BLOG: Hyman prepared to support Oilers teammates from the sidelines

EDMONTON, AB – Winger Zach Hyman couldn’t stop the tears from flowing after he received a FaceTime call from his teammates after they’d just advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.

Fresh off surgery to repair his dislocated wrist suffered in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against Dallas, Hyman was recovering at home on the couch when the Oilers punched their ticket to the Final for the second straight year with a 6-3 victory in Game 5 over the Stars, returning to the place where they experienced the heartbreak of falling one game shy of accomplishing their ultimate goal against the Panthers last year in the Final.

Then came the video call and the emotions.

Through an iPhone screen that was passed between teammates, Hyman joined the celebrations in the Oilers locker room after booking their second straight trip to the Final – something the winger was a significant part of making happen before he suffered his season-ending injury.

For the guy who stood up in the dressing room after their 2024 defeat to the Panthers and said they’ll be back, it wouldn’t have been a celebration for the Oilers without one of their heart-and-soul leaders taking part in it.

“Life has a funny way of working,” Hyman said. “I truly felt that as a group, having gone through what we went through last year in that moment, that I knew most of our guys were coming back and that we had a hunger and a fire to get back to this point.

“I’m just looking forward to cheering the guys on, and I think we're ready.”

The sentiment brought Hyman to tears, as he wanted nothing more than to be there celebrating with his teammates, but he’s going to do his best to do that in every way off the ice for the rest of the Stanley Cup Final. Hyman said he plans to be around the team as much as if he were playing, along with travelling to Sunrise for Games 3, 4 & 6 of the series to support his teammates.

“It meant the world,” Hyman said. “It was the day after my surgery. I was sitting on the couch with my wife and mother-in-law just watching, and it caught me off guard. Honestly, I was crying. It was really emotional. You feel just so much part of the team, and for them to do that in that moment meant a lot.

From the moment that he felt the impact of forward Mason Marchment’s check during the first period of Game 5 against the Stars, Hyman knew something was wrong. Still, it didn’t dawn on the winger that his season was over until the team’s doctors made it clear to him that he’d need season-ending surgery.

Like every player, Hyman had the drive to try and play through it before those hopes were dashed when the team’s medical staff delivered the news that his playoff run was done.

“I knew it wasn't good when I got hit,” he said. “Even then, you still think you’ll be able to play through it, or there'll be a chance you can play through it. Not going to go into the details, but I quickly realized when I saw the doctors that something that needed surgery, and it was something that I wasn't going to be able to play through.

“I think I was still a little delusional that I could play through it until after the surgery, obviously, and I was emotional in the moment. I don't think you fully grasp it until a little bit later, and then you can get your head around it. Some things in life you can't control, and this is one of them.”

After the injury, Hyman shared a powerful embrace with McDavid during the intermission that hammered home the reality that his season was over, but the captain's kindness went a long way in the moment.

"As a player, you're heartbroken. I hadn't fully grasped it yet, and I was just sitting in the kitchen just trying to figure out what was going on. I think I knew in that moment that it was done, my season was done, and he was the first one to come over mid-game in between the periods," Hyman said. "He called me over, gave me a big hug, and honestly, that's when I broke down. But it meant a lot."

Beyond the emotions involved, the loss of Hyman is a big hole for the Oilers to fill.

"Hyman is a very important piece to our team," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "Obviously, you see what he does on the ice with his hits, the goals, and his play is phenomenal, but also he's a powerful emotional leader to our team. He holds things together for a lot of the other players. To say that we're going to miss him is an understatement. But it is what it is, and we're just going to have to move on, and we're going to need other guys to step up, whether that's scoring goals or making hits and making plays.

"Zach has been a phenomenal player since my time here, and it would be nice to have him on the bench with us on the ice, but we're going to have to plan without him."

Hyman's absence only gives the Oilers more motivation to win the Stanley Cup after they clinched their spot without him in Game 5 against Dallas.

"That's a big reason for us to win is for him," Adam Henrique said. "He's a huge piece of this team. His physicality, his net front, his presence in the locker room, all those sorts of things. Just a great person. So we're certainly going to miss him on the ice, but he'll be a guy that we're fighting for out there."