The Edmonton Oilers may not be in the NHL Playoffs, but that doesn’t mean hockey fever isn’t alive and well in the city.
With the Stanley Cup Finals being played in Edmonton’s NHL bubble, a playoff bracket was unveiled in the downtown core on Wednesday morning.
The bracket is laid out on the ground in Churchill Square directly in front of city hall. It spans an area of 17 metres wide and 26 metres high.
“We would have loved to obviously add the Oilers to this,” Nick Lilley, interim executive director of the Downtown Business Association of Edmonton, said with a laugh. “But at the same time, it’s a great opportunity for people to build some new relationships with some teams.”
The bracket features 16 NHL team logos and will be updated after each round of play has concluded. The bracket will remain on the square until the Stanley Cup is awarded at Rogers Place.
“As the winners progress, you’ll see in short order another round of logos go forward, and we’re going to continue that all the way down to the finals,” Lilley said.
“So this will be an active presentation throughout the course of the playoffs and we hope people will come down, take some photos of their favourite team, as well as our welcome logo here and share them on social media as a way to celebrate the playoffs here in Edmonton.”
The initiative is a partnership between the Downtown Business Association of Edmonton and Explore Edmonton and is meant to give Edmontonians a safe way to celebrate the playoffs.
“Hockey fans are familiar with imagery of Edmonton in the winter months, and this is a great opportunity to showcase Edmonton in the summer and welcome the NHL teams to our city,” said Janelle Janis, director of events with Explore Edmonton.
“We might not be able to be in Rogers Place and cheering on these teams, but this is a great way to get involved and stay engaged.”
It’s also hoped the feature will help spur business in the downtown core.
“Hockey has always been something that’s connected our community and brought people together,” Lilley said. “And as a hockey town, we want to celebrate that fact, knowing that we had this great opportunity to be the hub city.
“We want to encourage people to come down, particularly in our downtown community, and support these businesses who are giving so many great opportunities for people to safely engage, go out on a patio and watch the game, and show some excitement about this great playoff run.”