a day ago
‘They never miss a game': Town of Imperial, Sask. behind Oilers' head coach during Stanley Cup Final
Bob and Holly Knoblauch - the parents of current Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch - watch Game 4 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at the local Imperial rink.
There are two rules when you watch a Stanley Cup Playoff game at the local rink in Imperial Sask., bring your own lawn chair and cheer for the Edmonton Oilers.
Imperial is a little more than a one-hour drive northwest of Regina, it is also the hometown of Oilers' head coach Kris Knoblauch.
'Imperial has always been Oilers fans, but now we're really big Oilers fans,' town chief administrative officer Joslin Freeman told CTV News.
Imperial Sask., Kris Knoblauch
Imperial Sask. displays a sign along Highway 2 showing current Edmonton Oilers' head coach Kris Knoblauch is from the town.
(Donovan Maess)
It is the second-straight season the Oilers have made the Cup Final under Knoblauch's guide behind the bench.
Despite having a population of just 372 people, a handful of residents watch each game together at the local rink. The majority wearing the familiar blue and orange of their beloved Oilers.
Kris' parents, Bob and Holly, still live in the community.
'You talk to a lot of people who never watched hockey before,' Bob said. 'Now they tell me they never miss a game.'
With each play – good or bad – there is an audible reaction from each Imperial fan. The groans for an Oiler penalty and the cheers for a goal may be loud enough to be heard in Edmonton.
'It's hard to get out of [hockey dad] mode,' Bob said. 'I know he has things under control. But it hard to watch at times.'
Kris is one of two NHLers who call Imperial home. The other is Utah Mammoth goaltender Connor Ingram.
Throughout the lobby of the small town's rink are many photographs and reminders that both got their start there.
A photo of the 1991-92 peewee Sabres sits behind a glass among the several teams which have won provincial championships. Kris kneels in the front row with a big smile third from the left, his father – and coach – standing with the team.
Bob joked how his son has surpassed his own coaching ability.
'[Kris] is light years ahead of me,' he said with a laugh. 'I always knew he had hockey sense. He knew the game inside and out.'
Imperial Sask., Kris Knoblauch
Oilers' head coach Kris Knoblauch appears in a photo of the the 1991-92 Imperial Sabres Peewee team, which is displayed at the town's rink.
(Donovan Maess)
Knoblauch and the Oilers came just one win shy of hoisting Lord Stanley in 2024, but have a chance for redemption this season.
'When they made it again this year I said, 'I don't want that feeling [of losing] again because it's just a feeling of sadness,'' Freeman said. 'We're looking for the excitement and we're going to believe they're going to do it.'
Freeman says the town's watch parties will continue at the local rink as they rally behind their own.
'That's [a] small town,' she said. 'Everybody comes together and rallies behind whoever needs to be rallied behind. And that's what small towns are about.'
After winning Game 4 Thursday, Edmonton is just two wins away from being the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.
'It would be the biggest party Imperial has ever seen,' Bob said about the possibility of bringing the Cup back to Imperial. 'It will be lights out.'
