EDMONTON — A man loved by thousands of Edmontonians is being honoured once again. Joey Moss has been selected to join the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame for his contributions to hockey and football in Alberta.
Joey Moss was born with Down syndrome, and has been a local legend for most of his life. In 1984 when Wayne Gretzky was dating Moss’ older sister, Moss became the Edmonton Oilers’ locker room attendant.
Two years later Moss also become a locker room assistant for the Edmonton Eskimos. The organization says he has been an integral member of the Green and Gold.
Moss continues to split his time between the two teams, working with the Eskimos from the opening of training camp in June through mid-August, before heading over to the Oilers locker room for the hockey season.
The 51-year-old doesn’t let living with a developmental disability hold him back. He inspired the Joey Moss Cup, a tournament held at the end of Oiler’s training camp; Joey’s Mural, which was unveiled in 2008 in south Edmonton; and Joey’s Home, a facility run by the Winnifred Stewart Association, which offers a combination of assisted and independent living for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Joey is known for many things in Edmonton, including the way he sings the Canadian national anthem with such pride. An excellent example is at the 56-second mark of the following video:
Moss was also recognized in 2012 with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
11 individuals and one team have been named to the 2015 Alberta Sports Hall of Fame induction class. Olympic curler Kevin Martin and former ‘radio voice of the Calgary Flames’ Peter Maher are also among this year’s inductees. The induction banquet will be held on Friday May 29, 2015 in Red Deer.
With files from Caley Ramsay and John Sexsmith, Global News.
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