For the first time in modern franchise history, the Edmonton Oil Kings sold out their home opener – but the game didn’t go off as planned.
Puck drop for the first official hockey game at Rogers Place was supposed to happen at 7 p.m. Saturday, but due to “technical difficulty with an on-ice piece of equipment,” the game was delayed until 8:30 p.m.
The Oilers Entertainment Group would not elaborate on the reason for the delay.
Fans at the game said a boom lift was stuck on the ice.
One fan said the equipment was stuck on the ice for hours prior to the game.
Rob Thomas, the Oil Kings communication manager, later said the lift was on the ice performing maintenance on the score clock “when something malfunctioned and we did the best we could to get it off as fast as it could.”
Fans at Rogers Place watched the Canada vs. Russia game from the World Cup of Hockey while waiting out the delay.
The Oil Kings sent fans home happy with a 4-3 shootout win over the Red Deer Rebels.
The Oil Kings are not planning to compensate fans for the late puck drop.
Earlier in the evening during an interview with Global News, Kevin Radomski, the team’s director of business operations was asked about how he thought the night would go.
“As much as you plan, we have amazing people that work behind the scenes, you can’t figure out everything. We’re going to learn a lot. The Oilers game on Monday is going to be better for it. Our next game is going to be better for it. We’re going to continually get better,” said Radomski.
The delay happened as the Oil Kings were hosting the largest crowd the team has ever had for a game. All 18,102 available tickets were sold at Rogers Place, surpassing the previous Rexall Place record of around 17,000.
“Junior Hockey in an NHL market is not always the easiest sell. Everyone knows the Oilers, they name all the Oilers,” explained Radomski. “For us to have 18,000 fans taking in junior hockey, it tells us that we are alive and well. Junior hockey is flourishing in Edmonton.”
Part of the draw for fans was the new rink.
“We just wanted to check out the new arena. It looks really awesome,” Warren Kinnear said.
The price is right for families hoping to get a peak inside Rogers Place. Oil Kings tickets start at $20.
“I’ve really wanted to come see how it has impacted the downtown and what it would look like compared to other arenas around the world,” said Harjeet Mehdwan, as he snapped photos of his three young children in Ford Hall. “After hearing about all that hype, this was a good opportunity to bring my family here.”
The Oil Kings are aiming to capitalize on all the excitement.
“We certainly hope that the people that are here tonight to perhaps just see the building will come back to see more Oil Kings game,” said Kevin Lowe, vice-chair of the Oilers Entertainment Group.
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