Jeopardy! is one of America’s favorite game shows, and for good reasons. Games typically encompass a variety of different subjects, giving contestants the chance to show off their varied knowledge.
The best Jeopardy! players are the ones who are able to seamlessly transition from an answer about 18th century art to one about Taylor Swift. Versatility is a real tool in the game, but a recent set of contestants were stopped in their tracks by a sports-related clue.
An answer that would come up immediately for anyone who’s watched more than one or two NHL games seemed to stump the accomplished scholars competing for thousands of dollars.
What Was The Obvious Answer They Missed?
During an answer from the category of “Canadian Girlfriends,” the following clue was offered: “Leon Draisaitl stars for this northernmost NHL team but went to warmer Spain to propose to Celeste Dejardins.”
The addition of Draisaitl is a curious one – perhaps Connor McDavid would have made things too easy – but the contestants reacted with initial silence. One contestant offered a guess of the Winnipeg Jets, but was met with an immediate no from the host.
Jeopardy! contestants forgot about Drai (and the team he plays for) last night during one of the answers ðŸ˜
(via @Jeopardy) pic.twitter.com/GuhEcnzBHb
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 10, 2025
The answer to the query is the Edmonton Oilers, one of the most popular and visible teams in the National Hockey League. The Oilers are the two-time reigning Western Conference Champions, and McDavid and Draisaitl are arguably the league’s best players.
How Far Off Were The Contestants?
Winnipeg wasn’t the worst guess in the world. They are one of the seven Canadian teams in the NHL, but Manitoba isn’t as far north as Alberta. The Jets and Oilers are joined by the Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens as Canadian NHL teams.
As the 2025-26 NHL season begins in a few weeks, we’ll see if any of those Canadian teams can become the first to win the Stanley Cup since Montreal did so back in 1993. The Oilers have come extremely close over the last two seasons, losing to the Florida Panthers in each of the last two Finals.
Montreal nearly ended the drought on their own back in 2021, but lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the middle of the COVID pandemic.
The Panthers will look to become the first team since the legendary New York Islanders of the 1980s to win three consecutive Stanley Cups. New York would win four straight Cups from 1980 through 1983, becoming the first non-Canadian team to win three or more in a row.
As for Draisaitl, he’ll look to continue his elite form as one of the league’s best offensive players. He won the Rocket Richard Trophy last year as the NHL’s most prolific goal scorer, scoring 52 times in 71 games.
We’ll see how the next hockey clue goes for Jeopardy! contestants. This instance may have been a matter of geography, but the next question could very well represent one area of the sport’s history.
