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CTV News
4 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
‘The city is great to us every time:' U.K. Oilers fans return to Edmonton for Stanley Cup Final
Oilers fans Nicola (left) and Brian (right) Shotton have visited Edmonton multiple times from Northern England to cheer on the Oilers. (Supplied) Diehard Oilers fans all the way from Northern England are gearing up to watch the team at Rogers Place in games one and two of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. Brian Shotton said he became a fan of the Edmonton Oilers in the late 90s when hockey was considered a minority sport in the U.K.. 'At the time, they weren't a top team, but they were real battlers on the ice,' said Shotton. 'They would fight and they were tough to play. I think I resonated with that.' Shotton's favourite Oiler is left winger Ryan Smyth. 'He typified the Oilers at that time,' said Shotton. 'Heart, soul and effort and that bit of fight and battle you need to win hockey games.' Today, Shotton and his wife's favourite players are Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. 'But I think the whole team's chipping in together in this run and it's been a real solid team effort so far,' said Shotton. Not their first rodeo This isn't the first time the couple has crossed the pond to see the Oilers tear up the ice. Oilers fans Oilers fans Nicola (left) and Brian (right) Shotton travelled to Edmonton from England for their honeymoon in 2007. (Supplied) Being big hockey fans, the two newlyweds took their honeymoon to three major Canadian cities in 2007: Vancouver, Toronto and of course, Edmonton. They spent 10 days—the longest stretch of their trip—in the city of champions. Shotton's wife Nicola said they met at an ice rink in their hometown of Ashington. 'I was a hockey fan, but not of the Oilers. I didn't really know much about them,' said Nicola. 'We got married and the Oilers sort of came with Brian.' Because of the time difference, Nicola and Shotton will often watch Oilers games at 2 or 3 in the morning. The couple travelled to Edmonton in 2024 to watch their favourite team, but that's not the only reason they continue to come back. 'Obviously the team's really important, but the city is really important to us as well,' said Shotton, saying they've made friends here who are like family. Oilers fans Oilers superfans Brian (left) and Nicola (right) Shotton have travelled to Edmonton from the U.K. multiple times to cheer on their favourite team. (Supplied) 'The city is great to us every time. People are so welcoming and the team is just a massive part of that.' The couple also saw the Oilers play in Europe during a 2018 exhibition where they went up against the Cologne Sharks in Germany and the New Jersey Devils in Sweden for a regular season game. Wednesday morning the Shotton's were surprised with a visit from former Oilers head coach and general manager Kevin Lowe while they were doing interviews with media. Oilers fans Former Oilers head coach and general manager Kevin Lowe surprised team superfans from the U.K. in the Ice District ahead of game one of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. (Supplied) 'It was really special,' said Shotton. 'He typified what the Oilers were in the 80s so it's nice to have that kind of link to that time and to have met (him) today of all days.' Despite the 24-hour travel day the couple had, Shotton said it's all worth it. 'I think the adrenaline carries you through when you know what's waiting on the other side,' said Shotton, adding it was like travelling toward the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. 'That's kept us going.' Although the Shotton's have seen nearly 40 professional hockey games, Wednesday night will be their first playoff game. 'It's going to be something special and I'm sure the guys will go out there and give everything after last year,' said Shotton. 'They know what the reward is.' His Stanley Cup Final prediction?: 'Oilers in six. They're not gonna let this one slip.' With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa and Nicole Lampa
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Utah's Hockey Team Down To Three Name Options; Could The Islanders Have Been Called Something Else?
After the rapid decision to move the Arizona Coyotes to Utah ahead of the 2024-25 season, the next order of business was to come up with a name. Jazz owner and now Utah hockey team owner Ryan Smith (no, not former Islanders forward for 23 total games Ryan Smyth) has left the team name up to a fan vote This week, it was announced that Utah Yeti was out as a name. Here are the three choices: With Utah Yetis out of the running due to trademark issues, the top three remaining names are Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth and Utah will vote on their favorite this week at Delta Center. — Belle Fraser (@bellefraser1) January 29, 2025 Sure, you can throw in the Nashville Predators as a good name rivalry as well, maybe suited better for the Mammoth like in the movie Ice Age. When the New York Islanders became a team in 1972, their name seemed obvious. But that didn't mean that "Islanders" was the first choice, as many thought it would be something else. From 1959-1961, there was a minor league hockey team on Long Island called the Rovers. The Maven Stan Fischler shared in his "Maven Memories" story that they played out of Long Island Arena in Commack, New York, and served as the New York Rangers farm team before being bought by Al Baron, who changed the name to the Long Island Ducks. So, when the Islanders were given a franchise, people thought the Ducks made a lot of sense for the name. The Islanders made more sense. "Long Island Arena hosted EHL hockey for a couple of years after the Islanders arrived," Fischler said. "By that time fans had shown they were ready for The Show. As the Isles moved toward their first playoff team in 1975, so were Coliseum seats filling up. In time, the Ducks became just a fond memory." The Long Island Ducks, an independent baseball league, use the name because of the former hockey team. The NHL's Anaheim Ducks, originally called The Mighty Ducks, is based on the 1992 Disney film. Did you know that in 1961, when the MLB awarded New York an expansion team and held a team-name contest, the Islanders and the Empire were options? So, if the Mets had actually been named the Islanders in 1961, would the Islanders have been named the Ducks 11 years later or the Mets, or something completely different? The Empire is actually the name of New York's World Team Tennis (WTT) club. Soon enough, we will have our answer, as Utah hockey will happen regardless of the name this upcoming fall.
