Paul Bissonnette endorses 31 year-old forward's place in Edmonton Oilers' Ring of Honor

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Jun 04, 2024 03:28 GMT

Former NHLer Paul Bissonnette has extended his support for forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to be included in the Edmonton Oilers' Ring of Honor. Bissonnette discussed this with Ryan Whitney and said that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the ultimate Oiler.

He praised the 31-year-old forward for being a versatile player who excels at both ends of the ice and is highly valued by the coaches. Bissonnette also praised Nugent-Hopkins' impressive performance in the playoffs, suggesting he deserves all the recognition he's received.

Moreover, Bissonnette expressed that if Nugent-Hopkins completes his contract with the Edmonton Oilers, he believes Nugent-Hopkins should be honored in the Oilers' Ring of Honor for his contribution to the team:

"He's the ultimate oiler. He does it all. The coaches love him. He's good at both ends of the ice. He's the most humble guy you could imagine. He the fact that he's stepped up the way he has in these playoffs in this special run, buddy," Bissonnette said."

"He deserves everything he's gotten. And I'll go as far as saying this: If he finishes out this contract as an Edmonton Oilers. I think he deserves to be in the Ring of Honor," he added.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the longest-tenured player for the Edmonton Oilers out of all the current players. He's been with the club since he was drafted No.1 overall by the Oilers in 2011.

The 31-year-old forward has racked up 20 points through six goals and 14 assists in 18 games.

Edmonton Oilers aim to bring Cup back to Canada

On Sunday, the Oilers advanced to the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals after beating the Dallas Stars in their Western Conference Finals series. The Oilers will be up against the Florida Panthers in the final.

The Panthers made it to the final for the second consecutive time. Last season, they suffered a defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights. Meanwhile, it will be the first appearance in the final for the Edmonton Oilers since 2006.

The Oilers will be looking to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada, as no club from the nation has lifted it since 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens beat the LA Kings in the 1993 final.

"We’ve closed out big games. It’s not always the prettiest, but we got it done and that’s all that really matters,” McDavid said to NHL.com after clinching the Western Conference. “I thought we gave up a couple looks coming down the stretch that we’d like to not give up, and guys were sacrificing their bodies with big blocks or 'Stu' making timely saves, whatever it was."

Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers take place on Saturday.