Grant Fuhr shows support for Edmonton Oilers with a special playoff Pepsi
It's back to the future but off the ice as former Edmonton Oilers dynasty years goaltender Grant Fuhr backs the team's playoff run with a new drink promotion.
'Getting there is a hard step, but getting back there is a harder step,' said Fuhr.
'You realize the grind that goes into it, you realize the sacrifice that goes into it. And once you get there and get that taste, you want to get back there because you want to win it.'
A five-time Stanley Cup winner with the Edmonton Oilers and Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender, Fuhr is once again throwing his name behind the team. He partnered with Pepsi to introduce a special Oilers-themed drink for the playoffs that's only available in the city.
'Everybody loves the orange. The Oilers roll in the playoffs in orange. So, Pepsi is going orange,' he said.
Fans can find out where to get the drink on Pepsi Canada's Instagram page.
The product partnership is reminiscent of 1989 when Fuhr previously linked up with the brand. But the Oilers will be hoping it also brings back the wins of Fuhr's era.
'I think they've got enough horses,' Fuhr said, adding 'obviously they have the two best players in the game. That doesn't hurt.'
The Pepsi partnership adds some extra excitement for fans, but Fuhr said he's always thrilled to watch the team, even as a retired player.
'I still love the playoffs. I still love watching the Oilers. The fact the Oilers and (Los Angeles) Kings are going to battle again means that I may get to sneak into a couple of games,' he said.
Living in California with his own broadcasting duties during last year's playoff run, Fuhr had to watch the team from afar, saying the team played 'extremely well.' With the team set to start the playoffs against L.A., Fuhr said it's likely to be a tough matchup, which the Oilers of old always preferred.
'You don't mind a tough start.'
'It puts you in the right mind frame right out of the gate. You don't want an easy series where you just fly through it, you'd rather have that hard grinding series right out of the gate. I mean, we were pretty fortunate. We usually got Calgary in either the first or second round. So it was a hard, grinding series,' said Fuhr.
Fuhr said last year's gut-wrenching Game 7 loss could be an important motivator for the team in this year's run, like it was for him after being swept by the Islanders in 1983, when New York claimed their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup victory.
'I think now that they've got a taste of what the finals are like, and how hard it is to get there, they're going to be better off for it this year. They realize the grind that it is. They realize what it takes. And I know for us, in 1983 we got run over by the Islanders, but we got a taste of what the finals were like, and it's a driving factor,' he said.
zdelaney@postmedia.com
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