From Hockey Heroes to Hidden Talents: Uncovering Fun Facts About the Edmonton Oilers
The playoff season is here, and the excitement among hockey fans across the globe is growing as we are in the midst of round 2 of the playoffs. For fans of the Edmonton Oilers (which we are), this time of year is particularly special, as the team gears up for the chance to compete for the coveted Stanley Cup.
This year, the Oilers are poised to make a deep playoff run and we are all excited to see how it plays out. In the spirit of this, we wanted to share some fun tidbits of Oiler’s trivia about some of our players:
- Connor McDavid, the captain of the Oilers, is the youngest player in NHL history to win the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s leading scorer. He achieved this feat in the 2016-17 season at the age of 20.
- Leon Draisaitl, who plays center for the Oilers, was born in Germany and is the highest-scoring German player in NHL history.
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who plays center for the Oilers, is left-handed, but he shoots right-handed.
- Darnell Nurse, a defenseman for the Oilers, is the nephew of former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb.
- Stuart Skinner, during his junior hockey career, Skinner played for the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He is thee youngest in his family. He is one of nine siblings. All of them have first names that begin with the letter “S”.
- Zach Hyman is also an author. He has written a book titled “The Bambino and Me” in 2014, among others. The book tells the story of a young boy who forms a special bond with baseball legend Babe Ruth.
- Evander Kane, a left winger for the Oilers, has played in over 700 NHL games in his career and has also represented Canada in international play. He was acquired by the Oilers in 2022 and has previously played for several other NHL teams.
- Kailer Yamamoto, a right winger for the Oilers, is of Japanese and Hawaiian descent and grew up in Spokane, Washington.
- Cody Ceci is an avid golfer and has participated in various charity golf tournaments. He is also known to be a big fan of the sport and has said that he enjoys golfing in his free time during the off-season.
- Evan Bouchard became the youngest Oiler defenceman in history to record a goal on October 25, 2018, when he scored in a 4–1 win over the Washington Capitals.
It is always fascinating to gain some more insight into these talented players beyond the ice. We are eagerly watching each game in anticipation and hope that this will be “our year” here in YEG.
