Mattias Ekholm's wife Ida pens moving open letter to Oilers nation after gutting Stanley Cup Final loss in Game 6

After the Edmonton Oilers heartbreaking loss against the Florida Panthers in Game 6, Mattias Ekholm’s wife Ida Björnstad penned an emotional message to the Oilers faithful via her Instagram stories on Wednesday.

In her open letter, Idan mentioned that she understands how much hockey means to Canadians and empathized with the heartbreak in Edmonton.

“As you might know, I'm a writer, and I love to put my thoughts into sentences and stories. Most of my texts stay with me. This time, though, I would like to share some words with you.”

“I know how much hockey means to the Canadian people, and I understand that the people in Edmonton are heartbroken today, including our family.”

She reflected on the toll the playoffs take on players and their families, both physically and mentally.

“Throughout the playoffs, there are many things happening behind the scenes. Boundaries are being pushed in the most demanding way, both physically and mentally. For the players and their families, everything is about maximizing the chances of winning.”

Ida praised the Oilers for making it to the Stanley Cup Final two years in a row, calling them the second-best team in the world and thanked the fans who stood by them through the highs and lows.

“For two years in a row, we have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers are the second-best hockey team in the world, and we have fans who support this team in both good times and bad. There is so much to be proud of and thankful for.”

“As much as it hurts when you lose, this is a journey we will look back on one day, reflecting on the highs and lows and understanding that everything made sense,” she concluded.

via Instagram/@ibjornstad

Ida Björnstad is a seasoned sports journalist and television presenter from Sweden. She worked for major networks such as TV4 and C More, where she anchored “Studio: HockeyAllsvenskan” during the 2016-2018 seasons.

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Mattias Ekholm calls Game 6 loss ‘painful’

In the post-game presser after the Oilers Game 6 loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, Mattias Ekholm was clearly emotional and at a loss for words. He mentioned that he hadn't had time to fully process the defeat yet, but admitted the pain of the loss was very real and disappointing.

When asked if it felt different from last year’s playoff exit, he explained that it was too soon to compare.

“I don’t really have had any time to digest that yet. It sucks. It’s painful. It’s not fun and not obviously what we wanted. So I, hard, hard to answer that right now,” he said.

He also spoke about the team’s struggles to score and pointed out that in both Game 5 and Game 6, the Oilers failed to create enough pressure on Florida.

“Yeah, I mean obviously we didn’t get to their goaltender enough either in Game 5 or Game 6. I mean, we weren’t able to generate a goal in either the first 40 minutes in either game, so that’s, it’s hard to win games when you when that’s the case,” he added.

While Ekholm gave credit to the Panthers for being a strong team, he also hinted that the Oilers had another gear they couldn’t quite reach in those final games.