Celebrating Oil Country

Now in its fourth year, the program celebrates the great cities and towns that make up Oil Country, highlighting community leaders and associations, grassroots initiatives and the unifying love for the game of hockey.

"The unmatched passion and dedication of our fans extends across Oil Country to communities in every corner of the province and beyond," said Tim Shipton, Executive Vice President, OEGSE. "We are excited to showcase another community through our Celebrating Oil Country game and recognize their continued commitment and enthusiasm that supports our team every step of the way. We look forward to celebrating in Cold Lake on March 24 and recognizing the community at the Oilers home game on March 28, as we express our appreciation for their support."

"Cold Lake is tremendously honoured to be the Edmonton Oilers choice for Celebrating Oil Country's feature city," said Cold Lake Mayor Bob Mattice. "We have a large and enthusiastic Oilers fan base, and this celebration will allow our residents to enjoy exciting Oilers hockey while building community spirit in Cold Lake. We would like to thank Pathways Alliance for their generous sponsorship and the Edmonton Oilers for the chance to highlight everything Cold Lake has to offer."

"Pathways Alliance is proud to celebrate Oil Country where these strong and vibrant regions emulate community spirit," said Kendall Diling, President, Pathways Alliance. "As an organization that represents the oil sands industry operating in Northeastern Alberta, we're especially pleased to see the Oilers celebrate Cold Lake this year. It's an amazing community that deserves to be showcased."

Every year, the Oilers celebrate a community in Oil Country that makes up a part of one of the most dedicated and passionate fan bases in the world. The celebration includes a delegation from the Oilers organization visiting the town for an Oilers Day, live broadcasts and other feature content spotlighting the town and its people, funding and other support for local minor hockey development, and recognition during an Oilers home game.

Visiting Alumni

Joining us for the day will be Edmonton Oilers Alumni Chris Joseph and Jason Strudwick.

Chris Joseph, Burnaby BC native, was a 5th overall draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1987 NHL draft. The stay-at-home defenseman then joined the Edmonton Oilers mid-way through the season and amassed a total of  51 points and 205 penalty minutes over 154 games with the Oilers from 1987 to 1994.

Chris now calls the Edmonton Area home, where he coaches minor hockey and operates his own hockey camps to grow the love of the game.

Jason Strudwick, born in Edmonton, Alberta, did not join the Oilers until later on in his career. First drafted by the New York Islanders 63rd overall in the 1994 NHL draft, he joined the Oilers in 2008 as a free agent, where he would play 186 games over 3 years in Edmonton as a shut-down defenseman, collecting 133 penalty minutes. Jason would end his NHL career in 2011, officially retiring in May of 2012.

Jason quickly found a career in broadcasting as host of The Jason Strudwick Show on TSN 1260, host of Dinner Television on CITY Edmonton, and then back to TSN as co-host of Jason Grego Show. Jason now hosts his own podcast Got Yer Back.