The Curse of Corey Perry Now Extends to the Edmonton Oilers

Corey Perry told reporters he wanted five more years in the league after this year. He likely doesn’t want those five years to include another four Stanley Cup Final losses, though.

With Edmonton’s 2-1 loss in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final Monday night, Perry was foiled in his fourth Stanley Cup Final in five years–each with a different team.

He’s become a trivia question now either on Jeopardy some day or in a bar somewhere with hockey mavens waiting for a chance to pounce. Perry, who was Public Enemy #1 in Chicago for over a decade, signed a one-year deal with the Blackhawks after a trade with Tampa Bay last June. That ended with a disastrous week in November, with Perry’s contract being terminated by the Blackhawks following an inappropriate workplace matter that was never fully revealed.

Perry later released his own statement, seeking help for alcohol abuse and taking time away from the sport. In January after speaking with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Perry signed a one-year deal with the Oilers to try and add a little bit of grit and veteran presence.

So when Perry and the Oilers ended up in the Stanley Cup Final, it looked like a chance for Perry to get a storybook ending to what had been a hellish few months. A storybook ending was slammed shut and instead, made way for a disappointing bit of hockey history that no player, let alone Perry, would want to be a part of.

Corey Perry, asked if tmw will be his last game:

"Uh, no. I've got more in me. I've got lots more in me: five more years."

(Media scrum laughs).

"What's so funny? I feel like I'm 25!"

— Mark Spector🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@SportsnetSpec) June 23, 2024

Four Losses With Four Different Teams for Corey Perry

Perry’s dubious achievement is losing with four different organizations in five seasons–all in the Stanley Cup Final. In 2020, his Dallas Stars fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 2021 as a member of the Montreal Canadiens, he once again saw the Lightning hoist the Cup. 2022 saw him go for the three-peat with the Lightning–only to get the reverse Marian Hossa treatment and lose, instead of win with that third consecutive appearance in a Final.

Then there’s 2024, a fourth Stanley Cup Final in five seasons–likely the cruelest of all after the Oilers climbed out of a 3-0 hole to fall short of the Cup by a goal.

Corey Perry, now becomes the first player in NHL history to lose in the Stanley Cup Final 4 times in 5 years with 4 different teams pic.twitter.com/OOJMflwty8

— Hockey Jerseyz (@HKYJersey) June 25, 2024

Now, Perry won a Cup with Anaheim back in 2007 so it’s not as if he never took a lap. But what a way to close out a turbulent start to a season that saw him get to Game Seven with the Cup.

The Curse of Corey Perry extended to another team this season. Hockey fans of a certain age can say they remember where they were when that trivia question eventually comes up.