EDMONTON 鈥� Calvin Pickard has spent time looking back.
The journeyman netminder played 50 games for the dreadful Colorado Avalanche in 2016-17.
Pickard had decent numbers that season. He also would make double-digit appearances just once in the NHL over the next six campaigns.
The Moncton, N.B., product's road led him across North America and included a brief stint in Austria.
That path 鈥� a long and winding one accented by suitcases, bus rides and unfamiliar locker rooms 鈥� brought him to Edmonton and, eventually, under hockey's brightest lights.
Pickard will get the start in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final Saturday night when his Oilers face the Florida Panthers.
"The biggest game in my life, but the last game was the biggest game in my life until the next one," the 32-year-old said following the morning skate. "It's rinse and repeat for me. It's been a great journey, I've been a lot of good places.
"This is what you play for. I'm excited."
Pickard, who got some mop-up duty in Florida's 6-1 victory in Game 3, made 23 saves off the bench Thursday in Edmonton's dramatic 5-4 overtime victory that evened the best-of-seven title series 2-2.
The flat, uninspired Oilers trailed 3-0 after an ugly first period 鈥� Stuart Skinner allowed three goals on 17 shots, but also made some massive stops 鈥� before their dependable backup option took over to start the second.
Edmonton came to life and rallied to lead 4-3 with under seven minutes to go in the third on Thursday night, but Florida tied things late to force OT. Leon Draisaitl's deflected pass off the rush then beat Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky for his second extra-time goal of the series, and record-breaking fourth of the playoffs, after he also ended Game 1.
"Someone who's just stuck with it," Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said of Pickard, the 49th overall pick at the 2010 NHL draft. "He's been a true pro and a great person all the way through. I think good people get rewarded and he works as hard as I've seen.
"Couldn't be more deserving."
Pickard improved to a perfect 7-0 this post-season with the victory. He also replaced Skinner with Edmonton down 2-0 in the opening round against the Los Angeles Kings.
Pickard would go on to win six straight starts, but got hurt in Game 2 of the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights, which opened the door for Skinner to return.
"He hasn't been the No. 1 guy all along his career," Edmonton defenceman Brett Kulak said of the Oilers' third option on the depth chart at the start of last season. "It's his attitude and hard work and the consistency every day of just coming to the rink and preparing himself.
"He's done a great job and he's never let us down."
The Oilers went on to beat Vegas and the Dallas Stars in five games apiece to set up a Cup rematch against the Panthers, who took last year's final in seven.
Game 6 of this roller-coaster matchup goes Tuesday in Sunrise, Fla. Game 7, if necessary, would be back in Edmonton on Friday.
The Oilers will make a lineup change at forward Saturday, with Viktor Arvidsson drawing in for Kasperi Kapanen as a fresh set of legs without the normal travel-related double off-day in the final.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch will also stick with defenceman Troy Stecher alongside Darnell Nurse. Stecher barely saw the ice after turning the puck over for Florida's third goal in Game 4.
Most goaltenders in the NHL avoid speaking to reporters in the hours before puck drop, but Pickard wanted to keep his routine as close to normal as possible.
"I've been doing it all year," he said. "The magnitude of the game's big, but I feel just like I would in November, December."
Oilers winger Evander Kane said the netminder is unique in his own way.
"He's one of the rare goalies 鈥� he's just a normal guy, really popular guy in the room," Kane said. "He's been doing this for a long time. He has a ton of experience and been a lot of different dressing rooms. That can help you along when you do come on to different teams, making a little bit of an easier transition.
"Now you're just seeing that off-ice translate on to the ice with his performance."
Knoblauch said there are lessons in Pickard's story.
"He stuck with it. He believed in himself," said the coach. "It's paying off for him now, it's paying off for us."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2025.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
