Oilers fans keep running into Edmonton players, have ‘incredible’ time

Danny MacEachern and Alex Collins outside the Amerant Bank Arena in Florida on Monday, June 9, 2025. (Danny MacEachern and Alex Collins)

When it comes to magnets, science tells us that opposites attract, though a pair of Oilers fans prove that science doesn’t always hold true for fans and their teams.

A number of Oilers fans have made their way to Florida for Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Oilers and the Panthers, including Danny MacEachern and Alex Collins.

“We’ve been Oilers fans for a long, long time and being able to be here and see Stanley Cup games has been pretty incredible,” said Collins.

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The pair, originally from Alberta, decided to make the once-in-a-lifetime trip to watch their favourite team and they ended up getting a bit closer to the players than they imagined.

“They were actually at our hotel … (which) is close to the arena, so they came … for an afternoon nap, to regroup just before game time (Monday),” MacEachern said.

Once is a coincidence, but twice is fate, as they had another encounter on Wednesday evening.

“We went for supper in Fort Lauderdale and at the restaurant where we had a reservation … there was Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman with the cast on his arm,” MacEachern said.

The couple was at Monday’s game at Amerant Bank Arena. They will also be in the stands for Game 4 and will be cheering for a better outcome.

“(On Monday) they took some dumb penalties they didn’t need to, they didn’t get Skinner the support he needed, they didn’t get the offense they needed,” MacEachern said.

“As long as they play a more disciplined game tonight, they’re going to be fine.”

They aren’t the only ones sporting orange and blue down south, and say the camaraderie with other Oilers fans has made the trip even more special, though the team always has a place in their hearts.

“I was pregnant with our daughter during the 2006 Stanley Cup run, so that was something really special, and I gave birth to her just shortly after the end of that run,” Collins said.

“I really associate the Oilers with that time of our lives and our relationships, so it’s always been something really special for our family.”

Puck drop in Florida for Game 4 is 6 p.m. MT Thursday.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Evan Kenny