Shackin’ Up with the Edmonton Eskimos

My friends, I am here today to tell you about a brand spankin’ new partnership that we just finalized between OilersNation and the Edmonton Eskimos. So before you leave me a comment to curse me out about how this is a hockey website I’m warning you that this article is not about hockey – today we’re talkin’ football.

Before I get into our new partnership I want to tell you about me. That’s right — me. When I was growing up we didn’t have a lot of money, but my dad worked for the City of Edmonton so every now and then he would win Eskimos tickets at work. You have no idea how exciting this was for me. I was always a sports kid that loved all things Edmonton sports, and the Eskimos were no different. Being raised in a small town often meant that I had limited entertainment options, so the idea of going to an Eskimos game was huge for me. Sports AND a trip the big city? *whistles*

Sometimes my dad would tell me to jump in the car because we were going for a ride, and I’d end up at Commonwealth Stadium unexpectedly. Just imagine how pumped a young Baggedmilk must have been when he thought he was going out to do chores only to end up at an Esks game with a face full of hot dogs, popcorn, and whatever else I could get my greedy mitts on. For this young man, going to an Eskimos game meant that I was living the good life. Speed the tape up 25 years and you’ll find a taller, hairier version of that small town kid, but still the same guy that is excited about going to see the Eskimos.

After finalizing the deal with the Eskimos I thought it would be fun to ask the staff at Nation HQ if they had any fun memories from being at an Eskimos game. Here’s what I found:

Wanye: One time I went on a party bus to the Labour Day Classic in Calgary sometime in the mid 00’s. For some reason they had a promotion where everyone got a free packet of Onion Soup Mix. Needless to say this devolved into an Onion Soup mix brawl within minutes and let me tell you the Onion Soup Mixes were opened and thrown at many a person that day! Ah football. How many downs does the CFL have again?

Jeanshorts: It was a chilly, November evening — 15 below if I recall correctly. The boys were ready for all out war with the defending champion Alouettes, in a rematch of the previous year’s Grey Cup. It was a back and forth battle, a war of attrition, with only the absolute strongest coming out on top. In the end our Eskies prevailed, and brought the chalice home to the City Of Champions (back then it was known as Canada’s Richest Mixed Farming District mind you). Final score: Montreal Alouettes 8 – Edmonton Eskimos 9. The 1975 Grey Cup: a game I’ll never forget.  

Chris the Intern: Unfortunately my fiance is from Saskatoon and lives the #Riders4Lyfe lifestyle so every single game I’ve ever attended has been against the Riders. The good thing about that is that as much as I hate to admit it, when the Riders are in town, Eskimo games are the funnest thing happening in Edmonton. Attendance is up, and there’s the classic rivalry intensity in the stadium that can’t be beat. With that said, every Eskimo game I’ve attended has been a blast. They put on a great show for the fans, and there’s not a bad seat in the building.

Kyla the Intern: Eskimo’s games involve the essentials: beer and sunshine. The football is pretty cool, too. As an Oilers fan it’s nice to be able to cheer for a team that actually wins games, so Eskimos games are always a bone(beer)-crushin’ good time. My football knowledge never used to extend past Friday Night Lights and coach Taylor’s pregame talks, but after catching a few live Esks games, I’m coming around. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose… or you know, clear skies, full beers, can’t lose!

JoAnne in Design: I used to love going to games in the fall with my mom and my brother. We would get family seating tickets from school, which made for a special day that my mom’s single parent budget could otherwise not have afforded. Sitting in the bleachers under a blanket on a beautiful Edmonton autumn day, eating hot dogs and drinking hot chocolate, remains one of my favourite family memories. I didn’t understand the rules of the game then, and I still don’t, but going to the football game will always feel like a special day out for me.

Amy in Design: Eskimos games bring to my mind memories of cold and cozy nights with a warm blanket and cuddly friends to stave off the fall chill. Skipping in the concession lines to get hot chocolates, (which we’d spike with some fiery whiskey) would keep us energized and light on our feet. Travelling in a small pack through the crowds of cheering fans to cuddle again under the starry night.

Baggedmilk: For me there was nothing better than watching Gizmo Williams do his thing. I remember being at an Eskimos/Lions game when I was a kid and Gizmo ran back an 85-yard (or something like that) punt return and finished it off with his trademark front flip in the endzone. From that moment on I wanted to learn how to do front flips after anytime I rock something. Many back injuries later and I’m still working on it. 

If you haven’t been paying attention, you’re missing out on another solid start to the season by the Eskimos. After opening up the year with a loss to Ottawa, the Eskimos find themselves on a two-game winning streak, including the amazing back-and-forth win over Saskatchewan from a couple weeks back. It was probably one the most exciting second half of football that I’ve seen in a long time. Just when you thought the game was over it wasn’t even close. When you think about it, you never really know what you’ll get from a CFL game and that’s the beauty of the sport. Exciting, unpredictable… The Eskimos nail it. 

If you’re already a fan, you should go to more games — you’ll remember how fun they are. If you haven’t been to a game in a long time or ever, then you should go to the game tomorrow. You’re going to have a great time, and you know it’s true. Not only are Eskimos games a blast they also give you the opportunity to recharge by watching a winning team. Frankly, a little winning could do us all some good. But don’t just go to the game for me. Do it because the games are fun as hell and priced with your families in mind. Do it because the Eskimos are looking to defend their Grey Cup win, and they are worth supporting. Do it for yourselves. Do it for Flo Rida (yes, he will actually be there. ZOMG!).

Much like Flo Rida will be doing tomorrow (get tickets here), we too wanted to round up a crew of Nation citizens to stake claim over our own section of Commonwealth Stadium. We demanded asked politely that the Eskimos give us a night to party at Commonwealth and bring a bunch of you rowdy citizens with us, and, amazingly, they agreed. Not only did they agree on August 26th (a Friday night against Saskatchewan!), we’ll be heading to the Esks game with a bunch of GCs, stickers, and NationGear to give away. Nation night at the Esks game? That’s a good idea.