As a kid growing up in the late 80’s and early 90’s there was no better team than the Edmonton Oilers. It was hard not to get caught up with a roster that included greats like Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Kevin Lowe, Paul Coffey, and of course, the Great One, Wayne Gretzky.
The 80’s were a run for the Oilers, winning the cup in ’84, ’85, ’87, ’88, and ’90. Not to mention losing out in the ’83 final to the Islanders. The decade belonged to Edmonton and like many kids growing up in the late 80’s early 90’s, the Ultra Pro 9-pocket page protectors were almost guaranteed to be filled with Oilers. For me, Gretzky consumed the majority followed by Paul Coffee (mainly because we all had that Sherwood PMP 5030 in our garage). Those two would be the focal point of the binder until they were overtaken by a run of Teemu Selanne sheets a few year’s later.
When the Jets left town my alliances would waiver, spending a stint as a diehard Canucks fan (*see Pavel Bure and Kirk McLean), but it was hard not to watch the Oilers out of the corner of your eyes those later year’s, even if they were a hated rivalry.
Last year the conversations around an Edmonton Oilers collection began brewing. It is always fun to go down the rabbit hole for inspiration on projects like these, but this one didn’t require any “Oilers of the 1980’s” google search. The inspiration was for this project was an Oiler that embodied blue collar work ethic, grind, and passion, Ryan Smyth.
Ryan Smyth was a guy that would be present and willing night-in and night-out for the Oiler faithful. No nights off. You didn’t necessarily have to be an Oiler’s fan to be caught up with admiration for Ryan Smyth’s game and those white accented RBK pumps he wheeled around in. As a proud Canadian we had the luxury of watching Ryan represent our country when the spotlight of NHL action shifted to international play. Ryan represented Canada 12 times in international play including the World Junior Hockey Champion, World Championship, Olympics, World Cup of Hockey, and Spengler Cup. Definitely embodied the nickname of “Captain Canada” laid upon him by sportscaster and writer Pierre LeBrun.
We are excited to share our Edmonton Oilers capsule exclusive ICE District Authentics collection available September 29th, 2023 at ICE District Authentics and Rogers Place. The capsule consists of two brand new silhouettes in our cotton canvas Field jacket and cotton canvas vest. The Field collection features 280g cotton canvas engineered with just the right amount of stretch you allow you to rise from your seats to celebrate another Draisaitl or McDavid goal. Both are equipped with 100g insulated making them perfect three season staples. Both pieces feature YKK zippers throughout and a tonal and orange accented patch. The collection is complimented by a three-piece headwear collection that features two New Era 59Fifty’s in the capsule’s copper, natural, and orange colour theme and a 100% acrylic Canadian crafted toque to match.
Our hope is that this collection exemplifies our commitment to exceptional craftsmanship, ingenuity, and quality, not to mention our love for Canada’s favourite pastime and the fans that bring the rink to life every night in Edmonton. Having embarked on a game there last season with my 7 year old I can say with full conviction that Oilers fans are some of the best in the National Hockey League, and how can you not get excited with a roster that boasts two of the leagues biggest stars.
Available September 29th, 2023 at ICE District Authentics and Rogers Place just in time for the 2023 Heritage game.
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