Evander Kane’s Rolex gamble: the Oilers’ motivation to turn their season around

Long before their incredible playoff run that ended just one win away from the Stanley Cup, the Edmonton Oilers had had a horrible start to the season.

Indeed, in October and November 2023, the Oilers were far from aspiring to the Stanley Cup, or the playoffs for that matter.

Nothing was going right for the Alberta outfit, as they found themselves in last place in the Western Conference.

Yet, a few months later, the Oilers found themselves in the Stanley Cup Final.

So what turned the Oilers’ season around?

Well, obviously, the team’s leaders spoke up in the chamber to right the ship.

In November, Leon Draisaitl addressed the troops and chose the game against the Capitals in Washignton on November 24 to make his speech, as the Oilers had just lost three consecutive games.

All in all, Draisaitl’s speech was a wake-up call, but it was Evander Kane’s comments afterwards that served as a major motivation to turn the Oilers’ season around.

After Draisaitl’s speech, Kane made a bet that he’d wear two Rolexes (exorbitantly priced watches) during warm-ups if the team won five in a row from that game in Washington.

He even added that if the team won eight in a row, he’d wear a big gold chain during warm-up.

The former Oilers defenseman, now a member of the Vancouver Canucks, explained that Kane’s gamble became a huge source of motivation.

With every win, the guys would remind Kane of his bet, and he was really starting to smell the hot soup.

Before game five, all the guys, that’s just what we were talking about. – Vincent Desharnais

In short, you’ll understand that the Oilers ended up winning five in a row, which forced Kane to stick to his bet, as he wore two Rolexes (one on each wrist) during warm-up against the Minnesota Wild.

In short, Kane was able to motivate the troops in his own way, and this enabled the Oilers to get their season back on track and finally reach the Stanley Cup Final.

The Oilers forward, who was once accused of betting on his games when he was with the San Jose Sharks, was surely hoping his team would lose, so he wouldn’t have to spend a fortune on two Rolexes.

Incidentally, for the full story, the Oilers ended up winning eight in a row in that same sequence, just enough for Kane to complete the second part of his bet, the gold chain.

Well, well.

Overtime

– Norway’s Sander Skotheim, who was also a medal contender in third place, also missed his three jumps at his first height, and will therefore not be standing on the podium, just like Warner.

Drama in the decathlon

Medal contenders @DamianWarner and Sander Skotheim both fail to jump over their opening heights in the pole vault.#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/gt5OMMxNrJ

– World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 3, 2024

– A signing that has paid off very well for the Panthers so far.

Evan Rodrigues may have been the most impactful free agent signing the #FlaPanthers made in 2024 after all.

At least when it counted most.
https://t.co/mpKaB9TERh

– George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) August 3, 2024