Sports psychology says Oilers, fans don’t need to worry – yet

With the Oilers down 2-0 in the Stanley Cup final, it might be a little hard to see the bright side and hope the Oilers claw their way back.

But a University of Alberta sports psychology professor says the Oilers should be blocking out the negative noise, and so should you. 

“It’s too early to panic, there’s a long way to go,” said John Dunn, professor at the University of Alberta.

“If they win Thursday night and they’re one game down, things will be looking rosy. If they’re three nothing down — that’s a different story altogether. “

Dunn says fans of the last Canadian team in the Stanley Cup playoffs don’t have to worry — yet. While the professor isn’t working with the Oilers, he does have a connection: he worked with the University of Alberta Golden Bears at the same time Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch was a player in the late ’90s. 

Oilers fans have been close to the Cup before. In 2006, the Oilers were down 2-0 in their Stanley Cup final series against the Carolina Hurricanes before fighting their way to Game 7 — eventually losing to Carolina. 

While it’s hard not to be superstitious and look to the past, Dunn advises against it.

“I know some people talk about ‘well the past is a good predictor of the future.’ In sport, especially in this context, I’m not sure that’s the case. Even last night we hit a crossbar, we hit a post, imagine one of those goes in and then it’s a different game.”

The Oilers may owe part of their playoff success this year to sports psychology. They have been working with 72-year-old sports psychologist George Mumford, who has worked with famed athletes like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. 

Oilers fans CityNews spoke to say they haven’t given up hope yet.

“I’m staying positive, I still think they can beat Florida, 100 per cent. I’m a real fan and I still think they can beat them.”