Corey Perry may have only played one year for the Montreal Canadiens, but he has built friendships that will last a lifetime and taken something else away from the experience. During the 2021 playoffs, the right winger began using teammate Josh Anderson’s sticks, and four years later, in the Stanley Cup final with the Edmonton Oilers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed that the 40-year-old is still using Anderson’s stick.
While the Canadiens didn’t make it to the final, it means that part of their equipment made it. Perry is one of two former Hab players who have reached the Cup final, alongside blueliner Brett Kulak, who was traded to the Oilers back in 2022 in the deal that allowed the Canadiens to select Lane Hutson in the following draft.
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So far in these playoffs, Kulak has produced five points in 18 games, skating alongside Darnell Nurse on the Oilers’ second pairing. There’s no doubt that winning the Stanley Cup for his hometown team would be a dream come true for the 31-year-old defenseman who took some time to establish himself as a regular NHL defenseman.
In the offseason following his trade to Edmonton, Kulak signed a four-year contract with the Alberta outfit, carrying a $2.75 million cap hit. He’s currently playing out the last season of his contract, and a Cup win would be a fairytale ending, whether or not he re-signs with the Oilers for next season.
As for Perry and Anderson’s sticks, it’s their fifth cup final in the last six seasons, and the ageless wonder is still making an impact in the lineup. With sniper Zach Hyman injured and ruled out for the duration of the series, Perry has been asked to step up and is currently riding shotgun on the Oilers’ top line with Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
While he doesn’t necessarily have the speed to keep up with his two linemates, he certainly has the hockey smarts, and on Friday night, he made history, scoring the latest game-tying goal ever in the Stanley Cup final. There were only 18 seconds left on the clock when he scored the goal that sent the game into overtime.
Perry has been clutch so far in this final; he was also at the origin of the game's one game-winning goal when he initiated the play that allowed McDavid to feed Leon Draisaitl for the game-winner with just 31 seconds left in the first period of overtime. In 18 playoffs games, he already has 12 points.
Perry and Kulak will resume their quest for the Cup when the series resumes on Monday night in Florida for Game 3.
Photo credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
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