Corey Perry has made it to the Stanley Cup Final three times in four years but was on the losing end all three times. Is the 2024 Cup Final the one where it finally goes his way?

Corey Perry was just 21 when he hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career. It was his second full season in the NHL, coming off a 44-point campaign where he played all 82 games

He wouldn't have a point total as low as that again in a season where he played all 82 games until 15 seasons later as a 36-year-old on the Tampa Bay Lightning, his first of two with the team.

The 2021-22 season was also Perry's third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. All three trips came with three different teams: the Montreal Canadiens, the Dallas Stars and the Lightning. Unfortunately, Perry and his teammates could not reach the summit in any of those three attempts.

But now, Perry is back in the Stanley Cup Final again––his fourth time in five seasons––with another new team, the Edmonton Oilers. After having his signing rights traded by the Lightning to the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2023 NHL Draft, Perry signed a one-year, $4 million deal.

His role? Be a mentor for the Blackhawks' newest star, Connor Bedard, whom the Blackhawks drafted first overall at that draft. Also, be a nuisance on the ice to opponents, a role Perry has had no trouble doing throughout his 19-year career.

However, the Blackhawks terminated Perry's contract in November, saying he violated his standard player contract and team policies "intended to promote professional and safe work environments."

Both Perry and the Blackhawks declined to provide details regarding his termination. Perry apologized for his actions and began seeking help for alcohol abuse.

After meeting with Commissioner Gary Bettman in January, Perry was back in the league, signing a veteran's minimum deal with the Oilers on Jan. 22. In March, the NHL and the NHL Player's Association reached an undisclosed settlement to resolve Perry's situation with the Blackhawks.

Perry had 13 points in 38 regular season games for the Oilers, providing veteran depth on a team looking to make a Cup run. But this playoff run in particular has been a tough one for Perry. He did not register a single point through the first two rounds of the playoffs and was a healthy scratch for Games 6 and 7 of the second round. He was also a healthy scratch for the first three games of the Western Conference Final.

But the one they call "The Worm" was re-inserted into the lineup for Game 4 and collected his first point of the playoffs. He would remain in the lineup for the next three games, all three of them being Oilers victories.

Perry told ESPN's Emily Kaplan before Game 6 of the Western Conference Final that the opportunity to celebrate a Cup win with his son, Griffen (7), would almost mean more to him than his first time winning the Cup. Perry is the only player on the Oilers roster who has previously won the Cup. He is also the only player in NHL history to play in the Conference Final for five different teams.

Perry and the Oilers will be facing a tough opponent in the Florida Panthers, who return to the Stanley Cup Final after making their second Cup Final appearance in franchise history last season. They also appear to be in better shape this time around, after falling in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights last season.

Perry just turned 39 last month. If the Oilers were to win the Cup, would he take the opportunity to end his career on a high note? Or would he continue to play until he's 40?

His former teammate Joe Pavelski recently confirmed that he would be retiring from the NHL after he and the Dallas Stars fell to Perry's Oilers in the Conference Final.

Another loss in the Cup Final would feel like a backbreaker for the former Hart Trophy winner, who only has so much time left in his playing career. One last opportunity to lift Lord Stanley could be the cure to all of that.