Fernando Pisani looks back on “heartbreaking” 2006 loss

The Edmonton Oilers are now four wins away from their first Stanley Cup victory since 1990, having advanced to the Cup Final for the first time since their magical run of 2006 that was powered by the likes of Ryan Smyth, Chris Pronger, Dwayne Roloson, Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky. 

But there was one particular unsung hero that emerged with a career-defining postseason performance, and it was Edmonton native Fernando Pisani. After scoring a respectable 18 goals in 80 regular season games, Pisani immediately threw himself into the Conn Smythe Trophy discussion when he led Edmonton with 14 goals in the postseason.

He played a key role in the No. 8 seeded Oilers pulling off the monumental upset over the President's Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings, and subsequent series wins over the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Mighty Ducks before eventually falling in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes. During the 2006 Stanley Cup Final, Pisani played the role of hero by scoring the overtime winning goal in Game 5 while shorthanded, forcing Game 6. 

But unfortunately for the Oilers, they weren't able to overcome the loss of Roloson between the pipes despite the best efforts of Jussi Markkanen. And the devastating loss was nothing short of heartbreaking for Pisani, who recently discussed the pain that he felt watching Rod Brind'Amour lift the Stanley Cup, and every subsequent championship celebration afterward. 

In fact, he can't even watch the annual tradition of skating the Stanley Cup because the heartache of falling short in 2006 comes rushing back.

"Every year when they hand out the Cup, I have to turn off the TV. It is too hard to watch," he said. "It was heartbreaking losing in Game 7. You never really get over it."

But if it's Connor McDavid who is the first player to touch the Stanley Cup later this month, you can bet that Pisani will absolutely have his eyes glued to the proceedings. 

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