Oilers Changed Their Team Win Song, And One Player Explained Why

Jim Parsons

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Jim Parsons

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The Oilers' locker room blasted "Stayin' Alive" as their new win song, finding unexpected strength and depth without a key star.

It might sound insignificant in the grand scheme of a must-win season, but the Edmonton Oilers changing up their win song after a victory is no small thing. The other night, as the Oilers pulled out a 3-0 win over the Seattle Kraken, "Staying Alive" by the Bee Gees blared throughout the locker room.

Kasperi Kapanen was asked about the song choice, and he said that he and Darnell Nurse made the change, one they called fitting, given the circumstances surrounding the team.

This is an Oilers team that is staying alive. Sitting second in the Pacific Division, they find themselves in an unfamiliar spot. With only seven games remaining in the 2025-26 campaign, nothing is guaranteed. They could win the Pacific Division. They could miss the playoffs.

It's currently looking like the former, as the team has strung together four straight wins -- the first time they've done so all season -- but there's still a sense that they can't let their foot off the gas. They've done so before, and the results have been ugly.

For months, the conversation around Edmonton has been the same: they’re too loose defensively, too reliant on skill, too inconsistent to truly separate themselves in the Pacific Division. And yet here they are, stacking wins even if it’s just four, tightening games, and maybe most importantly, creating breathing room in the standings. Finally.

thehockeynews.com"Our Game Isn't Sexy Right Now:" Oilers Accept Simple Approach As The Right ApproachFor months, the conversation around Edmonton has been the same: they’re too loose defensively, too reliant on skill, too inconsistent to truly separate themselves in the Pacific Division. And yet here they are, stacking wins even if it’s just four, tightening games, and maybe most importantly, creating breathing room in the standings. Finally.

Leon Who?

The Oilers are finally finding their game and, ironically, are doing so without Leon Draisaitl in the lineup. To say "Leon who?" would be disingenuous, but there's a sense that this team is starting to put the pieces together because he's been out.

When Draisaitl went down with an injury, Edmonton knew the entire team was going to have to step up. No one person was coming in to replace his production. It was going to take everybody, and everyone has answered the call.

Darnell Nurse made the decision to change the team win song Photo by © Perry Nelson Imagn Images

The top guys are doing top guy things, but more importantly, the depth is producing. Head coach Kris Knoblauch said that after the two losses to Florida teams, the Oilers made a change. "Our game isn't sexy right now. It's not fancy. It's just a lot of little things, and that's usually the difference between winning and losing. And you know, we've got six d each night, 12 forwards who are doing it."

"I think we're just trying to simplify the game at little bit right now, trying not to do too much," said Kasperi Kapanen.

As for the new song encapsulating their season. "Me and Doc (Nurse) thought it would fit the situation pretty well, just kind of trying to stay alive, and we've been playing well since. So I think it's hopefully gonna stick."

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