The Buffalo Bills have experienced plenty of heartache in the postseason, including five consecutive seasons when they finished short at the start of quarterback Josh Allen’s prime.
Buffalo’s 42-36 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, despite leading with 13 seconds remaining in regulation, stands as the team’s worst playoff defeat in recent memory. Nonetheless, prior to their current run of postseason difficulties, the Bills accomplished the very unthinkable by losing four straight Super Bowls from 1990 to 1993.
Bills supporters were forced to relive the misery of four consecutive Super Bowl losses on Tuesday, in a press conference held in advance of the Stanley Cup, even though those losses are more than 30 years in the past.
The Edmonton Oilers fired head coach Jay Woodcroft following a dismal start to the season to make room for AHL bench manager Kris Knoblauch. Under Knoblauch, Edmonton completely turned around, going 46-18-5 with its new frontman.
The Pacific Division team will now play the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup. The Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup finals the previous season before losing in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights, while the Oilers did not participate in the tournament since 2005–06. When asked about Florida’s Stanley Cup experience, Knoblauch downplayed its significance and compared it to the Buffalo Bills of the 1990s.
In major moments, how much does experience matter?
That is the key question that the two clubs in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final must answer.
The Edmonton Oilers haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1990, but they made it to the finals for the first time since 2006. In contrast, the Florida Panthers made it to the championship game the previous season but were unsuccessful in their attempt to win a championship.
In the middle of answering a question on Tuesday regarding the experience aspect, Knoblauch severely maligned the Buffalo Bills.
Indeed, Knoblauch stated, “experience is good.” “How much experience is helpful is unknown to me. The Buffalo Bills will tell you how significant winning a Super Bowl is.
Naturally, the Bills went to four consecutive Super Bowls from 1991 to 1994, but they infamously lost each and every one of them.
Meanwhile, Edmonton has the opportunity to break another drought. It has been 31 years since a Canadian NHL team has won the Stanley Cup. But perhaps the Bills will have an answer ready if the Oilers don’t win this season.