The Edmonton Elks and Edmonton Riverhawks are changing the start times of upcoming games to avoid conflicting with the Edmonton Oilers‘ Stanley Cup Final schedule.
The Riverhawks’ home games on June 8 and June 15 will both start at 1:05 p.m. MT, rather than the originally scheduled start times of 7:05 p.m.
“Game times have changed so we can watch baseball and cheer on the Edmonton Oilers,” the baseball team said in a post on social media Monday.
Additionally, Saturday’s season opener between the Elks and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will now start at 2 p.m. MT, rather than the original start time of 5 p.m. MT.
The change in start times come after the Edmonton Oilers won Game 6 of their third-round series against the Dallas Stars on Sunday night, advancing to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 18 years.
The change in start time will give Edmonton sports fans the chance to watch all the games.
“We share in Edmonton’s collective excitement around the Oilers run to the Stanley Cup Final,” said Elks president and CEO Rick LeLacheur.
“There’s nothing better than football on a beautiful afternoon, and that’s exactly what Saturday will provide, as we open our historic 75th season. Saturday promises to be a great day for Edmonton sports fans.”
The Oilers will face the Florida Panthers in the final round of the NHL playoffs, which starts on Saturday.
The game between the Oilers and Panthers starts at 6 p.m. MT. Games one and two will be in Florida, with games three and four back in Edmonton on June 13 and 15.
LeLacheur said the Elks are in talks with the City of Edmonton and the Oilers about possibly hosting an Oilers watch party of their own. Nothing has been confirmed but LeLacheur said he will see what happens in the coming days.
The Elks are optimistic heading into the 2024 campaign, after a dismal 2023 season that ended with a 4-14 record.
The team hasn’t been to the CFL playoffs since 2019.
The Elks have placed their faith in a new quarterback, after signing free agent McLeod Bethel-Thompson in January.
Over the weekend, the Elks signed quarterback Dakota Prukop. He returns for a second stint with the team after being released by the B.C. Lions in late May.
Prukop, from Autin, Texas, had 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns in eight games with Edmonton in 2021.
The 30-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he recorded 13 rushing touchdowns in 27 games.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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