Fans invited to say bye to Ben Stelter at Oilers' home arena on Friday
Ben Stelter's fans and supporters are invited to a send-off for the six-year-old who died a week ago.
A procession in honour of the Oilers superfan who was diagnosed with brain cancer at four years old will travel by Rogers Place on Friday.
Organizer Ashif Mawji, a Stelter family friend, will drive his orange 2021 812 GTS Ferrari – featuring Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and, most recently, Ben's images – in the parade alongside several other "special guests."
He has arranged for police escorts and traffic control, as well as free posters for fans to wave from the sidewalks outside Ford Hall.
"We will have, I think, several hundred – if not thousand – fans that love Ben who will be there cheering," Mawji told CTV News Edmonton.
"We'll go very slowly, so you can wave, you can cheer, sing 'La Bamba,' play 'La Bamba.'"
Mawji met the Stelters during the pandemic when he was asked to drive by Ben's home in the Ferrari for the boy's fifth birthday.
Later, Mawji would facilitate Ben's first meeting with McDavid in 2021.
"We consider them part of our family. I just wanted to give Ben the send off that he deserves," Mawji explained on Wednesday.
He believes Ben would love the Friday plan.
"Sitting with him, I remember, in the Scotiabank Chairman's Club at Rogers, he would love to watch himself on any media, even on the screens, the jumbotron and stuff," Mawji recalled.
Edmontonians and NHL fans were introduced to Ben in the spring, when the Oilers named him their official "playoff ambassador."
He was honoured with his own licenced Oilers trading card, and the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation partnered with the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the Kids With Cancer Society during playoffs.
Ben quickly became known for his infectious smile, growly 'Play La Bamba, baby' call, and steadfast loyalty to Edmonton's NHL team.
"I think it's going to be very emotional on Friday. It's obviously a celebration of life; we want to be remembering all the joyful, and there's so many joyful moments from Ben," Mawji said.
He told CTV News Edmonton the Stelters are doing as well as they can.
"I'm a parent. I cannot imagine what they're going through internally. No matter how ready you are for something like that, you're never ready… They're a very strong family. They're very tight. They'll pull through this."
Anyone who plans to watch the procession is asked to arrive early to be outside Ford Hall by 9:45 a.m.
A livestream of the memorial service at 11:30 a.m. will be provided by Hope City Church at hopecity.ca/stream.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jessica Robb
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.