I will be sad to see Rexall Place go

JEFF'S NOTE: This was posted on my Facebook page on April 6, 2016 — the regular season home game for the Edmonton Oilers. 

Since today is the last #Oilers game at Rexall Place, here is an awesome memory I had there, and of my grandfather, Walter Cummings...:

As as SAIT journalism student, I was in the middle of a practicum at the Edmonton Journal and I was staying with my grandparents during that entire two-week stint. I was thrilled about it because I am a HUGE Oilers fan. It was a big deal for me as I spent my entire teenage years in Southern Alberta. Any way, my grandpa received a pair of tickets to a game during the 2000-2001 season, that included a trip to the dressing room after the game. He received the tickets from my uncle who picked them up from a charity silent auction.

The Oilers lost to the Penguins that game by a score of 6-1, and they were miserable after, but I didn’t care. I saw the grey, smashed up door in the dressing room that was loaded with stickers representing every Oilers playoff win. I loved the way the room looked before they renovated it. I also got a chance to meet Doug Weight, George Laraque, Janne Niinimaa and others, even though they lost a tough game, they were happy to greet me.

The next thing I remember was amazing and hilarious. As I was looking everywhere taking the surreal experience all in (as it lasted for about 25 minutes), I glanced at my grandpa who was lecturing assistant coach Ted Green on who he should have played on the powerplay. It was awesome.

Green was a good sport, nodding his head up and down as if my grandpa was coaching him. Green was holding a pen in is right hand with a notepad in his left — it seemed as if he was going to take some notes. I think my grandpa stayed in that one spot the whole time we were there lecturing Green on the lack of offensive spark on the power-play.
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That memory, out of all the awesome concerts and games I saw in Rexall Place — that one sticks out the most. It will be sad to watch the game tonight — it will remind me about the fun I had with my Edmonton-sports-loving grandfather.
R.I.P. Grandpa.

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