The Edmonton Oilers will play on home ice Thursday for the first time in their Stanley Cup final series with the Florida Panthers.
Fans are hoping the hometown advantage will reverse a two-game deficit in the series.
If the Oilers lose tonight and Saturday, the Panthers will take hockey’s top prize down to Florida.
Regardless of the team’s playoff fortunes, Rogers and the NHL are rolling out the red carpet for fans of the orange and blue.
They’re hosting a Festival at the Final concert series at the Scotiabank Fan Park outside Rogers Place. Juno-winning band Our Lady Peace will perform before Game 3 on Thursday while Canadian music icon Shania Twain will serenade fans on Saturday before Game 4.
No tickets are required to view the performances, which begin at 4 p.m. Doors for game ticket-holders will open at 4:30 p.m.
Remaining tickets are extremely expensive, with Ticketmaster prices starting around $1,000.
CBC will be broadcasting the hockey action both nights. Games start at 6 p.m. MT.
Radio Active6:18The most expensive Oilers home games on record
Edmonton is breaking records during the Stanley Cup Finals. Games 3 and 4 of the series are the two most expensive Oilers home games on record. Kyle Zorn is the content strategy lead at TickPick.
Explore Edmonton, the city’s tourism, marketing and events authority, says the economic impact of the first three playoff rounds totals $179 million. That calculation includes spending by visitors, investments in hosting games and watch parties, and increased local spending.
“I can assume that after we collect the information for the finals, it’s going to be pretty staggering number,” event executive director Janelle Janis said Wednesday.
The last time the Oilers were in the Stanley Cup final was 2006, when a game win saw thousands of fans spill into Whyte Avenue and riot. Oilers ultimately lost the series in Game 7 to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Oilers are hoping to become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens.
The Oilers last Stanley Cup win was in 1990. The Florida Panthers have not won a Stanley Cup.