Oilers fan from Down Under lands in Florida, then Edmonton for Cup final
Miami, Fla. — If you're at Edmonton's Rogers Place for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final and hear a distinctly Australian accent, chances are you've met Shane Pask.
Article content
Pask made the long journey from the twin cities of Albury-Wodonga, Australia to Sunrise, Fla., to see his favourite sports team take on the Florida Panthers in Game 4. On Friday, he will take a couple of flights to get to Calgary, then jump on a bus for Edmonton, all to ensure he'll be at Saturday's Game 5 at Rogers Place.
Article content
Article content
'It's been unreal,' he said. 'I wanted to try to get over to this last year, but I had family commitments and work commitments. I couldn't go and I was kicking myself, and my wife said this year, 'You can't miss out on the opportunity twice. You've just got to do it.''
Article content
He said when the Panthers and Oilers looked destined for rematch, it was as if the world was sending him a message.
Article content
'It's been one of my lifelong dreams to go to a Cup and see the Oilers.'
Article content
So. how does a guy living in a city of about 100,000 people, halfway between Canberra and Melbourne, become an Oilers fan?
Article content
When he was young, he first experienced hockey through the PlayStation. He loved the speed of the game. And then he watched a few games. And, of course, the most famous hockey player in the world was Wayne Gretzky. Later in life, he spent a year living in Vancouver, but there was no way he was switching his allegiance to the Canucks.
Article content
'I was, like, this game is unreal,' said Pask. 'The speed that it's played at, the toughness of it, and I've just followed it every year since. I like all the snow sports.'
Article content
When the Oilers play at home, the games face off at about 10 a.m, in Albury-Wodonga. So, if it's a Saturday night game, Pask is spending his Sunday morning cheering on Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse.
Article content
Article content
We have to mention Darnell Nurse, because he's the favourite player of one of Pask's sons. He has four kids, and he's spread his Oilers fandom to them.
Article content
'I've never been to Edmonton, so I'm looking forward to getting out there and checking out the actual city, as well. I don't think there's a better time of year to be there. I hear the crowd noise is out of control. I'm in.'
Article content
He said hockey's popularity in Australia is building, there's a few local teams now. But, living in a place where it's so hot all of the time, it's hard for an ice sport to really take hold.
Article content
But, he has a couple of friends who are also hard-core NHL fans.
Article content
'I've got a couple of mates who like it, there's this one mate who's right into it, but he's a Rangers fan, so he's not that much of a mate, really. But when the Rangers played L.A. in the Cup a, he flew over and when he got back he told me, 'Mate, you've got to do it, it's the best ever.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Agustín Ramírez homers twice to power Marlins past Nationals 11-9
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rookie Agustín Ramírez hit two home runs and Eric Wagaman had three RBIs to help the Miami Marlins hand the Washington Nationals their sixth straight loss, 11-9 on Friday night in a game that included a rain delay of more than two hours. Ramírez hit a solo shot off Nationals starter Mitchell Parker (4-7) in the first for a 1-0 lead and then hit his 10th of the season leading off a four-run third as Miami took a 6-0 lead. It was Ramírez's second multihomer game after hitting two solo shots in a 7-6 loss to Seattle on April 27. Wagaman had an RBI double and Dane Myers added a two-run double as Miami built the six-run advantage. CJ Abrams reached on an infield hit and James Wood followed with his 17th homer to get the Nationals within 6-2 after three. Fortes and Xavier Edwards had RBI singles in the fifth following a delay of 2 hours, 14 minutes for an 8-2 lead. Wood hit a two-run double and Nathaniel Lowe, Alex Call and Keibert Ruiz followed with RBI singles as Washington scored five times in the seventh to pull within 8-7. Miami answered with Wagaman's two-run single and Connor Norby's RBI groundout in the eighth. Edwin Cabrera allowed two runs in a three-inning start for Miami. Tyler Phillips (1-0) got two outs for the win. Parker allowed six runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. Jackson Rutledge got the final two outs in the fourth before the second delay and then allowed two runs. Jose A. Ferrer was tagged for three runs on four hits in an inning. Miami has won three of four against Washington this season. Key moment Calvin Faucher allowed a one-out single before getting groundouts from Robert Hassell III and Abrams to finish off his sixth save in nine opportunities. Key stat Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Miami's minus-91 run differential is the second worst in the NL followed by Washington at minus-60. Up next Miami had not announced who will start Saturday's game opposite Washington RHP Trevor Williams (3-7, 5.91). ___ AP MLB:
National Post
5 hours ago
- National Post
G7 leaders will get a 'truly Albertan experience' says Kananaskis lodge GM
A host of world leaders will land in Calgary this weekend before making themselves at home in one of Canada's prized natural gems for three days of discussion on economic instability, war, political relations and other matters of global importance at the G7 summit. Article content Guests have already begun arriving at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain lodge, according to Elizabeth Hovey-Smith, the lodge's general manager. For staff who have worked there for years, the next week will look quite different from the average work day. Article content Article content Article content For one, a controlled access zone has been created around the property by the Integrated Safety and Security Group, a multi-agency team lead by the RCMP that includes the Calgary Police Service, Alberta Sheriffs, provincial conservation officers and members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Article content Anyone entering Kananaskis Country requires accreditation, with different levels of permission afforded to people depending on their roles and requirement to enter certain areas of the lodge, Hovey-Smith said. Article content 'Normally, to get into K-Country, all you need is to register your licence plate and pay for your conservation pass,' she said. 'But now there are roadblocks.' Article content Staff are shuttled from the Stoney Nakoda resort and pass through several security checkpoints. Employees who want to hike in the region have to drive outside the zone. Article content Within the lodge, certain spots only allow certain employees, Hovey-Smith said. Article content 'I'm general manager, but that doesn't mean I get to go everywhere, because I might not need to,' she said. Article content 'Certainly, that's very different,' she said. 'That's not normal practice for us but very understandable, given the high-level conversations and people that are going to be attending.' Article content This year's summit, attended by leaders from Canada, U.S., Japan, France, Germany, Italy, France and the European Union — as well as invited guests from Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, India, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine — will focus on topics around economic instability and the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Article content The lodge is no stranger to hosting events of this political significance; it hosted the G8 summit in 2002, one of three events since the lodge was taken over by the Pomeroy group that it has hosted an event that it was completely taken over by a client, according to Hovey-Smith.
CBC
6 hours ago
- CBC
How much does the G7 benefit host communities in the long-term?
Hotel rooms in Calgary and the Bow Valley are filling up as delegates, journalists and security personnel arrive for the G7 in Kananaskis, which starts Sunday. The summit could generate around $240 million for Alberta's economy, according to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, with a long-term boost to tourism expected as potential visitors around the world get a look at the area's natural beauty. But the costs of hosting a summit are massive, and all costs are covered by the host country. The last time Kananaskis hosted the summit, its price tag was estimated at $300 million. Canada last hosted the summit in La Malbaie, Que., in 2018, when it budgeted $600 million. "When we talk about economic benefits, we have to talk about economic costs as well," said Frédéric Dimanche, a professor in the department of hospitality and tourism management at Toronto Metropolitan University, on CBC Calgary's The Homestretch Thursday. Dimanche said Kananaskis and the surrounding area already attracts visitors from around the world, and he's not sure this year's summit will provide the long-lasting boost some are expecting. "Does anyone remember when the last G7 took place and where it took place?" he said. "We have to be very careful when we say that having an event like this is going to lead to a big increase in visitation." Some tourism executives who worked on past summits said there are benefits, but puzzling out the long-term impacts isn't straightforward. 'Difficult to calculate' economic impact in Charlevoix, Que. Hosting the 2018 G7 made Charlevoix, Que., "more visible" on the international stage, according to the general manager of Tourism Charlevoix, Mitchell Dion. "At one point you have everybody in the world watching this event," he said. "It was a way for us to connect with media [outlets] and organize press tours, media tours of the region, to talk, yes, about the political event, but also about the region." But the community has not been able to quantify the economic benefits of that exposure, Dion added. "It's really difficult to calculate even years after. But of course there [were] really some short-term impacts." Lodging tax revenue increased due to the summit, and Dion said Charlevoix locals also benefited from improvements to infrastructure — such as roads and cell towers. Cornwall, U.K., saw benefits, no huge tourism boom Malcolm Bell was the chief executive of Visit Cornwall when the coastal English county hosted the summit in 2021. He said the attention surrounding the summit didn't spark a massive tourism boom, but added it did allow the area to show off its natural beauty. "We were able to expose the [world] and journalists to the sort of natural cliffs and sandy beaches," said Bell. "We had this sort of worldwide coverage that there was this beautiful place ... called Cornwall." Bell added if Cornwall had to pay for the kind of publicity it received from hosting the G7, it would have cost about $111 million Cdn. After the summit, more travel companies from the U.S., Canada, Germany and Italy added Cornwall to their U.K. tour itineraries, he said, especially those designed to accommodate tourists who've already visited the U.K. and seen the famous attractions. "That's been the big growth area," said Bell. "We got a lot more Italians, lot more Canadians." He recommends summit hosts snap plenty of photos of world leaders in front of iconic landmarks and use them to inspire tourists to follow in their footsteps. Canmore, Kananaskis hoping to attract overseas visitors Tourism Canmore Kananaskis aims to use the summit to improve the area's "brand recognition" around the world. "We are working very hard to attract more international visitors, especially from the United States, the U.K., Germany and France," said CEO Rachel Ludwig. "We know that they are staying longer and spending more money. Having that news coverage about the area, hopefully, we'll get that additional boost for years to come." Hotels in Canmore and Kananaskis were on average 74 per cent full in 2024 — up 11 per cent from 2019 levels — according to Tourism Canmore Kananaskis' 2025 business plan. But with new accommodation options expected to open in the coming years, Ludwig said the region will have the space to welcome more visitors. "There's a lot of short-term vacation inventory that will come online in the next few years. So we're definitely ready to grow," she said.
