For a fourth consecutive season, the Edmonton Oilers are ready to face the Kings of Los Angeles during the first round of the In the NHL Playoffs, but this time, the Oilers are considered to be outsiders by some, and the Kings will have the advantage of the ice of the series.
“(It will be) a little fun to ensure that the week accumulates with a few games on the road in Los Angeles,” said Stew Macdonald, president and head of the income and Entertainment revenues who owns the Oilers.
He said that although 1 and 2 series games would be played in California from Monday evening, he is looking forward to “having a full building and the craziest atmosphere in the NHL on Friday evening”.
Macdonald stressed that the hockey organization expects the Oilers Arena – Rogers Place – and the surrounding ice cream district already buzzing team supporters dressed in orange and blue starting with the road match on Monday evening.
“We are waiting for it, so I think everyone is excited to start,” he said.
When Rogers Place opened its doors to the downtown Edmonton downtown almost nine years ago, the city’s hockey club came 10 consecutive seasons not to qualify for the NHL qualifying series, and Connor McDavid was still a teenager.
Quick advance of almost a decade, and the Oilers returned to the after-season after having released a playoff series last year which ended with a heartbreaking defeat of match 7 in the hands of the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final.
And, while Rogers Place remains the piece of the cornerstone of the development of the ice district, the region has developed at a rapid pace, becoming a hockey center in playoffs even beyond the limits of the arena.
With the exception of match 1 Monday evening, who sees rapper Nelly get on stage in Rogers Place, the Oilers Arena will organize opening watch evenings for each match against the Kings for which fans can buy tickets. The atrium in front of the Rogers – Ford Hall safety doors – will again welcome adult fans who want to come together to watch their hockey heroes also play in the after -season.
Outside the arena, the Glaces district once again offers two large outdoor gathering areas where thousands of fans of oilers can meet to watch the team play on large screens: the Ice District Plaza (alias The Moss Pit) and the Fan Park.
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“We continue to continue continuing to rely on what works,” said McDonald, noting that there are some adjustments for fans who come to the ICE district to follow the continuation of this spring of a Stanley Cup championship.
He said fans wishing to watch matches in fans park will first have to register online for the free Loilty awards program, a move which, according to him, aims to accelerate the entry of thousands of fans in the space every night of play.
Another change that the oilers have brought for the opening series against the Kings is to offer fans who live in some communities outside of Edmonton the possibility of buying tickets that include the return bus trip for matches 3 and match 4 in Rogers Place. The oil fans bus will be an option for fans who live as far as McMurray and Grande Prairie.
“We know that many fans come back and go home after the match … (and then have to be) at work the next morning,” said Macdonald. “So we just thought:” Hey, we can do our part on this subject, make things a little easier. “”
He said that Oilers and Edmontonians know that the “oil country” includes more than the capital of the capital.
“It’s all north of Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and NWT (Northwest Territories) that are all part of our family,” said Macdonald.
“Really cool like that brings together the city”
Johnny Grant describes himself as a fan of the Oilers and said that even if it is a difficult task for the team to try to win a trip to the Stanley Cup final for a second consecutive season, he is “quite excited”.
“The streets are packed after the matches-it’s just a really fun atmosphere when the ilers are in the playoffs,” he said.
Kelly Hodgson is the director general of United Sports and Cycle, a sports articles store south of avenue Whyte which has a large replica of the Stanley Cup outside.
“It’s really cool to see how it brings together the city,” he said about when the ilers reach the playoffs. “We are a city united enough to start.”
Hodgson stressed that even occasional fans in Edmonton seem to become drawbacks when the oilers reach the after-season.
“The playoffs are a different period of the year,” he said. “It brings out the best of all of us … people who have risen, embraced.
“Many world problems seem to disappear when we are all that fans hoping for a great victory.”
Evan Laframboise was born in Edmonton but lives in England and visits his family in Alberta while the NHL qualifying series begin. He said that even if the occasional fan of Toronto Maple Leafs was visible in the United Kingdom, fans of the oilers are rare in this country.
“I am so proud to be from Edmonton originally, and this is the team I support,” he said, noting that to watch the live matches in England, local start hours are generally between midnight and 3 am
“Sometimes I’m just trying to stand all night when I can. This is usually worth it if you get victory. ”
Laframboise said he was planning to buy Oilers goods for his three -year -old son at home while he was in Edmonton, and recently discovered that he had a ticket to go to his very first Oilers match in person: match 3 against the Kings on Friday.
He said that his uncle had recently told him that he had a ticket and that he had been taken care of.
“I was almost crying when he told me,” recalls Laframboise, adding that he hoped to make at least one more trip to Edmonton during the NHL qualifiers this year.
“Last year, seeing us so close, I think this year, our year and I want to be part of it.”
– Global News’ Jasmine King and Erik Bay files
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