs, and fans had plenty to say online.
“If you know this person, let them know they have no balls. Gigantic loser move here.” – FatDad via X
“First off, this is 100% a Panthers fan with way too much money. But also, I don’t give a f**k how the Oilers do, they’re my team always. I cheered for them through the decade of darkness for fuck sakes. If that didn’t break me, nothing will. Despite what I may say on here.” – Morgan Laidler via X
“Staged. But by whom? Florida? Sportsnet?” – EnglishIrishMac via X
“That’s Leafs fan behaviour. Not a real Oilers fan.” – Roberto Marsalis via X
It would be interesting to know what would have happened if the score were reversed. In an alternate universe, if the Oilers won the game, instead of being blown out. Neutral observers must’ve had a good chuckle out of this and couldn’t blame the guy with how things went in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
“Fake planned fan. Stupid.” – @TheCity0fChamps via X
“Don’t give people like this attention.” – Kendraralph9 via Instagram
“Florida can keep him as a fan. Not a true fan.” – Antalbonnie via Instagram
“I saw someone pull a similar stunt at a Kings vs. Red Wings playoff game in 2001. Wasn’t cute then. I don’t believe it’s cute now.” – Jesse Cohen via X
“We don’t claim this ‘Oilers fan’. You ride and die with this team no matter what. Give the Oilers Jersey to a real fan, take your Panthers jersey and GTFO of our arena.” – JackieBee_16 via X
“I hope this man is made to walk on pieces of Lego barefoot for the rest of his existence. ” – Russ Jericho via X
It’s understandable why some fans are aggravated about this. You have plenty of passionate, dedicated supporters in the fanbase who can’t be in the building for whatever reason. Then they see something like this, a betrayal of some sort, considering the history between the Oilers and Panthers and what was transpiring for Edmonton in that third period.
It could have been a stunt planted by the television producers to garner more engagement and attention on social media. Maybe we’ll learn more about this fan and his true intentions in the future.
We’ll see if he appears Tuesday night in Florida for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final as the Oilers look to force a Game 7.