RELEASE: Oilers to celebrate Black Excellence this Friday

EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Oilers Celebrating Black Excellence game will take place on Friday, February 7 when the team hosts the Colorado Avalanche at Rogers Place, offering fans the opportunity to celebrate the history, contributions and accomplishments of Black Canadians in Oil Country.

This year's Black Excellence Celebration game will feature a variety of in-game elements including O Canada performed by singer/actor Karella Cummings, feature videos, and a handcrafted 8-by-10-foot Black Excellence tapestry that can be seen as fans enter through the main gates in Ford Hall. The Oilers will also be highlighting Black community leaders for their contributions to Oil Country.

"The Black community has played such a positive role in the Oilers organization and across Oil Country," said Tim Shipton, Executive Vice President, OEGSE. "We are looking forward to recognizing and celebrating players, artists, performers and other community leaders to help inspire the next generation of Black youth in Oil Country – while continuing to reinforce that hockey is for everyone."

The Oilers have been fortunate to have had many prominent Black hockey players on their roster throughout franchise history. The 2000-01 Oilers team was historic in its composition, featuring five Black players on the active roster: Georges Laraque, Sean Brown, Anson Carter, Joaquin Gage and Mike Grier. There were 16 Black players in the NHL that season.

Currently, the Oilers are proud to have Darnell Nurse and Evander Kane as integral contributors to the team's success, both on the ice and in the community.

Grant Fuhr was the first Black player to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup (of which he won five with the Oilers) and he was the first Black player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

To mark this special occasion, local artist and Celebrating Black Excellence Oilers logo designer AJA Louden created the hand-stitched tapestry and had the opportunity to give Grant Fuhr the first look at his masterpiece.

"The tapestry I crafted for the Oilers Black Excellence Celebration is a tribute to the ongoing story of Black players breaking ground in hockey," Louden said. "Representation helps empower communities; both sport and art can bring us closer together."

Limited-edition Celebrating Black Excellence merchandise is available for purchase at the Oilers Team Store in ICE District Plaza or online at IceDistrictAuthentics.com with a portion of proceeds directed to Shiloh Centre for Multicultural Roots, as selected by Louden.

Following the Celebrating Black Excellence game this Friday, the Oilers South Asian Celebration game is slated for March 4, marking the final cultural celebration game of the season.

Limited tickets for both games are available at EdmontonOilers.com/Tickets.