Oilers make outdoor Ice District parties 18+; families can watch in Churchill Square
Changes are being made to downtown Edmonton playoff parties following some "bad behaviour" by fans last weekend.
Outdoor watch parties surrounding Rogers Place will now be adult-only while families will be hosted in Churchill Square, the city and the Oilers Entertainment Group announced Tuesday.
Adults attending a Ford Tailgate Party in Fan Park or a game in the Scotiabank Playoff Plaza outside of Ford Hall will have to show ID to enter, will be given a wristband and will not be allowed to re-enter either venue.
The changes come after several fans were seen on social media videos shoving in a barricade and running past police and security into the plaza.
An officer also shot a man who's accused of stabbing two people near the parties and police were investigating reports of someone biting fingers in Ice District.
"There's some unacceptable things that happened and we need to nip that in the bud going forward," Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee told reporters Monday morning.
"There's gonna be zero tolerance for bad behaviour and a ton of tolerance for great behaviour and cheering," said Stu Ballantyne, president and CEO of Rogers Place and Ice District.
The adult watch parties will open two hours before puck drop, continue to sell alcohol and feature food trucks and DJs.
The Churchill Square events will not allow liquor sales or consumption and will be open from 6:30-11:30 p.m. for Game 1 on Wednesday. They will show the games on a big screen and include games and food trucks.
Admission will still be free for all of the events.
"The vast majority of celebrations in Ice District have been exciting, fun, safe and largely without incident," Ballantyne said.
"Ice District was built for special moments like these and we look forward to welcoming fans down to continue cheering on the Oilers together for Round 2."
The NHL also announced Tuesday a revised schedule for the series which sees Game 1 on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. MT and Game 2 on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT.
Games 3 and 4 will be played in Edmonton next Monday and Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'