Wayne Gretzky opines Hart Trophy snub motivated Leon Draisaitl to perform well in Game 4 Stanley Cup Final

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Jun 13, 2025 11:10 GMT

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Wayne Gretzky believes missing the Hart Trophy pushed Leon Draisaitl to play well in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

Draisaitl scored the overtime winner to give the Edmonton Oilers a 5-4 victory against the Panthers and level the seven-game series at 2-2. The goal came at 11:18 of overtime at Amerant Bank Arena. It was Draisaitl’s second overtime goal in the series, having also netted the overtime winner in Game 1.

Draisaitl made NHL history by becoming the first player to score four overtime goals in a postseason. Gretzky hailed Draisaitl’s performance on the NHL on TNT broadcast, explaining that great athletes have pride and that Draisaitl was focused on winning the Stanley Cup and also wanting to prove himself.

"When he didn’t win that (Hart Trophy) award today, he was like, ‘Okay, I'm going to show people how good I really am.’ And he showed that tonight,” Gretzky said on Thursday (3:48).

Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck won the 2024-25 Hart Trophy, collecting 81 first-place votes and 1,346 points. Draisaitl finished second with 53 first-place votes and 1,209 points.

Coming to the game on Thursday, the Oilers came back from a 3-0 first-period deficit and also recovered a late tying goal by the Panthers. Leon Draisaitl’s goal in overtime kept Edmonton alive in the series, which now heads to Edmonton for Game 5 on Saturday.

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Leon Draisaitl says Oilers never quit, credits Corey Perry’s leadership

Leon Draisaitl praised the Oilers' never-say-die attitude, even in tough situations, as the team always keeps pushing forward.

Draisaitl said that they can break through tricky moments if they stay focused. He added that the team doesn't want to be in these situations often, but they handle them well.

"It once again shows you or tells you that our group never quits," Draisaitl said (via NHL.com).

"I think we believe that no matter how bad it is if we get over that hump of adversity we're going to keep pushing, we're going to keep coming, we're going to keep coming and eventually it'll break."

Draisaitl shared that Corey Perry gave an important speech between periods. Perry told them to step up, and the team heeded that advice.

"When he (Corey Perry) speaks up, you listen, and you do what he says. We did a great job of grabbing it, grabbing some momentum and keeping it," Draisaitl added.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins praised Leon Draisaitl’s big goals and said that Draisaitl always finds a way to score when needed.

"It's incredible," Hopkins said. "It's just constant. It's consistent. We always can lean on him, and he always finds a way to get those big ones."

He added that the team pushes each other and never gives up, no matter the score.