EDMONTON -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane grew up rooting for the Vancouver Canucks.
Now their hometown team stands between them and a chance to continue their quest for the Stanley Cup.
The forwards are set to help lead the Edmonton Oilers into Vancouver for Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at Rogers Arena on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, SN360, ESPN).
They know what to expect.
“It’s going to be loud for sure, on both sides,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “The first round in Vancouver from what I heard was a great atmosphere, so I’m excited. You kind of feed off the crowd either way with the energy. It’s going to be fun with two Western Canadian teams.”
Nugent-Hopkins grew up in the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby, British Columbia, and will have a number of friends and family in the crowd for Game 1 of the best-of-7 series.
“I’ll have to fork out some tickets for sure,” Nugent-Hopkins said Tuesday, prior to flying to Vancouver with the Oilers. “But that comes with the territory and I’m happy to do it.”
This is the third playoff meeting between the Oilers and Canucks, and the first in 32 years. Edmonton swept Vancouver in the best-of-five Smythe Division Semifinal in 1986 and won in six games in the best-of-7 Smythe Division Final in 1992.
Vancouver (50-23-9) was first in the Pacific Division and defeated the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference First Round in six games. Edmonton (49-27-6) finished second in the Pacific and won in five games against the Los Angeles Kings.
Nugent-Hopkins played his minor hockey in Burnaby and then with the Vancouver NW AAA Giants U-18 team before he was selected No. 1 in the WHL Bantam Draft by Red Deer. The 31-year-old grew up a Canucks fan until he was selected by Edmonton with the first pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
“I didn’t get to too many games when I was growing up, but definitely the ones I did get to were special for me and I have great memories from them,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “Obviously as a Canadian kid, you naturally root for the team that you grow up near. Obviously, that changed pretty quick about 13 or 14 years ago. It’ll be fun to play back there. I know the fans are excited. I look forward to it for sure.”
Nugent-Hopkins is not sure what type of reception he will get in Vancouver playing with the Oilers, who are trying to win their first Stanley Cup championship since 1990. Edmonton has been eliminated the past two season by the eventual Stanley Cup champion, the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round last season, and Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final in 2022. The Canucks have never won the Stanley Cup.
“None of my close friends (are cheering for Vancouver), I don’t think, I hope not,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “I know there are a lot of people that are a little torn here, but it doesn’t matter, it will be fun, obviously the first time playing playoffs in my hometown so it should be fun.”
Kane, who was born in Vancouver, played three years there in the Western Hockey League before he was selected No. 4 by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2009 NHL Draft. The 32-year-old is in his third season with the Oilers.
“It’ll be fun, I think any time two Canadian teams get together, especially in the playoffs, there’s that little extra,” Kane said. “You’ve got to enjoy it and try to use it as even more leverage to play your best game. Obviously, it being in Vancouver, I get to have some friends and family in the stands and be in front of a very hostile environment in Vancouver, so that will be fun.”
Kane would not compare the two fan bases. He signed as a free agent with Edmonton on Jan. 27, 2022, and was a big part of the run to the conference final, with 17 points (13 goals, four assists) in 15 games. He has fond memories of cheering for the Canucks growing. up.
“Yeah, I do, as a kid growing up in the city, you’re a fan of the Canucks and I was a big Markus Naslund fan when he was there for a long time,” Kane said. “It’s a fun arena to be in as a fan and I’m sure they’ll be as hostile as ever with a big Canadian matchup.”
The winner of the series will go to the Western Conference Final against either the Avalanche or Dallas Stars; they play Game 1 on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, SN, TVAS).
Despite not having met in the playoffs since 1992, Kane does not expect it to take long for the teams to develop a rivalry against each other in the series.
“If you go to the Calgary series (second round, 2022), it was probably halfway through the first period (we developed a rivalry),” Kane said. “That was a real back-and-forth game, I think it was 9-6 that Game 1. It was two teams that didn’t like each other very much and with Vancouver and our team, it’s probably going to be really easy to muster up.”
