The Ice District is where thousands of fans are expected to come together to help propel the Edmonton Oilers to another win in the Stanley Cup Final. But it’s not just fans in the city that are keeping an eye on the team.
“There’s a ton of Canadian fans that go to the bar at seven in the morning to watch hockey,” said Ellen S, cheering for the Oilers from Thailand.
Ellen is a Vancouver Canucks fan that moved to Thailand. She was looking for a place to watch the playoffs and found a bar close to where she lives that had it on.
She says once the Oilers beat the Canucks in the second round, she continued supporting Canada’s team, but it wouldn’t be the case if Canada’s team was from the east coast.
“Would my heart still belong for Toronto or Montreal. I don’t know. Because I’m a west coaster at heart. So, we’d have to cross that bridge if it ever comes.”
The Oilers are set for Game 6 in Edmonton on Friday and Edmonton police tell CityNews that they are expecting 30-35 thousand fans downtown, not taking into account bars, restaurants, and pubs on Whyte Ave. and around the city core.
Ticket prices are also forcing fans to watch away from the arena with prices averaging around $2,000-3,000 for a single ticket on re-sale sights. But for fans watching overseas, they say prices are a lot more reasonable when watching at a bar.
“I will buy breakfast, have a pint, buy the waitresses a round and it will cost me $60 on the high end.”
As of Thursday evening, there is still no word from Oilers Entertainment Group if a concert will take place before the game.