Face paint, orange glasses and pompoms, two hats, a pair of shoes, a hockey jersey and a onesie with a tutu — all of which show allegiance to the Edmonton Oilers — are among the paraphernalia with which Dan Shoemaker packed his suitcase Thursday.
Shoemaker, also known as Tutu Dan, first floated the idea of a trip to the Stanley Cup final when the playoffs started, assuming the Oilers made it that far. As the playoffs progressed, he convinced his wife to let him go, and sold his ticket to Game 6 of the western conference final to afford a plane ticket.
He secured an aisle seat to Florida on Sunday, minutes before the Oilers successfully fended off a desperate Dallas Stars squad and punched their ticket to face the Florida Panthers.
“The opportunity arose and I had to jump on it right away,” Shoemaker said.
“I’m excited. It hasn’t quite hit me yet, but once I’m down there and there are fans, I’m going to be pumped.”
Edmonton fans, like Shoemaker, are flocking to Sunrise, Fla., for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, to witness the Oilers continue their endeavour to hoist the trophy for the sixth time in franchise history.
Four more wins would snap two decades-long droughts: the Oilers last won the Stanley Cup in 1990, and no Canadian NHL team has earned it since 1993.
Dean Trantalis, mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., says he’s ready to make a bet with Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi on the outcome of the Stanley Cup final — and may even travel north to take in one of the games.
Oilers games account for some core memories throughout Lori Sajjad and David Gusta’s 26 years together. Their first date was on Oct. 8, 1997, to watch Edmonton host the New York Rangers and they have followed the team together ever since, sometimes travelling to games.
“It’s really more of a love story than an Oilers story,” Gusta told CBC News, as the couple sat outside a Floridian restaurant. “Our first date was Oilers hockey. We went to the playoffs back in [Las] Vegas last year and now we’re here again today.
“Getting married last year, it just ties it all together.”
The couple attended games when the Oilers were last in the Stanley Cup final, in 2006. They booked tickets, expecting to get refunded, but the team rallied.
“It was very exciting and then we ate cheese and crackers for the next month or so,” Sajjad said with a laugh, recalling how expensive the tickets were at the time.
Not everyone travelling from Edmonton is rooting for the Oilers, however.
Edmontonian Zack Lausen has cheered for the Florida Panthers ever since he met members of the 1996 team, which was swept in the Stanley Cup finals.
He has attended every Panthers-Oilers game in Edmonton ever since, but this weekend will be his first time attending a game in Florida, he said.
“I’m usually one of about 10 people in Edmonton,” Lausen said.
“It will be a whole different scene for me here…. As the boys have been saying back home, ‘You’re going to be cheering with your own fans for once.'”
Puck drop for Game 1 between the Panthers and Oilers is set for 6 p.m. MT on Saturday.