As the Edmonton Oilers kick off their second-straight Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, they’ll be skating on home ice – in more ways than one.
That’s because the hometown rinks of six of the team’s star players have been scraped, with that ice being added to the skating surface at Rogers Place in Edmonton ahead of Game 1 against the Florida Panthers.
In North Vancouver, ice was taken from the North Shore Winter Club, where Oilers forward Evander Kane played minor hockey. At age 14, the Vancouver-born skater recorded 72 goals and 96 assists for 168 total points in 66 games while playing for the Winter Club.
The frozen floor in North Van was scraped on Sunday by NSWC general manager Kyle Turris. The ice was put into a thermos and mini cooler and delivered to Edmonton, where it was emptied into the ice-making tank of a Rogers Place Zamboni to resurface the ice for Game 1.
Ice was also taken from Burnaby Winter Club, in the hometown of Oilers alternate captain Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
A former player himself, Turris played 14 seasons in the NHL – his last two in Edmonton alongside much of the team’s current roster – before retiring in September 2022.
Turris and Kane sat next to each other in the locker room, and used to play cards together on the plane all the time, Turris said. “[Kane] was always really nice.”
On the ice, Kane is an impactful player, he said.
“He affects the game in various ways,” Turris said. “Physically, he’s a presence. He’s intimidating, he gets to the net and creates chaos.”
Canada 'long overdue' for Stanley Cup win
The ice-collection project is a way to connect Canadian hockey fans across the country, he added.
“It’s a minor hockey rink that all these kids growing up play on – to feel like they’re connected to what’s going on in the Stanley Cup right now is pretty neat,” said Turris, who also got his start at NSWC. “A neat way to connect everybody and make everybody feel united.”
The Rogers Communications’ project is called “This Is Our Ice,” building off its “This Is Our Game” campaign that started in the 4 Nations Face Off in February.
Hockey’s biggest stage should reflect where the game truly begins, in hometown hockey rinks across Canada, said Rogers spokesperson Terrie Tweddle.
“This Is Our Ice is about rallying communities across the country to celebrate our collective pride in Canada’s game as the Oilers play to bring home the Stanley Cup,” he said.
Turris is also pulling for Edmonton.
“I want Connor [McDavid], Leon [Draisaitl], obviously Evander and Stu Skinner [to win the Cup]. I mean, these are all my buddies that I’m rooting for,” he said.
“I’m rooting for them and hope they bring it home not just for them, but for all of Canada,” Turris said. “It’s long overdue for us to win.”
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