Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger breaks silence with candid 5-word message to Pete DeBoer after shocking decision in elimination vs Oilers

In one of the most shocking moments of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer pulled Jake Oettinger just seven minutes into a crucial Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, with the team caught between a rock and a hard place. The bold move backfired spectacularly, as Dallas went on to lose 6–3 against the Edmonton Oilers and saw their championship dream come to an end. To make matters worse, the team’s starting goaltender was left humiliated and his confidence severely shaken.

Oettinger conceded two goals in the first two shots on net from the Oilers, yet there was little he could’ve done to prevent those tallies as he was left all alone against incoming attackers, facing point-blank attempts.

Regardless, DeBoer believed sending Casey DeSmith in Oettinger’s aid would help turn the tide of the game, but there was nothing that could be done: the Oilers were running them out of business in the NHL—on the road.

The decision didn’t make much sense to fans and analysts then, and it didn’t despite DeBoer’s explaining of his thought process after the game. Far from admitting a mistake or apologizing to Oettinger, the head coach doubled down on his decision, standing firmly on it.

Oettinger, on the other hand, was visibly crushed he wasn’t even given a chance to help his team stay alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with many believing the American goaltender was “betrayed” by his own bench boss. The Stars’ goalie didn’t go as far as to say that, but his five-word statement was powerful, nevertheless.

“It sucks. It’s embarrassing,” Oettinger sincerely admitted, per The Dallas Morning News. “Any time you get pulled, it doesn’t matter if it’s the playoffs or the regular season, you just want to go right off the ice and crawl in your bed and not talk to anyone. The way I’m looking at it is how can I get better from that? How can I make those saves I’ve made all playoffs?”

Déjà vu

While there are considerable differences between both cases, many fans across the NHL were quick to point out to an infamous episode of DeBoer’s past tenure with the Vegas Golden Knights. Back in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, DeBoer gave the starting job in Sin City to Robin Lehner, leaving Marc-André Fleury on the bench. The controversial decision promptec Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, to post a picture of ‘Flower’ with a long sword reading ‘DeBoer’ stabbed on his back.

Obviously, it didn’t take long before several Stars fans began posting similar pictures but with Oettinger in Fleury’s place. However, DeBoer firmly believes his decision was not a betrayal of any sorts, nor a statement move to the goaltender, he was simply hoping to spark a fire and turn the game around.

DeBoer’s statement

“I moved Jamie Benn to the fourth line. Does that ruin our relationship? When I healthy scratched [Evgenii] Dadonov, who I’ve had since he was 20 years old, does that ruin our relationship?” DeBoer said during his end-of-season press conference. “No, these aren’t easy conversations.

“As a player, you don’t like that. I’m sure there’s always some hard feelings. Those are the decisions we make, and we try to keep it as professional as we can, and it’s all with one goal, and that’s to try and keep the group moving forward.”

“I don’t make those decisions lightly, and I don’t make them not to hurt feelings,” DeBoer said. “There’s nothing personal in it. There’s one motive, and that’s how do we survive this and get it to a Game 6? And I have to live with those consequences. If it works, great, we’re in Edmonton tonight, and you guys are telling me how awesome of a move it was. And when it doesn’t, I’ve got to stand up here and do this. But I can’t make those decisions out of fear of doing this. That’s not how I’m built.”