The city of Edmonton woke up in a somber mood Friday after the Oilers were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the first round, losing their series to the Anaheim Ducks. The defeat ends a remarkable two-year run that saw the team reach the Stanley Cup Final twice.
Fans expressed raw emotion. “Staying up late watching that game last night was quite sad,” said Bre Renauld. Another fan, Chava Parmar, noted, “You can kind of feel the weight of the emotions across the city.” Warren Pearson added, “Love the Oilers, just didn’t like last night’s game.”
The mood was visible across the city as Ice District Plaza was cleaned and window dressings were removed. Local businesses that thrived during the playoff runs are feeling the pinch. “You lose that huge crowd of people that are walking past us to head down to the fan park,” said Kelly’s Pub GM Cassandra Bellamy.
A silver lining: Explore Edmonton pointed to a packed summer calendar, including the Canada Send-off Series soccer match on June 1 at Commonwealth Stadium. “We are first and foremost a sport city,” said Cindy Medynski. For fans like Renauld, the focus now shifts to summer projects: “I guess I’ll garden work early this year.”