'Happy birthday, Ben': Oilers, fans send love to ambassador who just turned 6
Thousands of Oilers fans sang fresh six-year-old Ben Stelter "Happy Birthday" from Rogers Place Thursday night.
Ben, the Edmonton Oilers' official "playoff ambassador," turned six years old on Friday.
He is undergoing treatment for glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Throughout the season, Oilers fans have cheered him on as loudly as they have their favourite team.
That support didn't waver on Thursday: At Rogers Place in Edmonton, where some 16,000 fans watched the Oilers take on the Flames for the fifth time in Calgary, the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to Ben.
Ben's dad, Mike Stelter, thanked Oilers fans on his son's behalf.
"You guys are the best! Thank you!!" he wrote on Twitter.
The Oilers' fans weren't the only people to wish Ben a happy birthday. Following their 5-4 victory over Calgary, which secured Edmonton's spot in the next round of playoffs, the Oilers posted a message to Ben from No. 29 Leon Draisaitl.
"Hi, buddy. It's Leon here, one of your good friends," Draisaitl started. "Happy birthday, Ben. We love you. We know you're cheering for us. We're excited to see you in round three."
With a pass to Connor McDavid to score the winning point in overtime, Draisaitl recorded his fifth consecutive three-point game of the 2022 playoffs Thursday night. Only three players in NHL history posted a longer streak of point games than the centre player, including Jari Kurri, Bobby Orr, and Wayne Gretzky — none of whom did so during playoff play.
The Oilers are moving on to Round 3 having finished the series against Calgary 4-1.
Edmonton's Mayor Amarjeet Sohi also sent birthday wishes to Ben, and hinted at a birthday surprise.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Adam Lachacz and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
WATCH Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto
Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for 'all parties' to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.