Krupp talks Stanley Cup Final link with German countryman Draisaitl

When Leon Draisaitl scored an overtime goal on Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers forward became only the second player in NHL history to do so against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.

In a somewhat incredible twist, the other player to do it was also born in Cologne, Germany.

That player is Uwe Krupp, who scored in the third overtime for the Colorado Avalanche in a 1-0 win against the Panthers in Game 4 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Final. That goal ended the series, giving the Avalanche their first championship.

Reached in Germany on Thursday, Krupp said that is where the similarities end.

“My career was hanging by a thread because of [a knee] injury, and then I won the Stanley Cup,” Krupp told NHL.com/de independent correspondent Stefan Herget. “That was a special time. But it's not at all comparable to Leon. As I said, we filled a role, but he has to carry the team and lead the way.”

When Krupp scored his goal in 1996, the defenseman was in his 10th NHL season, having started with the Buffalo Sabres in 1986-87. He was traded to the New York Islanders early in the 1991-92 season, was then traded to the Quebec Nordiques after 1993-94, and went to Colorado with the rest of his teammates when the franchise relocated prior to 1995-96.

He played just six regular-season games for the Avalanche that first season but played 22 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finishing with 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 22 games, including the series-clinching goal at 4:31 of the third overtime on a shot from the right point that got past Panthers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck.

"Of course, it's something else when it's the clinching goal and you win the Stanley Cup,” Krupp said. “After that, it's over and you've won. When you score a goal, the celebrations are huge, but when it's the goal and you're the champion, an incredible weight is lifted off your shoulders. That's what it's all about. People always ask me what it was like, and my answer is always that it's a mixture of emotions. Not just euphoria, but also relief.”

Draisaitl’s two goals in Edmonton’s 4-3 victory on Wednesday in Game 1 -- the first goal of the game and the winner with 31 seconds left in overtime -- had to be some sort of relief after he didn’t score in the Cup Final last year, a seven-game loss to Florida.

“I don't know if pressure is the right word for someone like Leon Draisaitl in his position,” Krupp said. “It's more his own expectations of himself. He doesn't need to prove himself in the hockey world. But for him personally, the Stanley Cup is missing. That's more important than an Olympic medal or a World Championship. It's more important than any trophy he's won or any All-Star Game nominations.

“The Stanley Cup is omnipresent and the ultimate achievement. When you've achieved as much as Leon has, that's what you expect as a player.”

Krupp, who will turn 60 on June 24, was in Germany for Game 1 and is on the move. He was recently the coach of HC Lugano in the Swiss National League, and next season will be coach of EV Landshut in DEL2 in Germany.

“I saw it in the highlights, but I already noticed shortly before half past 2 in the night that he had scored the first goal,” Krupp said. “It's a great debut for him and the Edmonton Oilers. We don't need to talk about Leon's contribution. You can't praise him highly enough.”

As for the rest of the best-of-7 Cup Final, which continues with Game 2 at Edmonton on Friday (8 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX), Krupp thinks Draisaitl and the Oilers will get revenge on the Panthers from last season.

"I'm betting on Edmonton because I think the back-to-back statistics are right,” Krupp said. “When two teams are evenly matched in terms of their strengths, my experience as a coach is that the team that loses the first game wins the second. That's how I see it here, too.

“Ultimately, it's the details that decide games and series. The team that's been knocked around a bit last year has an advantage over the team that was successful. They're still happy that they won last year. (Panthers coach) Paul Maurice can talk and be as clever as he wants. So if there are no major injuries and the strengths are evenly distributed, then the advantage lies with the team that wants it more, and that's usually the one that's been knocked around a bit."