Remembering Rexall Place

Tonight the Edmonton Oilers face the Vancouver Canucks. On paper, it’s a nothing game with both teams long eliminated from the post season. But tonight will be the final hockey game at Rexall Place (WHL’s Oil Kings lost their final playoff game last night). Tonight on Sportsnet, no doubt they will recap the many memories of the past forty years in that building. I was born in 1986- in the heart of the Oilers dynasty but wasn’t able to see the likes of Gretzky & Messier in action. Growing up in Leduc and Edmonton I did, however, manage to see many Oilers games as well as plenty of memorable concerts in the building briefly dubbed the Pharmacy after the Rexall name change.

I still remember my Uncle taking me to one of my first NHL games where the Edmonton Oilers took on the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. At the time I had been obsessed with the Mighty Ducks movies- and even had some Ducks long underwear to boot. So I went in cheering for the Ducks- until Kelly Buchberger, who I had met years earlier at a Leduc car dealership (and shared the cover of the Leduc Rep newspaper) scored one of his few goals to help the Oilers win. I never cheered for the Ducks again (unless they were playing Calgary).

I remember many other games in those early to mid 90’s with the likes of Doug Weight, Jason Arnott, Shane Corson and Billy Ranford. Seeing Jarri Kurri’s jersey raised to the rafters in the season opener of 2001. I also remember one year for Christmas getting my first legitimate Oilers jersey- although I proudly wore the blank Oilers-ish colours one that my Mom cut orange fabric to read Buchberger and glue-gunned on. This jersey was a stroke of luck as even during the tougher years- it never saw a loss. At one point, I wanted to send it with the Oilers to Dallas on one of their many post-season duals. I remember the next season when that jersey and I saw our first loss there may have been some tears.

No doubt there would be many tears in the years to come as the Oilers struggled to remain competitive in a pre-salary cap world. But fortunately all that changed in 2006. With the acquisitions of star players like Chris Pronger and Michael Peca plus the development of guys like Jarrett Stoll, Raffi Torres, Fernando Pisani and the heart of one Ryan Smyth. The Oilers looked like they had a playoff contending team- but nobody expected just how far they would take it. I remember being on a cruise with my family and listening to Rod Phillips in the Internet Cafe call Ales Hemsky scoring the go-ahead goal against Detroit ensuring a second round. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at Rexall for the game against the San Jose Sharks where for the first time Anthem singer Paul Lorieau lifted his microphone and let the crowd finish. That was an emotional moment. And equally as emotional being down 2-0 in the series heading into triple overtime before Shawn Horcoff sent the fans home happy.

I remember Game 3 against the Anaheim Ducks, armed with my Duck Hunt gun when the Oilers ALMOST coughed up a 4-0 lead after Georges Laraque pumped the crowd up from the penalty bench (as if we needed any pumping)- inadvertently inspiring the other team.

And then I remember Game 6…. Possibly the greatest game the post-Gretzky/Messier Oilers ever played. With our backup goaltender Jussi Markannen getting a shutout and absolutely decimating the Carolina Hurricanes to force a Game 7- the building was absolutely ELECTRIC. And so was the after-party on Whyte Ave. Of course, it was not to be and the Oilers would come 20 minutes away from seeing their 6th Stanley Cup.

And then came the notorious Pronger trade- and the slow dismantling of our franchise. The Oilers would never play another playoff game in Rexall Place… But their were still memorable games. I lost hats of varying cost to the likes of Ryan Smyth and Taylor Hall. I saw The Professor Ben Scrivens put on a clinic with a 59 save shutout win. And I remember taking the Greyhound in from Grande Prairie for one particular bout with the LA Kings. The bus was late getting in- like really late. I got to Rexall Place missing the first two (albeit mediocre) periods just in time for the third. The Oilers scored with under a minute left to tie the game only to have it called back for Goaltender interference. After the fact…. The bull feces chants were louder than usual that night- and fortunately being in the nosebleeds (where our season tickets were) we did not get the complimentary beer showering many people in the lower bowls did.

It looked like the refs were going to need a police escort out of town but with 4.7 seconds Nail Yakupov scored his first ever goal (in his second game to boot) before launching across centre ice in his best Theo Fleury impersonation. Sam Gagner would win the game in OverTime sending the LA Kings home with spirits as broken as Jonathan Quick’s stick

And despite being at West Edmonton Mall when the Oilers won the rights to Connor McDavid- I wasn’t able to see him play. Until next year in the new building of course. But, Rexall Place wasn’t just about the Oilers games, open practices and skills competitions. Even on the Sports side of things I have many other fond memories.

I remember sitting up in the boonies to watch the Toronto Raptors play the Vancouver Grizzlies in an NBA exhibition game. I remember wanting to be a Soccer goaltender because I saw Scott Hileman do wonders for the Edmonton Drillers. There was the lockout prior to the Oilers 2006 cup run which saw many of our young guns remain in Edmonton playing for the short-lived RoadRunners- and the much longer lasting Oil Kings.

I remember growing to love lacrosse by seeing the Edmonton Rush play. Whether it was hanging out in our gold season tickets with the Union Hall crew, or handing out Kazoo’s while street-teaming with SONiC 102.9. My most memorable Rush moment came early in their stay though. In a game against the San Jose Stealth- where I got to meet the special game host Edmonton native and WWE Superstar Chris Benoit. Months later, he would commit an unspeakable tragedy…

I never got to see Benoit wrestle, but I did get to see the John Cena’s and CM Punks of the world at various RAW’s and SmackDowns over the years. There were also many Shrine Circuses, YCs, Disney On Ice’s (Aladdin) and in later years some rowdy drunken times at the CFR.

But Rexall Place was more than just a place for sports- it was the biggest room in town where all the biggest bands came to play. In January of 2004- on the date of my 18th birthday I saw my first Rexall show (excluding the YC’s of course)- the mighty Nickelback (with Staind and an at the time unknown Three Days Grace). I enjoyed the beer and pyro so much I would make many more returns to see the ‘back put on a show.

My second Rexall show was a doozy- the legendary Metallica. Fresh off a stint in rehab for James Hetfield- the band was firing on all cylinders that night on their St. Anger tour. I got to see them years later on their Death Magnetic tour- and still later when they filmed their Through the Never movie a tour I even got to work load-in/out for.

I was officially introduced to my now-favourite band Rise Against in 2006 when they opened for Billy Talent. I would go on to see them (to date) 14 times, twice headlining at Rexall.

I would go on to see many of my rock and roll heroes there; Maiden, Priest, Ozzy, Anthrax, Dio, Iommi, Zombie, Slayer, Sebastian Bach, Bon Jovi, Crue, Joe Perry, Chili Peppers, Weiland, Slash, Vinnie Paul, Pumpkins…

I rocked out to Korn & Rammstein, two-stepped to Jason Aldean & Zac Brown Band, LMFAO’d at Dane Cook, and got cooked at LMFAO. (Okay not really I was sober- but that just worked out too perfectly.

There were sacrifices to be made, of course. I broke my wrist at a Rancid show, lost my shoe at an Avenged Sevenfold concert which made for a fun LRT ride home, and lost much sleep when Guns N Roses didn’t take the stage until 10:30 on their Chinese Democracy tour (they didn’t leave it until after 1). Not to mention the various bruises suffered in mosh-pits for the likes of Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, The Used, Alexisonfire, Against Me!, Anti-Flag, Sum 41, Flogging Molly, Disturbed, Stone Sour, Halestorm, Coheed & Cambria & more.

Working for the SONiC Intern Army (and 91.7 The Bounce) I was lucky enough to catch some shows I normally wouldn’t have been able to afford like The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Hedley, Simple Plan, Pitbull, Flo Rida- and in one super amazing bucket list moment The Purple One himself, Prince.

My radio career took me elsewhere but it brought me back for one of the coolest professional moments of my career- attending my first Canadian Country Music Association Awards in 2014 with Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town, Paul Brandt, Dallas Smith, Brett Kissel and more in attendance.

The bands loved Rexall too. I was there when System of A Down played their first show in five years to kick off their 2011 reunion tour. I was there at their 2005 & 2006 shows as well- amongst the rowdiest shows I’ve ever seen.

But perhaps the best memories for me involve family. In 2009, my parents and my brother attended our first proper concert as a foursome to see my Mom’s favourite singer (and namesake inspiration for my brother) Rod Stewart. And man- did he OWN it! Three years later, in nearly the exact same seats the four of us reunited to see my Dad’s favourite singer- Sir freakin’ Beatle himself- Paul McCartney.

Without knowing it would be my last time (I’d hoped to make it up for one more Oiler game) I can at least rest assured that I enjoyed a few more Rexall Beers (nicknamed “Heroin beers” because the carbonation messes you RIGHT up- just 2 or 3 in a short period can get you right smashed) at a Jason Aldean concert back in October.

The future of Rexall Place still remains in the air right now, and I’m not sure I’ll make it down to pay my proper tributes in it’s current incarnation (rumour has it the city wants to turn it into a six rink complex). I certainly look forward to the technological advances, more bathrooms, and hopefully revitalized Edmonton Oilers team that Rogers Place will bring. But until then no doubt Rexall Place has left a phenomenal impact on Edmonton, and just as much so on me.

Thank you for the Oilers. Thank you for the Rexall Beers. Thank you for the concerts…..Thank you for the memories.