Glen Sather's legacy, leadership commemorated by city
'In my wildest dreams I never expected to do this. I didn't have any idea any of this was going to happen'
The fans started gathered at around noon at the Winspear Centre. Many of them eager to hear and see the man who many credit for putting Edmonton on the hockey map.
Glen Sather helped coach the Edmonton Oilers to four Stanley Cup wins during the glory years in the 80s. On Friday his name will join other Oiler greats in the rafters at Rexall Place.
But Thursday, it was the city's turn. Mayor Don Iveson, who was just a kid during the Oilers heyday, recalled the team's first Stanley Cup win.
"I was four, just about to turn five, when that first Stanley Cup was won and it feels like it was just yesterday. I was at that parade in Churchill Square," Iveson said.
Iveson presented Sather with a sculpture of a bison, recognizing him for his accomplishments with the team and his leadership in the community.
As the team's coach, Sather made a point of making sure his players were more than jocks. He went out of his way to show them there was more to life than just coming to the rink.
"I wanted them to experience some other things instead of just playing hockey and being a celebrity," he said.
Insisted players donate their time
That also included taking the players on hunting trips and riding around on snowmobiles out at Pigeon Lake, but also insisted the players donate their time to numerous charities around town.
As for the banner going up to the rafters, Sather said he would rather all this fuss didn't happen at all.
He's overwhelmed, he said, but he understands the importance of recognizing what the organization means to the city.
"Listen, in my wildest dreams I never expected to do this," he said. "I didn't have any idea any of this was going to happen.
"But as the generations pass, and the memories disappear — I mean it changes and people aren't going to remember everything — but I suppose when they look at those names in the rafters in the next building, it passes the heritage down just like the Montreal Forum, and the Gardens do, this is a part of everybody's building."
Following the noon-hour ceremony, fans clambered around the former coach and, like he used to in the past, Sather spent 15 minutes signing everything from hats, to pucks, even taking a few selfies.
Eric Tjernstrom saw plenty of Oilers games in the 80s, and will attend Friday's banner raising ceremony.
"He was pretty well the glue of the Oilers," he said. "He brought a lot of the kids up and we all know who they are, Gretzky, Messier, Lowe, and he's left an incredible legacy here in Edmonton and, like I say, he's an Albertan too."
Thursday's gala dinner at the Shaw Conference Centre is expected to draw a large crowd, with the proceeds of the $350-per-plate event going to the Oilers Community Foundation.
The Oilers Entertainment Group also announced a contribution of $1 million on behalf of the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation and the Katz Family towards the creation of a fund to support new programs at the Edmonton Downtown Community Arena that will serve high-needs Edmontonians.