Florida Sunrise – At the moment when the Edmonton Oilers finished training at Amerant Bank Arena on Sunday, veteran forward Corey Perry waved his bat and gave his teammates high fives one by one, as if heralding some kind of farewell. However, when asked if this meant he was about to bid farewell to his career, Perry firmly stated, “It’s impossible, I have more unfinished business.”
This 39 year old forward is known for his outstanding football skills and witty satire. He denied rumors of retirement and firmly stated that he still has five years of career plans. “I won’t give up easily unless they have to cut off my skates from my feet,” Perry said with a smile.
But Perry is indeed tired of the feeling of runner up, especially with the consecutive defeats in the Stanley Cup final over the past three seasons. Since winning the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in the 2006-07 season, he has suffered defeats in the finals with the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadians, and Tampa Bay Lightning. He longed to end this pain in the upcoming 7th final.
“That kind of pain can truly be deeply felt by men,” Perry admitted. “It follows you like a shadow throughout the summer, lingering.” Therefore, he is full of longing and anticipation for the upcoming game, hoping to rewrite the tragic script of the past few years.
“I never took this opportunity for granted,” Perry said. “I signed with the Oilers in the hope that we could win the Stanley Cup together. In the free agent market, you can’t just flip a coin to decide where you belong. These opportunities don’t happen often, and the feeling of failure is even more unbearable.”
Perry accumulated 127 points (54 goals, 73 assists) in 214 playoffs of his career, and scored the winning goal in the fifth game, helping the Oilers win 5-3 against the Florida Panthers. Now, he is at the pinnacle of his career and has the potential to fulfill the dream of every Canadian child – to lift the coveted Stanley Cup at the age of 40.
“You once fantasized in your dreams about playing the seventh game and becoming that hero,” Perry said as he looked back on his 19th season. “Now, this dream is about to become a reality. It’s an exciting moment, a moment where you can fully immerse yourself.”
“In this locker room, a hero will be born and his name will be forever engraved in history,” Perry predicted with confidence.