'I'm committed': Oilers fan skips haircuts for 10 years waiting for Stanley Cup win
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
The last time Jeff Ottmeier had a haircut it was 2015.
"I would usually let my hair grow over the winter," Ottmeier said. "That day, I was like, 'OK, I'm not going to cut my hair again until the Oilers win the Stanley Cup.'"
Having worn his hair long in the past, he wasn't worried about it getting a little long.
But he wasn't expecting it to grow for almost a decade.
"Unfortunately, the hair is long, which means we haven't brought home Lord Stanley back to the City of Champions, but I'm hoping this is our year," he said.
Ottmeier said his hair has become a labour of love, and he shares yearly updates with followers on social media.
"There's people that are like, 'We've never seen you without it … when we think of Jeff, we think of the Oilers fan with long hair,'" he said.
Because of his job, caring for his long locks takes a lot of cleaning and maintenance, but Ottmeier said that isn't enough to deter him from his endeavor.
"As you can see by how long it is … I'm committed," he said.
So dedicated, he said, that he's willing to weather a Stanley Cup drought indefinitely.
"I guess I'm gonna start looking like Gandalf," Ottmeier said, adding he's happy he didn't decide to grow his beard too.
"But I mean, the sky's the limit," he continued. "Let's see how long we can go and maybe in a couple of years my hair will be down to the bottom of my waist … and we'll go from there."
If the Oilers do bring home the cup this year, Ottmeier is hoping to put close to a decade of growth to good use.
"If somebody wants to record that, I'm going to shave my head on TV and I want to donate my hair to charity," he said. "(For) anybody with cancer, anyone who possibly needs it."
You can follow the Oilers fan and his hair on X at @oilcountry1979.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'She was waiting for you': The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother in England
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Macklem tries to stay out of the fray as MPs do their best to use him to score points
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem navigates a political minefield every time he testifies before the House of Commons finance committee.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.