In a clash of the proverbial archetype between individual and team, (that proved to be an amazing showdown) one team—led by a couple of superstars versus a team that—despite hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup in 2024—limped into the postseason on a four-game skid and had the daunting task of starting every series on the road. This year's NHL Finals were the perfect backdrop to unpack some leadership lessons by contrasting the individual prowess vs a team-first approach that is sure to delight many a sports fan with analogies that can—and should be—applied to business teams.
To understand the team dynamic of this finals series, let’s set the stage. First, the opposition—the Edmonton Oilers, who have a superstar powerhouse in Connor McDavid who is widely regarded as the best player in the world and Leon Draisaitl who is regarded as one of the league’s most dominant forwards—a pair who have established themselves as one of the greatest scoring duos in the history of professional hockey. In fact, both players hold the distinction of being third and fourth in points per game in NHL history—simply put, they’re good, and their entire team relies on them to perform to win games.
Next, the Florida Panthers. During the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, 18 out of the 22 players on the Panther's roster scored at least one goal. This scoring depth resulted in 92 goals scored by the Panthers in the playoffs, compared to the Oilers 43. So, while the Oilers relied heavily on their top players, the Panthers were more balanced, with multiple players contributing to their success.
How did it play out? The team focused Panthers ultimately prevailed, winning the best of 7 series 4-2. The strong team defense and balanced scoring allowed the Panthers to control the pace of the game and frustrate the Oilers' superstars.
Even as a team, the Panthers were considered the underdogs. Florida's Brad Marchand said, "Such an incredible group. Everybody wrote us off from the start of the playoffs. They had everybody beating us in every round, and we just had that fire, and we knew we had something special." The Panthers had the daunting task of having to play more road games and set the record for most road wins.
So you’ve made it this far and you’re not a hockey fan you’re probably asking—"What does this have to do with business, leadership, or credit unions?" Simple—it’s a leadership lesson and reminder to focus on the team dynamic and not the individual. In business, it’s a little more rare to have superstars—or is it? Superstars get all the attention, grab the headlines, and get the big contracts (sounds suspiciously like business executives or managers). The real superstar—in sports and business—are the leaders that elevate the level of play of everyone around them.
That’s the special thing Marchand alludes to and a great insight about leadership—real leaders make everyone else around them better. In sports, the ‘best’ players on the team are typically the captains—not only known for their leadership roles, but often expected to carry the team.
Going into the finals, the talk was about the ‘nuclear option’—the Oilers playing McDavid and Draisaitl together on the same line. Since ‘McDavid entered the NHL in 2015, no one has scored more than his 1,082 points (361 goals, 721 assists), with Draisaitl’s 947 points (397 goals, 550 assists) close behind. That’s right. No one has scored more than McDavid or Draisaitl during their time together. Period. According to an Oilers teammate, “They usually are our top guys every single night, and the bigger the stage the better they get.” This is the classic case of a hero (or heroes) who inspires success.
The captains on the Panthers were not the top goal scorers. In fact, none of their captains were among the team's top 3 goal scorers! Instead, their captains lifted up those around them, playing through injuries and made unselfish plays for the sake of winning the series. The Oiler's two prolific goal scorers didn’t have four bad nights against the Panthers—they were shut down by a team.
"It's a team effort defending guys like that. We've known all series the challenge is there for us. No one really cares in our locker room who's producing each night." said Sam Reinhart of the Panthers. While the Oilers were all looking to their superstar captains, the Panthers were looking to each other. Team over individual.
“That’s OK. I know I'm a great player. I'm very well aware,” Draisaitl said. "There's certain things in certain moments where there's only one player in the world that can make that happen. And I think we can all agree on that.”
Contrast this with an Instagram post from the Panthers Matthew Tkachuk that said, "Heart meets talent. Our team was a team when things were getting hard for them. They look to one guy but our team—we do it collectively and that's why we're here lifting the Stanley Cup right now because we're a team and not a bunch of individuals."
Next leadership lesson? Humility. On the ice after winning the Cup, they interviewed Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, the one ultimately responsible for stopping their opponent’s superstar goal scoring duo. “I couldn’t even dream about (it), but now I’m here, winning it twice. Again, I couldn’t be more humble and appreciative. And, again, I am nothing. It’s all God.”
What was the attitude on the other side of the ice? After being pulled from game 4, Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner said, “I don't really see too much reason to panic quite yet. We lost two in a row. I'm good in these situations. I know how to bounce back." Maybe he should’ve panicked. This is the point where the Oilers lost the Stanley Cup Playoffs—when they had to choose who would start in goal for Game 5—and the team dynamic was destroyed.
Everyone on the Panthers is team-focused. When Sam Bennett of the Panthers won the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player of the playoffs, the first thing he did after posing for the requisite photo, was drop the trophy off on the bench so he could go back to celebrating with his teammates. Bennett scored four goals in the final game, yet the win wasn’t about how valuable he was. It was about the team.
The greatest lap in hockey comes after a team wins the Stanley Cup—the most iconic trophy in all of sports. The team captain typically receives the trophy and takes a lap around the rink to the roar of fans, then hands it off to an alternate captain, and down the list it goes What does Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov do? He skates directly to Nate Schmidt, a defensemen for the Panthers that had never won the Stanley Cup, and hands him the trophy.
From there, all the players on the team, who had never won a championship before took their lap before any of the Panther's stars. Some of those players who skated first didn’t even play during the playoffs! And that didn’t matter, because they were part of the team. Schmidt was so shocked, he tried to take a short lap and Matthew Tkachuk, another of the Panthers' captains stopped him and told him to go all the way around. MVP Sam Bennett waited 10 minutes to hoist the Cup while 16 of his teammates got the honor ahead of him. We before me.
But the story doesn’t end there. Just a short couple of weeks later, free agency began. Which meant the three core superstars from the Panthers—Bennett (playoff MVP), Marchand (prior team captain for the Boston Bruins and new fan favorite), and Ekblad (star defenseman)—could sign a new contract with the team of their choice.
News outlets and pundits speculated they would sign contracts worth up to $10 million dollars a year with other teams. Instead, they all took a discount—at least on an annual basis—to stay with the Panthers and try to create a dynasty. It wasn't about the money. Individually, they could have made almost twice as much money and gotten more fame by signing with a different team. Each of these three would, could, and have been team captains on their own—instead, they gave up the money and prestige to stay on a team that had become a family.
The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals was a fascinating series that highlighted the contrast between individuals and a selfless team. That team focus allowed the Panthers to overcome the Oilers' individual brilliance and claim their second consecutive championship.
“I want to give that victory to God. I want to thank Him for everything I have—for my parents, for my family, my wife, Olga, my two daughters, for this family," Bobrovsky said, motioning to his teammates behind him.
Lift up others, be humble, and keep the focus on your team. Sounds like some pretty practical leadership lessons.
