Opinion: Rename the High Level Bridge in Joey Moss’ honour

Anyone else feel like the entire world got a little less bright on October 26th, 2020? The loss of Joey Moss, and what that meant for the entire community and country, has been slowly rolling over us for months now and I’m thinking about what the city could do to honour him.

In the time since his passing, there have been stories from friends, family, and complete strangers about how much of an impact Joey made on their lives and I think it’s only fair that we try and figure out a tribute befitting of the man.

There have been video tributes that both made you smile, and definitely made you cry:

Speaking of videos, as I watched the Sportsnet broadcast of the documentary “Anything for Joey” I got to thinking about what the city could do to show it’s appreciation for the man. There really are no wrong answers. It’s not a question of what can we do, but how much can we do and is it enough? There have been mentions of putting up a statue next to his old friend, Wayne Gretzky’s statue in front of Rogers Place. An excellent idea. There has been a petition to change the name of the community arena adjacent to Rogers Place after Joey, which would also be an outstanding honour.

After all, we’re talking about a person who took on the responsibility of representing the City of Edmonton at the highest level possible. A young man who raised athletes to their highest level of potential and spirits. A citizen of this city that bridged a gap that back in the days when he started working for the Oilers, was sadly traversed fewer times than we would like to admit. He took on his challenges, no matter how many and became a heartbeat of this City of Champions.

The idea to change the name of the High Level bridge is one to try and ensure that Joey’s story, that finds itself as a part of Edmonton’s very identity, is one we can continue to tell our children’s children. I created a petition to try and show how many people might like this idea, and if you do, here is that link:

Whether you sign the petition or not, or if you think it’s a good idea or not, one thing that will never change is the love that our city and beyond feels for our amazing ambassador/anthem singer/motivator/inspiration, Joseph Neil Moss, and I’m just trying to remember him.