For a fourth straight season, the Edmonton Oilers are set to face off against the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round of the NHL playoffs, but this time the Oilers are considered to be the underdogs by some, and the Kings will have the series’ home-ice advantage.
“(It will be) kind of fun to have the week build up with a couple of road games in L.A.,” said Stew MacDonald, president and chief revenue officer of OEG Sports and Entertainment which owns the Oilers.
He said while Game 1 and Game 2 of the series will be played in California beginning Monday night, he looks forward to “having a full building and the craziest atmosphere in the NHL come Friday night.”
MacDonald pointed out that the hockey organization expects the Oilers arena — Rogers Place — and the surrounding Ice District to be already buzzing with orange-and-blue-clad team supporters beginning with Monday night’s road game.
“We’ve been waiting for it, so I think everyone’s excited to get going,” he said.
When Rogers Place first opened to the public in downtown Edmonton nearly nine years ago, the city’s hockey club was coming off 10 consecutive seasons of not qualifying for the NHL playoffs, and Connor McDavid was still a teenager.
Fast-forward nearly a decade, and the Oilers are returning to the post-season after coming off a playoff run last year that ended with a heartbreaking Game 7 defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final.
And, while Rogers Place remains the cornerstone piece of the Ice District development, the area has expanded at a rapid pace, becoming a playoff hockey hub even beyond the arena’s confines.
With the exception of Game 1 on Monday night, which sees rapper Nelly take the stage at Rogers Place, the Oilers arena will host opening-round watch parties for each game against the Kings for which fans can purchase tickets. The atrium in front of the security gates of Rogers Place — Ford Hall — will once again welcome adult fans who want to gather to watch their hockey heroes play in the post-season as well.
Outside the arena, the Ice District once again features two large outdoor gathering spaces where thousands of Oilers fans can gather to watch the team play on big screens: the Ice District Plaza (a.k.a. The Moss Pit) and the Fan Park.
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“We kind of continue to just keep building on what works,” McDonald said, noting there are a few tweaks for fans coming to the Ice District to follow along with this spring’s pursuit of a Stanley Cup championship.
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Stanley Cup Final: Edmonton Oilers fans line up for outdoor watch parties ahead of Game 7 -
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Downtown prepares for Edmonton Oilers playoff run -
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Oilers fans say Ice District Plaza watch party a good experience despite some chaotic moments -
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Edmonton’s Ice District Plaza celebrates official grand opening ahead of Battle of Alberta
He said fans wanting to watch games in the Fan Park will first need to register online for the team’s free LOILTY Rewards program, a move he said is aimed at helping to expedite the entry of thousands of fans into the space each game night.
Another change that the Oilers brought in for the opening-round series against the Kings is to offer fans who live in certain communities outside Edmonton the opportunity to purchase ticket packages that include return bus travel for Game 3 and Game 4 at Rogers Place. The Oil Country Fan Bus will be an option for fans who live as far away as Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie.
“We know a lot of fans drive in and head home after the game … (and then have to be) at work the next morning,” MacDonald explained. “So we just thought, ‘Hey, we can do our part on that, make it a bit easier.'”
He said the Oilers and Edmontonians know “Oil Country” includes more than just the Capital Region.
“It’s all of northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C., and NWT (Northwest Territories) that are all part of our family,” MacDonald said.
‘Really cool how it brings the city together’
Johnny Grant describes himself as an Oilers fan and said even though it is a tough task for the team to try and earn a trip to the Stanley Cup final for a second-straight season, he is “pretty excited.”
“The streets are packed after games — it’s just a really fun atmosphere when the Oilers are in the playoffs,” he said.
Kelly Hodgson is the general manager of United Sports and Cycle, a sporting goods store south of Whyte Avenue that has a large Stanley Cup replica standing outside.
“It’s really cool how it brings the city together,” he said of when the Oilers reach the playoffs. “We’re a pretty close-knit city to begin with.”
Hodgson pointed out that even casual fans in Edmonton seem to become die-hards when the Oilers reach the post-season.
“The playoffs are a different time of year,” he explained. “It brings out the best in all of us … people high-fiving, hugging.
“A lot of the world’s troubles seem to go away while we’re all just fans hoping for a big win.”
Evan Laframboise was born in Edmonton but lives in England and is visiting family in Alberta as the NHL playoffs get underway. He said while the occasional Toronto Maple Leafs fan can be seen in the United Kingdom, Oilers fans are few and far between in that country.
“I’m so proud of being from Edmonton originally, and that’s the team I support,” he said, noting that to watch games live in England, the local start times are usually between midnight and 3 a.m.
“Sometimes I just try to stay up all night the best I can. It’s usually worth it if you get the win.”
Laframboise said he plans to buy Oilers merchandise for his three-year-old son at home while he is in Edmonton, and recently found out he has a ticket to go to his first-ever Oilers playoff game in person: Game 3 against the Kings on Friday.
He said his uncle recently told him that he has a ticket and it has been taken care of.
“I was almost crying when he told me,” Laframboise recalled, adding he hopes to make at least one more trip to Edmonton during the NHL playoffs this year.
“Last year, seeing us come so close, I think this year’s our year and I want to be a part of it.”
–with files from Global News’ Jasmine King and Erik Bay
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