“It’s not us against just the [Edmonton Oilers], it’s thousands inside and outside the building,” said Matthew Tkachuk a little over a week ago. A Rogers Place packed to the brim with 20,000 people screaming “WE WANT THE CUP” seemed to have gotten to the Panthers as they dropped Game 1 4-3. However, home crowd advantage hasn’t really been a deciding factor with either team taking a game on the other’s turf. That being said, the Oilers will happily take all the support they can get. And fortunately for them, as the series returned to Rogers Place delicately balanced at 2-2, an NBA star was there to lend his voice to the roaring sea of orange and blue.

When the series moved to Florida, Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo joined the Panthers’ bandwagon, bringing some NBA flair to the Amerant Bank Arena. He wore the number 13 jersey and served as the team’s guest drummer and energized the packed arena before puck drop on Game 3. The Miami Heat franchise also reacted to it on X, saying, “Let’s gooooo! #TimeToHunt.” And when the series came back to Alberta again, a Golden State Warriors star dropped by to support the Edmonton Oilers.

The Edmonton Oilers posted a photo of Warriors star Brandin Podziemski in a franchise uniform. The Oilers posted a picture with a caption: “Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski is at @RogersPlace to cheer on the #Oilers in Game 5! 🏀 #LetsGoOilers.” Before the game, Brandin was asked on NHL Tonight why he supports the Edmonton Oilers even if he is not Canadian. “My first Oilers game was in, I think, 2013, in Tampa Bay Lightning, going for a family trip every year with my family to Florida. My stepfather took me to the hockey game, and I didn’t know anything about it. Just fell in love with the team’s uniform, honestly,” the NBA star replied. “Like I didn’t know what was going on, and I kind of just followed them throughout—the goods, the bads—and now we’re in the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s pretty cool.” Podziemski turned up at Rogers Place wearing a Connor McDavid sweater. Of course, McDavid arguably being the best player in the world is reason enough for anyone to wear his number on their back. But for Podziemski, the Oilers’ captain reminds him of the biggest star in his own team.

“I think I just like his demeanor. He reminds me a lot of my teammate, Steph Curry. Just a really humble star who just cares about winning and has a passion for what he loves,” he began. “You don’t hear much about Connor McDavid off the ice. It’s just all about business, and that is how Steph is, too.” Although the Oilers’ depth scoring has been impressive this season, the 22-year-old guard said that believes it’s the best players who show up when the stakes are the highest, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if both McDavid and Draisaitl do that in Game 5. Well, as far as surprises are concerned, the crowd at Rogers Place had plenty of them as a few other stars joined Podziemski to cheer for McDavid and co. Well, McDavid did get on the scoresheet. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for the Oilers, even though they had quite a few stars supporting their cause.

Stars on the sidelines for the Edmonton Oilers vs the Florida Panthers 

Game 5 of the Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers series was also a star-studded affair. Just like football superstar Travis Kelce and pop queen Taylor Swift attended Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, many other big names showed up for Game 5 as well. Legendary Canadian defenseman Chris Pronger, a former Oilers star, fired up the crowd when he was shown on the Jumbotron right before the puck dropped.

Along with him, soccer star Alphonso Davies, who plays for the national team and Bayern Munich, also attended Game 5. No surprise there. He is proudly backing the Edmonton Oilers. Speaking with Sportsnet’s David Amber and Elliotte Friedman during the first intermission when the Oilers were trailing 2-0, Davies said, “To be in the finals here is exciting and hopefull we can make a comeback today. Again.” Corey Perry did cut the deficit to 4-2 with a goal at 16:47 in the third period, with Calvin Pickard pulled to accommodate an extra skater. However, Eetu Luostarinen quashed whatever hope was there as he made the most out of an empty-net situation.

Davies didn’t text Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl when they were playing the finals last year. They lost last season. He hasn’t texted them yet this year either, hoping that he’ll reach out once they lift the cup. Well, given how things are going. Maybe he should change things up a bit.