Grit and Glory by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Author:Lorna Schultz Nicholson [Nicholson, Lorna Schultz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Canada
Published: 2018-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

Doug Weight played a full eight seasons for the Oilers and was a fan favourite.

Then SEATS came up with the brilliant idea to create a directory of all the businesses and corporations that helped the team. They could showcase their businesses and get some advertising in return for their contribution. They worked the word community into all slogans and they were aggressive when they approached businesses, even with those who didn’t live in Alberta but always came in for games. Nichols let everyone know he wasn’t doing it for Pocklington but for the community. FOTO and SEATS even went so far as to produce a commercial that aired on local television. They obtained footage of fans of the Winnipeg Jets—who played their last game on April 28, 1996, before moving to Arizona—waving goodbye on the team’s last day in Winnipeg. The ad showed the tearful fans waving for 27 seconds, and at the end it said, “FOTO. Have you done your part?”

The campaign worked. After the ad aired, the phones started ringing. The public shaming of businesses also had an effect. By the deadline, FOTO had managed to get the season-ticket numbers up to 13,000, and all the luxury boxes were sold. There was a big celebration at City Hall, and the members of FOTO were recognized for giving back to the community. This group of loyal Edmonton fans had saved the Oilers from moving. However, the financial problems were not solved permanently.

A NEW GOALIE AND AN OLD WINGER

The Oilers had now gone three straight years without a playoff berth, and Sather had some hard calls to make. He had already decided that it was time for head coach George Burnett to move on, and reliable Ron Low was given the position. Captain Shayne Corson was also on Sather’s list. They’d had a few battles, not seeing eye-to-eye on some things. When Corson became a free agent at the end of the 1994–95 season, he was signed by St. Louis. The Oilers had the right to match the offer, but opted instead to accept two first-round picks from the Blues as compensation. They then swapped the picks back to St. Louis for goalie Curtis Joseph and the rights to winger Mike Grier, who was playing for Boston University. This turned out to be a stellar move for the Oilers.

Joseph, known as “Cujo,” followed a different route to the NHL than many players. Instead of playing in the Ontario Hockey League, he decided to get an education, accepting a scholarship at the University of Wisconsin. He excelled in college hockey and was named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s First All-Star Team in 1988–89. After just one year, he signed with St. Louis as a free agent—he was never drafted. Now, after spending six years in St. Louis, including four as the Number 1 goalie, Joseph was coming to Edmonton.

September arrived, and Joseph and Sather hadn’t come to terms on his contract. So Joseph played for the Las Vegas Thunder of the International Hockey League, getting sunshine instead of snow.

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