Oilers fan from Down Under lands in Florida, then Edmonton for Cup final

Article content

Miami, Fla. — If you’re at Edmonton’s Rogers Place for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final and hear a distinctly Australian accent, chances are you’ve met Shane Pask.

Pask made the long journey from the twin cities of Albury-Wodonga, Australia to Sunrise, Fla., to see his favourite sports team take on the Florida Panthers in Game 4. On Friday, he will take a couple of flights to get to Calgary, then jump on a bus for Edmonton, all to ensure he’ll be at Saturday’s Game 5 at Rogers Place.

Recommended Videos

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Oilers fan from Down Under lands in Florida, then Edmonton for Cup final Back to video

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

“It’s been unreal,” he said. “I wanted to try to get over to this last year, but I had family commitments and work commitments. I couldn’t go and I was kicking myself, and my wife said this year, ‘You can’t miss out on the opportunity twice. You’ve just got to do it.'”

He said when the Panthers and Oilers looked destined for rematch, it was as if the world was sending him a message.

“It’s been one of my lifelong dreams to go to a Cup and see the Oilers.”

So. how does a guy living in a city of about 100,000 people, halfway between Canberra and Melbourne, become an Oilers fan?

When he was young, he first experienced hockey through the PlayStation. He loved the speed of the game. And then he watched a few games. And, of course, the most famous hockey player in the world was Wayne Gretzky. Later in life, he spent a year living in Vancouver, but there was no way he was switching his allegiance to the Canucks.

“I was, like, this game is unreal,” said Pask. “The speed that it’s played at, the toughness of it, and I’ve just followed it every year since. I like all the snow sports.”

When the Oilers play at home, the games face off at about 10 a.m, in Albury-Wodonga. So, if it’s a Saturday night game, Pask is spending his Sunday morning cheering on Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse.

We have to mention Darnell Nurse, because he’s the favourite player of one of Pask’s sons. He has four kids, and he’s spread his Oilers fandom to them.

When he gets back to Australia, he’s going to have a lot of stories to tell.

“I’ve never been to Edmonton, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and checking out the actual city, as well. I don’t think there’s a better time of year to be there. I hear the crowd noise is out of control. I’m in.”

He said hockey’s popularity in Australia is building, there’s a few local teams now. But, living in a place where it’s so hot all of the time, it’s hard for an ice sport to really take hold.

But, he has a couple of friends who are also hard-core NHL fans.

“I’ve got a couple of mates who like it, there’s this one mate who’s right into it, but he’s a Rangers fan, so he’s not that much of a mate, really. But when the Rangers played L.A. in the Cup a, he flew over and when he got back he told me, ‘Mate, you’ve got to do it, it’s the best ever.

“Rangers lost for him, but hopefully Oilers can come back and win it for me. Last year, when they had their backs up against the wall, that’s when they really dug in and fought back to level the series. Hopefully they do more than come back and level it this year.”

“Backs up against the wall.” “Dug in.” He’s already got the hockey lingo down pat.

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post, and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun