It’s July 7, and the Jasper Arena is buzzing with activity.
The group of young Edmonton Oilers prospects that have been testing their mettle in training camp for the past four days in Jasper are about to compete in the Billy Moorse Cup.
The inter-squad competition is the last chance for players to shine at the camp, and with a potential spot on an NHL team on the line, the fans eagerly crowding into the Jasper Activity Centre are hoping for a great show.
There’s well over an hour until the puck drops, but already a crowd has begun to form.
Some are there to snag premium seats—others cling to Oilers hats, jerseys and banners, hoping to get an autograph of one of the team’s future stars.
In the lobby outside the arena, prospect Mitch Moroz sits at a table with a long line of fans snaking away from him. Eric Paukstat steps up, a giant smile plastered across his face, and poses beside him for a picture.
The local teen also gets his Oilers jersey signed, and practically bounces away from the table as he peers at the image on his phone.
“It’s great, you know, next year he will be playing with the Oilers - and it’s cool to get to see them before they’re famous,” he says.
As Moroz finishes up his signing spree, fans trickle into the stands. Sloan’s Money City Maniacs blares over the sound system, and the smell of hot fries wafts through the air. Two middle-aged men face one another, talking intently.
“This kid could be starting in two or three years,” one says, chopping his hand into an open palm.
“Ya, but it takes a long time to mature a goalie,” the other responds.
On the other side of the arena, Dennis and Theresa Maciborsky share a plate of fries.
The couple is on vacation from Red Deer, but when they found out about the game the “die-hard Oilers fans” couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see their team’s prospects in action.
“Let’s put it this way, I’ve been an Oiler fan since - oh remember when there was a couple of skinny kids that couldn’t skate? One of them wore 99 and one of them wore number 11?” Dennis says as he leans back in his chair, referring to Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.
He explains that he and his wife are also big Western Hockey League fans, and it’s rewarding for them to see young players they’ve watched grow up take the next step on their way to the big leagues.
Fifteen minutes before the puck drops the crowd swells as Jasperites start flooding in. Someone is sitting in Joe Couture’s seat - “they must not have known,” his wife Sheila says with a warm grin - but Joe has taken it in stride and found another vantage point.
A few people hang back in the lobby, perusing the silent auction items that are on display. Although the game is the training camp’s final sendoff, it’s also helping out a good cause.
Jasper’s fire chief, Greg Van Tighem, along with Doug McPhee, have been organizing the game, and all the proceeds from ticket sales and the auction will go towards his Endms93 fundraising tour, which supports the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.
Finally, after the crowd finishes up a sing-along to Stompin’ Tom Conners’ The Hockey Song, the players take their positions and the announcer comes in over the sound system.
He explains the tournament rules—four-on-four hockey played over three 15 minutes periods. No stoppages unless there’s a goal or penalty—and then the game gets started.
“OK, let’s play some hockey!” he roars, and the crowd claps appreciatively.
The game is fast paced. The three periods whizz by, with a couple of stellar goals and a few wild saves by the white squad’s goaltender.
In the end, the blue squad takes the cup, eking out a 6-4 win after sliding the puck into an empty net at the end of the third period.
After the cup presentation, fans file out of the arena, many chatting excitedly.
“Oh, how about-what’s his name-Darnell Nurse when he almost took that guy out?” Dave Barker asks.
At an arena side door, a pack of young fans, many sporting Oilers’ orange and blue, crowd around trying to glimpse their new hockey heroes, as Oilers staff hand out paraphernalia used in the game that night.
“I got a stick!” one young fan screams excitedly, holding it above his head, before running to a circle of chattering kids to show off his prize.
Trevor Nichols
[email protected]
