Edmonton Sports Fans Gush About Oilers and Much More
Sure, hockey reigns supreme in Canada, and Edmonton is no exception with the Oilers. Plus there is the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League.
But the Edmonton sports scene is so much more, with the Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, the Huskies of the Canadian Junior Football League, and the Rush of the National Lacrosse League.
Then there is the Edmonton Energy from the International Basketball League and the Edmonton Drillers of the Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League.
In addition, there are various forms of motorized racing with the Rexall Edmonton Indy, Castrol Raceway and Edmonton International Raceway.
And now, swinging into action during their inaugural 2009 season were the Edmonton Capitals.
“Daryl Katz and his local Katz Group purchased the Edmonton Oilers in 2008, and he also purchased the Edmonton Oil Kings and the Edmonton Capitals at that time,” says Jordi Weidman, director of business operations for the Edmonton Capitals. “Pro baseball has actually been in Edmonton for many years, but the recently defunct team (Edmonton Cracker-Cats) was owned by a group in Florida that had an obvious disconnect with the sports fans of Edmonton. Now, with ownership right here in the city, the Capitals are poised for great days ahead.”
The Capitals play in the Golden Baseball League, a nine-team independent professional league that primarily features teams in California and Arizona, as well as three Canadian teams – the Capitals, Calgary Vipers and the Victoria Seals. One of the league’s major investors is Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak.
The Capitals play home games at Telus Field and averaged about 2,000 fans per game in 2009.
“Those 2,000 fans compare to crowds of about 400 people prior to the Katz Group getting involved,” Weidman says. “Now, baseball at a Capitals game is a fun, family event. Tickets, parking and concessions are well priced, plus there are plenty of promotions. Edmontonians can now feel like the Capitals are their team.”
Another key player on the Edmonton sports landscape is one who never laces up a pair of skates or a pair of cleats. It simply goes by Northlands, a nonprofit organization that produces entertainment events each year.
“Northlands has been a significant part of the Edmonton community for more than 130 years, involved in many aspects of entertainment,” says Brian Leadbetter, director of government and community relations at Northlands. “We stage horse racing at Northlands Park and oversee the annual Rexall Edmonton Indy car race but are perhaps best known for being the owner of Rexall Place – the ice arena where the Edmonton Oilers play hockey.”
The 17,000-seat arena is ranked 12th busiest in the world because it hosts Oilers hockey games and approximately 200 concerts and family events every year.
“Regarding Oilers hockey, Rexall Place is proud of a reputation we’ve earned for having the best ice for skating in the entire National Hockey League,” Leadbetter says. “And as for the overall sports scene in Edmonton, it is indeed vibrant, and Northlands is proud to be a part of it.”
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Story by Kevin Litwin
