The Edmonton oilers are welcoming several families new to Canada into rogers place to watch practice, on what they can now call home ice.
One of the newcomers in attendance is Franco Retuya, who came from the Philippines in 2018 when he was 11-years-old.
“I used to hate hockey, but now I love it so much,” said Retuya.
“It was mid-January, and I was just wearing a thin sweater, and it was just cold and everything, but I knew once I landed in Canada, that I was going to meet my mom again after several years of being apart from her,” said Retuya.
Retuya says adapting to the culture wasn’t easy, speaking a new language and fitting in socially presented challenges.
However, his mother introduced him to Oilers hockey during the 2022 playoffs, and that helped him settle into his new life.
“My mom told me, hey, I think the Oilers are playing, we should watch it. I agreed. We watched game 5 against calgary, and I fell in love with the game,” said Retuya.
Retuya is a part of the every kid deserves a shot program, which helps empower children and inspire them through hockey.
Along with watching Oilers practice, he joined families in meeting goaltender Stuart Skinner, hitting the ice for a free skate and received a surprise gift, a brand-new Oilers jersey.
“When kids play sports, they have teamwork, they have commitment, they have focus but there’s barriers. This is a way for them to get involved and love hockey like we do, so we’re going to come out the other side with a whole bunch of brand-new oilers fans,” said Myrna Khan, Executive Director, Edmonton oilers community foundation.
Retuya will be back to watch the Oilers play their next home game, as the families are being gifted free tickets.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m just excited,” said Retuya.
The Oilers will host new Canadians night by rogers, on Tuesday, when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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