My memories of the Oilers first cup in the 1983-84 season are blurry. I was not even 12 years old but I was totally hooked on hockey and the Edmonton Oilers. I lived in Nova Scotia where we did not have an NHL team to call our own. You were either a Habs or Leafs fan. My friends and I were hooked on the young Oilers and Wayne Gretzky in particular.
I used to tape the Oilers games on the VCR and watch them the next morning because of the time difference. We would watch the early game that started at 7 p.m. and tape the 10 p.m. game. I used to clip hockey game scores and pictures out of the newspaper and paste them into scrapbooks. A few of them survived various moves and locations. Today they are stored in a tattered box at my parent’s place.
After university when I said adios to Nova Scotia and hello to Ottawa (and later Toronto), I did not switch teams. Once an Oilers fan, always an Oilers fan. I went to many Sens games in Ottawa and the odd Leaf games when I lived in Toronto. Through it all, I continued to follow and love my Oilers!
Last year I interviewed Wayne Gretzky when he was in Red Deer for an event. I was completely blown over. Never once in my 12-year-old brain did I ever think I would be standing across from Gretzky in a media scrum and him a bunch of questions.
So when I heard there would be a 1984 Edmonton Oilers special reunion to raise money for the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, I was thrilled. Come hell or high water, I would be there! The event celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Oilers first Stanley Cup win in the 1983-1984 season.
I couldn’t contain my excitement on the day of the big reunion. I dressed in Oiler fan attire at work. My newsroom has a good showing of Oiler support so most were okay with my dress. Others? Not so much.
I went to the reunion with my friend Sara who is also a huge Oilers fan. Lucky Sara was in Alberta during the Oiler heydays. She shared some of her memories watching the games with her family. I was so jealous! I still have some VHS tapes kicking around with recorded games. Now if I could find a VCR (oh and a television) …
Rexall Place was packed! Sara and I were on the second level. There was no point in taking pictures because we were so far away. It was absolutely awesome to be sitting in a packed house with Oiler fans sporting the old blue and orange team colours. The atmosphere was electrifying.
Music from the 1980s was blasting over the speakers while we waited for the big show. Neither one of us had any idea what would happen. It started with a walk down 1980s memory lane with a video starting with George Orwell’s 1984 with some of 1980s fashion and music thrown in for good measure. A pipe band ushered in the Stanley Cup that was handed back and forth between the likes of Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, Anderson and the rest of the team.
The evening’s MC was Ron Maclean. I am always blown away by his gift of the gab and his knowledge of just about everything. There were short interviews and video footage throughout the three-hour event. Among the performers were Tom Cochrane and Sarah McLachlan, who wrapped up the show.
We were handed a DVD of game 5 of the 1984 Stanley Cup Final when the Oilers won the Stanley Cup. We thought this was a great touch. And when we left we were handed a 1983-1984 team photo. Cool.
I thought the evening was just long enough. It was great to hear from all the players. Some that I haven’t thought about in years. (Only one player could not make the evening.) Trainers and coaching staff were there too. You would be hardpressed to find a dry eye in the place.
Like it was repeated throughout the night, I don’t think another sports organization could have pulled this off. It was magical!
That night sounds so amazing! Sadly, I'm a little too young for the Oilers glory days but have been a die hard fan nonetheless.
🙂 thanks
What a cool event. Even though I am a diehard Habs fan, living in Edmonton does mean I am around a lot of the Oiler culture – even though it's been a while since the fans have had something to cheer about 😉
I hear ya 🙂 ha ha
Great Blog!
Thanks!
hi. I am also a diehard oiler fan from nova scotia. I believe the same age and this story was so much like mine. I did not interview gretzky but I did shake his hand at the event ( I cried after this). it was an amazing event. prob the highlight of my life. go oilers.