Damien Ward might just be one of the Edmonton Oilers‘ biggest fans — he’s certainly travelled far enough to qualify.
It’s over 13,000 kilometres from Camden, Australia, to Edmonton. Ward gladly flew that distance for some Oilers playoff hockey.
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“I’ve got tickets to games one and two!” Ward said. He’s been watching Oilers games all season long and felt compelled to book a trip to Edmonton when they beat Anaheim in overtime on April 1.
“I thought, look at the crowd reply! Look at that response. Look at the team. I thought, I gotta be there. I gotta share in this!”
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Ward has relatives in Edmonton. They sent him an Oilers hat about five years ago. He kept it in a box until three years ago when he decided to learn what the logo was all about.
“I’m 40 years old now. I had never seen a hockey game until I was 37,” Ward explained.
He started watching games online and fell in love with Oilers fans as much as he did the players.
“When I started watching some of these Oilers games, they had full houses even though they were still losing. I though, ‘that’s commitment and that’s dedication,'” he recalled.
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“That’s what I like in life. I like commitment, and I like dedication.”
He watched about half of the Oilers games this regular season, usually online. He owns an accounting firm so he can give himself an extended lunch to watch.
“It’s become a very interesting hobby,” Ward said.
Here’s Damien Ward’s full interview on Inside Sports with Reid Wilkins:
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