National Hockey

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — When the Edmonton Oilers selected Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with the first pick in the 2011 NHL draft, they had missed the playoffs five consecutive seasons. They did not qualify for seven of his eight first seasons, either.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on Monday night despite Edmonton’s Stanley Cup Final loss to Florida, a nod to one of the greatest postseason performances in NHL history.

SUNRISE — The Conn Smythe Trophy was small consolation for Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid on Monday night.

SUNRISE — Connor McDavid barely spoke above a whisper. Leon Draisaitl had tears in his eyes.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Paul Maurice was once the last player picked in the NHL draft. An afterthought, almost. He never made it to the league as a player. And there were many times when he wondered if his name would ever be on the Stanley Cup.

The Edmonton Oilers' 2-1 Game 7 loss on Monday night to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final drew a mix of reactions on social media.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky went undrafted and had little fanfare when he signed his first NHL contract in May 2010. Long before he played his first game in North America a few months later, he stood out.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Canada’s Stanley Cup drought lives on, with Connor McDavid, hockey-mad Edmonton and the rest of the nation that gave birth to the sport left to wait for another NHL champion.

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Okposo used to rollerblade around his driveway as a kid, pretending he was a pro hockey player competing in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

EDMONTON — Oh, rats. Canada’s latest attempt to bring the Stanley Cup home died dramatically on the edge of the Everglades on Monday, leaving fans from Edmonton to Florida thrilled at the ride but crushed at the destination.