City of Champions: Edmonton Oilers legend Mark Messier wants slogan returned

Yahoo

14-04-2025

Ten years ago, Edmonton city council voted 7-5 to officially divest us of the City of Champions slogan from the wooden welcome signs to our fair city because, in the words of Coun. Michael Oshry, 'We don't need a big splash entering the city, but we just need something that's not 30 years old.'
Mark Messier isn't so sure the city needed to abandon the past.
The Hall of Famer is part of a new limited edition Budweiser beer campaign (cans available Monday) promoting the champion legacy in this city, not just with sports teams (the Oilers and the Eskimos), but also with the wonderful spirit of the community to pull together during the dark days of the deadly tornado in 1987.
'I was surprised by that (slogan taken down),' said the former Oilers captain, who grew up in St. Albert and won five Stanley Cups here before moving on to New York to play for the Rangers and win a sixth Cup.
Maybe if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup again this year, the council will take another look at it. It is an election year, so don't forget where it never hurts to curry favour.
But today, the signs to the city just say, 'Welcome to the City of Edmonton, Alberta's Capital City.'
'We all know what it means, not just the Eskimos (five Grey Cups in a row from 1978-82 and the Oilers, five Stanley Cups from 1984-1990) but because of the people. I've said it 100 times, being born and raised in Edmonton, growing up and playing hockey there, that one of the biggest impacts we had was the relationship with the fans in Edmonton,' said Messier in a phone conversation late last week.
'The people are always going to be a City of Champions,' said Messier, now 64 and currently lead NHL studio analyst for ESPN, who was here during the Oilers' wild playoff ride last spring.
'I can't tell you how many times I've travelled around the world in the off-season and people knew of Edmonton because of what was happening there… obviously because of Wayne (Gretzky) and the Oilers and that kind of stuff,' he said.
'I was really proud when that would happen. Knowing we had done something to put Edmonton on the map. I think there's a lot of sentiment that people think the same… so that's why this (beer) campaign came about. That's the inspiration. I like that,' said Messier.
Messier certainly remembers the tornado and people rallying around after the devastation.
'Yeah, 1000 percent,' he said.
'I was here in New York, too, in 9/11 and watched New York galvanize around each other. Everybody helping any way they could. The tornado in Edmonton, seeing how communities and people come together to help. Like I say, the City of Champions (moniker) doesn't just reference the Oilers and the Eskimos. It's the people.'
Messier's pro hockey-playing dad Doug, before turning to coaching, is now 88. He certainly cherishes his Edmonton roots. Messier has a son named Douglas, 21, and a daughter named Jacqueline, 19, both at U.S. colleges, who know what he meant to this city. He also has a 37-year-old son named Lyon, who played some minor pro hockey and now runs hockey camps in the Washington, D.C., area.
Mark says people should have a sense of pride in what their city is and what it means to live there.
'It's way deeper than the sports teams, in my opinion,' said Messier.
That said, he reiterates what hockey has meant to him.
'The greatest asset the NHL has is its history and tradition. The people. We have to keep that in Edmonton and pass it down generation to generation. I mean… coming into Edmonton and seeing that (slogan), it's impactful, for me,' said Messier.
Before the council voted to do away with the City of Champions slogan, vandals had changed it to read City of Speed Traps amongst other things. But today, Budweiser's special can, crafted at Labatt's Edmonton brewery, celebrates Messier and the Oilers.
'There's a lot of history on it, a lot of sayings we used back in the day. The ring, of course, the carrots, the songs we listened to. They did an amazing job,' he said.
Messier won his last Cup ring in New York in 1994, leading the Rangers to their first title in 54 years, but Messier still pays attention to what's going on here. He knows the injury bug has hit the Oilers (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, Zach Hyman, Trent Frederic, Stu Skinner, along with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins being sick).
Every NHL injury is a concern, like when the playoffs are drawing near.
'What gets lost with injury is how much it takes to build up the stamina to play every second night over two months (playoffs),' he said.
And getting so close as the Oilers were last June, losing in Game 7 of the finals, that stays with you. 'That takes a toll,' said Messier. 'Look at Florida, they made six or seven changes from last year (winning), but they've been banged up (Matthew Tkachuk, Alexander Barkov) as well.'
Looking at the playoffs, Messier is a keen student of the battles.
'It's the matchups, like in the first round,' he said.
The Oilers will be playing Los Angeles for a fourth straight spring.
He's very interested to see how that shakes out.
'They've (Oilers) had success (winning three straight), but (Quinton) Byfield is a different player than last year in L.A. He's a dominant player now. That takes a lot of pressure off (Anze) Kopitar offensively, so Kopitar can do what he does best. That's being more of a shutdown player, a two-way player, and not having to be so responsible carrying the offence. L.A.'s scrappy,' said Messier.
But, again, he's an NHL commentator who grew up an Oiler.
'I was in Edmonton last year (playoff run). They love McDavid, Draisaitl. The city rallies around the Oilers,' said Messier.
'He (McDavid) looked tired after the 4 Nations. Tired, not just physically but mentally. The rest (being hurt and having time away from playing) can really help him. He's coming back hungry,' said Messier. Indeed, nine points the last three games.
'They're going to need the two of them (McDavid and Draisaitl) healthy and rested, for sure. Whether they can get the help they need to make another long run, you know every great player needs support around them,' he said.
In the last several weeks, with all the injuries, the support cast has come through in a big way, helping the Oilers win six of the last eight.
Yet, the injury situation with the big dogs clouds things.
Give what's left of the Edmonton Oilers credit, they're fighting hard
Ekholm injury question leaves dark cloud hanging over Edmonton Oilers
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