‘Never a f–king doubt:’ Edmonton Oilers had Zach Hyman mic’d up as he scored his 50th goal of the season

Yes, there were more than a few expletives uttered in a state of joy when Hyman tapped goal No. 50 past Senators netminder Joonas Korpisalo on Sunday night. We don’t envy whichever Oilers’ social media manager had to go through that clip and edit out all the curse words.

Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard picked up the assists on the goal, with McDavid putting a perfect pass right onto a platter for Hyman to deflect into the wide-open Ottawa cage. Hyman and McDavid can be seen in the video sharing an embrace after they go through the fist-bump line at the Edmonton bench.

There, his teammates welcomed him with open arms. Corey Perry, who racked up 50 goals in the 2010-11 season, welcomed him to the club, while Sam Carrick said there was “Never a f–king doubt.” Head coach Kris Knoblauch, as well as assistant coach Glen Gulutzan — who runs the Oilers power play — came by to congratulate him too. Even referee Kendrick Nicholson congratulated him on the feat.

Through 68 games with the Oilers this year, Hyman now has 69 points (50 goals, 19 assists). If the season were to end today, Hyman would become the fifth player in NHL history to record fewer than 75 points in a 50-goal season — the others being Alex Ovechkin, Danny Gare, Maurice Richard, and Cam Neely.

The Oilers originally signed Hyman to a seven-year, $5.5 million AAV contract as an unrestricted free agent from the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 2021. The deal includes a full no-movement clause for the first five seasons and includes $5.25 million in signing bonuses over the final three years.

Hyman, 31, spent parts of six seasons with his hometown Maple Leafs to start his career before leaving as a result of a salary cap crunch. He has spent the vast majority of his tenure with the Oilers on McDavid’s wing.

After Hyman scored to put the Oilers up 3-1 midway through the second period on Sunday, the Senators netted four consecutive goals and ultimately won the game in regulation by a 5-3 final score.