EDMONTON – On what was for some a melancholy evening to say goodbye to one of Canada’s most famous hockey rinks, Edmonton Oilers fans certainly had their fair share of opportunities to make some noise on Wednesday night.
Ahead of the Oilers final game at Rexall Place, fans loudly cheered the team’s greatest player, Wayne Gretzky, as he arrived at the front doors of the building where he created some of the most memorable moments in hockey history. Number 99 took photos with fans in front of the bronze statue that bears his likeness.
The statue was erected in 1989, one year after Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in a move that shocked the entire country.
Watch below: Wayne Gretzky arrives at Rexall Place
Mitchell Walters, who was at Rexall Place with his grandpa, was one of the fans lucky enough to get a selfie taken with The Great One himself.
“Honestly, I walked out of the building and I saw a whole bunch of commotion over by the statue there,” he said. “I just walked out and he happened to be walking shoulder to shoulder with me so I asked if I could take a selfie with him and he said, ‘Sure man.'”
The game itself was a lively affair as the Oilers handily beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 in an emotional final home game at the building where the teams has played since 1974.
On television, the game was called by legendary play-by-play broadcaster Bob Cole, who was also at the mic when the Oilers began their Stanley Cup dynasty run in the 1980s.
The thunderous chanting and applause earned Oilers’ fans a somewhat unorthodox honour: they were named the first star of the game.
READ MORE: Oilers down Canucks 6-2 in final game at Rexall Place
Social media was buzzing with Oilers and Rexall Place nostalgia as #FarewellRexallPlace was trending on Twitter throughout the night. Data from Twitter show there were more than 33,000 Tweets that mentioned Rexall Place in a 24-hour period, ending at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday night. During the game itself, Oilers’ rookie sensation Connor McDavid was the most talked about player, garnering 2,900 mentions.
A Tweet from the Edmonton Oilers hockey team, showing McDavid posing with Gretzky and former Oilers’ captain Mark Messier, received the most retweets of the evening. A Tweet about the singing of O Canada was the second most retweeted.
A long farewell ceremony followed the game as generations of Oilers players had their names announced on the PA system as they walked out to centre ice at Rexall Place for one last time.
One of the ceremony’s highlights was Gretzky addressing the fans as he stood at centre ice.
“My gosh, I wish we could be out there and play for them again but we can’t do it anymore,” he said as thousands of supporters, many in team colours, cheered. “The greatest thing about hockey is the people you meet.
“The friendships I have, the memories, there’s nothing like it. It’s the greatest game in the world.”
Other Oilers alumni on hand for the ceremony included Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, Kevin Lowe and Paul Coffey.
READ MORE: ‘It’s a bittersweet day’: Edmonton Oilers say farewell to Rexall Place
The first game at Rexall Place was played on Nov. 10, 1974, when the Oilers were part of the World Hockey Association. It was called Northlands Coliseum at the time and was later known as Edmonton Coliseum and Skyreach Centre. The arena hosted seven Stanley Cup finals, five of which saw the Oilers raise hockey’s most prestigious trophy.
Gretzky led the team to four of their five Stanley Cups, beginning with the first one the team ever hoisted on May 19, 1984.
Watch below: Oilers fans, players say farewell to Rexall Place
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‘There’s a lot of memories, a lot of history’: Ryan Smyth says farewell to Rexall Place -
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“I think it’s going to be emotional’: Ryan Smyth on saying farewell to Rexall Place -
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Former Edmonton Oilers coach Ron Low shares his favourite Rexall Place memory -
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Gretzky arrives at Rexall Place for Oilers’ final game there -
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Oilers fans share memories of Rexall Place -
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Oilers fans say goodbye to Rexall Place -
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‘This is a huge night’: Former Oiler Charlie Huddy shares memories of Rexall Place -
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Edmonton Oilers fan goes to great lengths to see final game at Rexall Place -
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Former Oilers captain Shayne Corson back in Edmonton to say farewell to Rexall Place -
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Edmonton Oilers alumni, fans gather for rally before saying farewell to Rexall Place -
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‘I remember seeing Fleetwood Mac’: Mark Messier gets a few laughs sharing his Rexall Place memories -
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‘It’s a little bittersweet’: Mayor Don Iveson helps the Oilers say farewell to Rexall Place -
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Three-time Stanley Cup champ Craig Muni shares his memories of Rexall Place
The Oilers will move to the Rogers Place arena in downtown Edmonton for the 2016-17 season.
While the Oilers will no longer play at Rexall Place, it is not yet clear what will happen to the building.
Earlier this year, Northlands proposed making it over into an amateur sports multiplex with seven ice surfaces.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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