As the Edmonton Oilers prepare to kick off their first championship series in 16 years, hockey-crazed residents in Alberta's capital are reliving excitement not seen here since the team's heyday in the 80s when Wayne Gretzky and other star players wore the team's sweaters.
The Oilers won the right to compete for the Stanley Cup after defeating the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in game 5 of the NHL's Western Conference finals last Saturday.
The team's trademark blue and copper can be seen everywhere in Edmonton as pride-filled fans make their way to work in Oilers jerseys. Shops without Oilers flags hanging in the window now appear to be exceptions. And even Edmontonians who don't normally follow hockey find themselves caught up in the craze.
"I think its good for the city and for the team to show that positive enthusiasm [and] team spirit," says Edmonton local Chistina Young, 22.
But unlike in the days of Gretzky, Messier, and Fuhr, the tremendous success of this Oilers team has caught many off guard.
Edmonton entered the playoffs by earning the last of eight spots in the Western Conference. They had the 14th best record among the 16 playoff teams.
The fans' fervour has grown steadily since the Oilers upset the heavily-favoured Detroit Red Wings, the top-ranked team in the league, in round one.
That followed with a series win over the San Jose Sharks in the Conference semi-finals, and then another win over the Mighty Ducks. In each round, the Oilers have played the role of underdog.
And after each win, loyal Oilers fans have ritualistically flooded the busy sidewalks of Whyte Avenue—the city's most popular entertainment strip, partying and drinking.
"There have been some bars that have been running out of liquor," says a waitress from the street's Elephant and Castle restaurant.
On game days, large groups of city police can be seen gathered outside the street's popular bars to keep excited fans under control. Nevertheless, things managed to get out of hand after Saturday night's victory as happy high-fives turned into a near-riot. Crowds vandalized property and started fires.
That has some locals calling for more civil celebrations.
"I just don't get it," says 19 year old Sylvan Brown, who works at a clothing retail store on Whyte Avenue. "If you're happy, why do you want to cause destruction? Why not just hug and drink?"
As well, for local residents, the late-night celebrations and honking car horns mean sleepless nights and litter-filled streets.
"In one word, I could describe it as chaos," says 19-year-old Jeff Scharien, who lives in a basement suit on the street facing traffic.
"I find it hard to sleep at night, especially having to work in the morning if it's game night."
But in spite of the late-night ruckus, the thrill of victory seems to be winning out.
"I think it's already boosting the city's prestige, just because people are out celebrating and supporting our team," says 31-year old Ben Chobater.
But most of all, Edmonton's fans are happy their team has once again positioned itself among the league's best.
Led by hockey's all-time superstar Wayne Gretzky, the Oilers ruled the NHL in the mid and late 1980s, winning the championships four times in five years. The team managed to win the Stanley Cup once more in 1990 after Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, but has failed to make it further than the Conference finals since then. They had not won a single playoff series since 1998 until this year's win over Detroit.
The Oilers' outstanding performance seems to not only riled hockey-proud Edmonton residents, it has also given hope to Cup-starved hockey fans across Canada eagerly waiting for a Canadian team to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada. Oilers logos and flags can even be found in Calgary—traditionally Edmonton's arch rival—which experienced a similar fairy-tale playoff run in 2004 when the Calgary Flames made it to the finals, only to be beaten in game 7 by Tampa Bay.
The last Canadian team to win the Cup was the 1993 Montreal Canadiens.
A 38-year-old Quebecker named Bruce explains his support for the Edmonton team as he walks from a hotel with a friend who also flew in from B.C. to see the Oilers play live.
"It's our game," he says.
The Oilers will start the Cup finals in either Buffalo or Carolina on Monday night, depending on the winner of Thursday's Game 7 in the Eastern Conference final.
Additional reporting by Mike Cote in Edmonton
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