Corey Perry’s ‘whatever it takes to win’ attitude could help fuel Oilers this postseason

Also, in his latest tilt in the game against the Winnipeg Jets on March 26, the game was tied, but to wake his team up, he took on a 6-foot-7 and 231-pound behemoth, Logan Stanley. He knew he wouldn’t win the fight, but he held on and skillfully dodged Stanley’s punches. Thereafter, in true Perry fashion, he skated to the penalty box and flashed a sly smirk, knowing the mission was accomplished: square off with the biggest challenger on the block, survive and try to light a fire under his teammates.

It seems like his plan paid off. In the second period, Brenden Dillon checked Perry heavily and almost sent him into the Jets’ bench. That action may have awoken a sleeping giant in Darnell Nurse, who hadn’t fought yet this season. The Oilers’ defender came to his teammate’s aid and took on Dillon, earning a superb takedown. After the altercation, Edmonton scored two goals within the next few minutes, ultimately winning 4-3 in overtime.

That said, Oilers’ TV host Tony Brar later posted a video of Perry heading over to the penalty box after Nurse’s fight, giving a glove tap in appreciation of him coming to his aid. That simple gesture is an indication of how tight-knit this Oilers’ squad truly is, which should give them confidence in knowing they have each other’s backs down the stretch and especially as things intensify in the playoffs.

Perry’s Making Contributions Both on and off the Ice

Additionally, since signing in Edmonton, Perry’s ‘win at all costs’ mentality has been evident through his ability to adapt to any role he’s given. He’s played up and down the lineup, from the fourth line to the first and notably found himself on the top line alongside other former Hart Trophy winners’ Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on Feb. 17, where he tallied a goal and an assist.

Yet, when he’s not scoring, he does little things on the ice that impact the game in subtle ways. An example of this was seen against his former team, the Anaheim Ducks on March 30th.

In the first period, he was battling with Troy Terry, held onto his stick a bit longer than he should have and received a penalty — a trick he does to annoy players and gets away with regularly. Anaheim failed to capitalize on their power play chance, and on Perry’s very next shift, he made a huge block off a Trevor Zegras shot in the slot, which may have prevented a goal. That said, the fact that a former league MVP is blocking shots against a team at the bottom of the standings should set a good example for the rest of his teammates. If he’s sacrificing his body, they should do the same when things start to heat up.

Moreover, while Perry has shown the effectiveness of his in-game tactics, we’ve also seen hints of his off-ice leadership, having said in an interview recently about potential line combinations, “You check your ego at the door, and it doesn’t matter where you play, how much you play, as long as it’s who’s winning. That’s all that matters when playoffs come around.” He added, “When playoffs come, when push comes to shove, it doesn’t matter who’s out there, as long as they’re getting the job done.”

In saying that, Perry has won at many levels, including the Memorial Cup (2005), World Juniors (2005), Stanley Cup (2007), Olympics (2010), World Championship (2016) and World Cup of Hockey (2016). When a player as accomplished as he is talks about checking your ego, it serves as a reminder to all his Oilers’ teammates that, in order to win a Cup like he has before, the team must come first. Forget about individual stats or who’s getting more ice time. In the playoffs, it’s about one thing — winning.

At 38 years old, having earned over $90 million in his career, the fact that he’s still dropping the mitts, using his savvy on-ice tactics, and overall, just doing whatever it takes to help his team win, is very admirable. The little extras he brings are exactly what the Oilers need, to go along with their dynamic goal scoring, and it may prove to be contagious among his teammates in the upcoming postseason.