Giant Oilers numbers continue to pop up around Edmonton during playoffs
First it was a massive 29 in Landsdowne near Whitemud Drive, then a few days later, a huge 97 on the north side of Whitemud near 145 Street. And then suddenly last weekend, a mammoth 41 suddenly appeared atop Fox Drive in Belgravia.
Question is: Who’s spending the time and money to build and erect what the smart money says are numerical homages to a trio of Edmonton Oilers? Which only begs the second two-part question. How many more are in the works and where will they find a home?
So far, what’s assumed to be a long-time Oiler fan has yet to take any online credit for their NHL playoff creations dedicated to Oilers captain and NHL-leading scorer Connor McDavid, fellow top-scoring forward Leon Draisaitl and starting goaltender Mike Smith.
All we know for sure is local hockey fans are having a good to great time locating the giant numbers.
While some fans may pontificate as to which number will come next, if any, one thing we can nail down is the fact the Oilers first-round series vs. Los Angeles Kings will continue for at least another three days and nights, so there’s ample time for continued creations.
Thanks to an impressive 4-0 Game 4 victory Sunday night in California, the Kings have ensured the series will go at least six games. Game 5 goes Tuesday night at Rogers Place before the two teams head south again on Thursday. A possible seventh and deciding game would be played Saturday night in downtown Edmonton.
With a very rare playoff fever starting to build across north and central Alberta — the Oilers have only won a single playoff series since 2006 — the chances of another two-digit orange, or possibly blue, hockey loving project appearing in the so called City of Champions is likely pretty high.
Could it be a Nugent-Hopkins 93 in Highlands, a Darnell Nurse 25 in Terwillegar, an Evander Kane 91 near Rundle Park, or maybe a Zack Kassian 44 along 104 Avenue with the Oilers home proudly in the background?
So many questions and so few answers, which is exactly what makes this time of hockey and construction season so interesting and exciting.
A line on the back of the numbers says they are pieces of "YEG spirit" and are courtesy of a group calling themselves the "Edmonton Society of Spirited Gentlemen."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.