100 Things Oilers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die (100 Things...Fans Should Know) - Softcover

Ireland, Joanne; Smyth, Ryan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1629373737 ISBN 13: 9781629373737

Verlag: Triumph Books, 2017

Inhaltsangabe

All Oilers fans have marveled at highlights of The Great One, and have felt that excitement coming back to Oil Country with phenom Connor McDavid. But only real fans can immediately recall Ryan Smyth's third-period hat trick in the 2006 playoffs or have hit the road to support their team in enemy territory. 100 Things Oilers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the ultimate resource for true Edmonton fans. Whether you were there in person for the Wayne Gretzky era, or whether the first game you attend is at the new Rogers Place, these are the 100 things every fan needs to know and do in their lifetime. Experienced sportswriter Joanne Ireland has collected every essential piece of Oilers knowledge and trivia, as well as must-do activities, and ranks them all from 1 to 100, providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist as you progress on your way to fan superstardom.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Joanne Ireland was a reporter with the Edmonton Journal from 2001 to 2016, including several seasons as the Edmonton Oilers beat writer. This is her first book. Ryan Smyth spent 15 seasons as an Edmonton Oiler. He served as captain for Canada's World Championship team for a record six years (2001-2005 and 2010), earning the nickname "Captain Canada."

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

100 Things Oilers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die

By Joanne Ireland

Triumph Books LLC

Copyright © 2017 Joanne Ireland
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-62937-373-7

Contents

Foreword by Ryan Smyth, 
1. Memory Lane, 
2. The Early Years, 
3. Wild Bill, 
4. Humble Beginnings, 
5. Edmonton, Meet Stanley, 
6. Magic Moments, 
7. The Architect, 
8. The Night(s) the Lights Went Out, 
9. The Day That Changed the Game, 
10. Of Moose and Men, 
11. The Next One?, 
12. First Time for Everything, 
13. 1 + 1 + 1 = A Lotto Luck, 
14. An Endearing Link to the Past, 
15. The King of Kings, 
16. Playoffs Were Coffey's Stage, 
17. The Great Goal Gaffe, 
18. The Cup Runneth Away, 
19. One More, for Old Times' Sake, 
20. First Say "Stanley," Then Say "Cheese", 
21. Take a Stroll in the Hall, 
22. Mr. Freeze, 
23. What's in a Name?, 
24. Leaders of the Pack, 
25. A Shrewd Eye for Talent, 
26. Misery on Manchester, 
27. Crowning the King on His Former Stage, 
28. Cool Hand Fuhr, 
29. The Grate One, 
30. Troubled Times, 
31. Ted Green Has a Terrible Assignment, 
32. Swiss Billionaire Story Full of Holes, 
33. The Comeback Kids, 
34. Seeing Stars, 
35. Just Win, Baby, 
36. The Year of the Underdogs, 
37. Roloson Saves the Day, 
38. The Stars Were Bright, Fernando, 
39. Murray's Return Engagement, 
40. Pronger's Early Exit, 
41. No Thanks, I'll Wait for Stanley, 
42. With Glowing Hearts, 
43. Big Money Trumps Small Market, 
44. What Prompted Todd McFarlane to Buy In?, 
45. And with the Sixth Pick, the Edmonton Oilers Select…, 
46. An All-Star Moment, 
47. Play Ping-Pong Like an Oiler, 
48. Devilish Repartee, 
49. Shorthanded, Long Reach, 
50. The Battle of Alberta, 
51. And in This Corner…Muhammad Ali, 
52. The Royal Wedding, 
53. Good to Know, 
54. The Ultimate Fan Experience, 
55. An Enhanced Stat on Mr. Corsi, 
56. Canada's Gold Medal Custodians, 
57. Push Worth Its Weight in Gold, 
58. A Lucky Loonie, Eh?, 
59. Hold Your Tongue!, 
60. On Frozen Pond… Ahem, on Frozen Ground, 
61. The Stories They Could Tell, 
62. A Tour of the Town, 
63. The Ties That Bind, 
64. Suit Yourself, 
65. Sharing the Wealth, 
66. Yet Another Record, 
67. 15 Minutes of Fame, 
68. A Stick-y Situation, 
69. Hat's Off, 
70. Take a Road Trip, 
71. The Go-Between, 
72. Economy Class Citizens No More, 
73. Passing the Bar, 
74. Minor League Moments, 
75. The Long Good-Bye, 
76. An Endurance Test, 
77. Eight Was Enough, 
78. The Hot Hand, 
79. A Wing and a Prayer, 
80. Mistaken Identity, 
81. The House Gretzky Did Not Build, 
82. Tough as Nails, 
83. Save This Moment, 
84. Long Droughts, Short Good-Byes, 
85. The Injury Bug Bit Hard, 
86. Music Box, 
87. Open Net Eludes Stefan; Play Lives in Infamy, 
88. Pound for Pound, 
89. Finally, a Big Fish, 
90. Changing Tides, 
91. A Hot Ticket, 
92. Frozen in Time, 
93. Giving Back, 
94. Casting Call, 
95. They Said It, 
96. Desert Drought, 
97. #timeshavechanged, 
98. A Seasoned View of It All, 
99. Chasing the Calder, 
100. Home Sweet (New) Home, 
Acknowledgments and Sources, 

CHAPTER 1

Memory Lane

On the corner of Wayne Gretzky Drive and 118 Avenue sits a concrete shell where only memories reside. Gone are the five Stanley Cup banners and the nine retired numbers that hung from the arena rafters. Gone too is the Gretzky statue that once stood outside the main doors, ushering in game-goers.

The vacated arena was home to the Edmonton Oilers for 42 years — right up until a bigger, better, brighter building opened in the city's downtown core. "Everyone feels like it's a fresh new start," Connor McDavid said after spending his first season in the NHL in Rexall Place. "It's tough to leave, it's sad and all that, but we have a shiny new building to go into, and everyone's excited about that."

The $17 million Edmonton Coliseum had opened on November 10, 1974, after a series of construction delays and labor strikes, and it was still a work in progress on opening night. The players had to dress and shower in the Edmonton Gardens — the Oilers' original home from 1972 until 1974 — because their room wasn't finished, and seats were still being bolted into the stands when the game-goers started to arrive. Some guests were handed their cushions when they walked in.

Yes, there were kinks to work out, but the Coliseum was still a looker in its day, with its spacious interior and $120,000 game clock. "So beautifully functional, the comfortable sightlines from all seats, the wide walkways for meeting friends between periods, even radiating roof supports which glittered high overhead like the Aurora Borealis," local historian Tony Cashman wrote of the venue.

Tickets were $7 in 1974, at a time when the minimum wage in Alberta was $2.25 an hour. A season ticket for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League would have set you back $47.50. On opening night, in front of 15,326 spectators, the World Hockey Association's Oilers defeated the Cleveland Crusaders 4 — 1, scoring three third-period goals. Jacques Plante, captain Al Hamilton, Ken Brown, and Blair MacDonald were among the players in Edmonton's lineup.

Twenty nights later, Stevie Wonder played in the venue — the first of many concerts to be staged in a building that would become the bedrock for the arrival of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Gardens was torn down in 1982 — three years after the merger of the WHL and NHL.

"[The Coliseum is] an amazing place, a huge part of hockey history, and it probably housed some of the best teams and some of the best players that ever played the game," said Doug Weight, who spent nine years with the Oilers, two as the team captain. "It's a very special place."

The Edmonton Coliseum was renamed Northlands Coliseum in 1978, was later known as Skyreach Center, and in 2003 it was christened Rexall Place. Through the years, the scoreboard was upgraded, more suites were added, and in 2007 the locker room underwent a $3 million renovation. But the 16,839-seat venue was definitely showing its age by the time the Oilers played their last game there on April 6, 2016, defeating the Vancouver Canucks 6 — 2.

Gretzky was there for the final game, and so were Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, and Grant Fuhr. More than 100 players from the club's past gathered to say good-bye to a building that hosted 1,431 regular-season games, 129 playoff games, and four Stanley Cup celebrations.

The Coliseum also played host to the 1981 Canada Cup, the gymnastics competition of the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the 1996 World Figure Skating Championships, and the 1989 NHL All-Star Game, and it has been home to the Canadian Finals Rodeo for more than four decades. It was even at the heart of a fight between former owner Peter Pocklington and Northlands, which was serving as the arena's guardian, back when both sides were fighting for control of concert and concession revenues.

"Incredible memories," Mark Messier said when he returned for the farewell game. "Building the Northlands Coliseum in 1974 put us on the map."

A Piece of the Past

A battered blue metal door — a storied symbol...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Triumph Books
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2017
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1629373737
• ISBN 13: 9781629373737
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 256
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar