SPIDERMABLE

Like many other Canadians yesterday I was following the epic
story of SpiderMable as she made the rounds of the internets, social media and
the antiquated “tee-vee”. If ever there was a story to warm the heart as
temperatures begin to dip, this was it. An already ultra proud Edmontonian, this entire operation made my heart swell with pride in the City of Champions even more.

In case you missed it, the “SpiderMable caper was all part of an elaborate, city-wide manhunt set up
by the The Children’s Wish Foundation. Mable Tooke has been fighting cancer since being
diagnosed two years ago with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer
of the white blood cells.

While in treatment, the six-year-old has been reading comic
books. Her favourites are the 1960s-era Spider-Man. So when The Children’s Wish Foundation came
knocking, Mable said what she wanted most was to meet her hero,
confessing she often imagines herself fighting crime like him.”

And so with orders from Mayor Iveson to go save the City, Mable took off across Edmonton on a man hunt for the ages, solving a series of clues leading up to a showdown with Mysterio and his kidnapping victim Andrew Ference.

This is why Edmonton is awesome. From the intricate coordination and
planning that went into making this epic day for a wonderful little lady, to everyone involved in the caper itself – this was a first class event from start to finish. 

Mayor Don Iveson did a great job of playing the part at the start of the man hunt. If he isn’t re-elected at any point in his life there is a second career waiting in LA as “concerned Head of State” in every disaster movie ever to be made. Police Sargent Steve Sharpe was great, too — solemn in the face of super villainy and calm in his appeals to have Magneto return the Oilers’ C14 safely.

And finally, infinite props go out to Oilers’ captain Andrew Ference for being the
victim and playing it up tremendously at the grand finale. Watching Ference ham
it up waiting for SpiderMable, you could tell he is cut from a better cloth than
the rest of us mortals. 

While he is involved in numerous charities and is fitter than Chris Chelios on his fittest day, the rest of us sit on the
couches in our sweats eating chips and throwing garbage at the TV yelling about how “a 6D should not be captain!”

As someone who publicly miscalled Sam Gagner being the next captain of the Edmonton Oilers, I can say without a shadow of a doubt Dallas Eakins made the right call naming Ference captain during his brief tenure as Oilers head coach. His community involvement and general great human being-ness is why Ference deserves
to be captain until he decides to step down. The man is a one man UNESCO World
Heritage site and one of the better people to ever wear an Oilers Jersey. 

Bravo, Sir.

Oh, and we see you there, Connor McDavid – out in front of the building grinning from ear to ear. If this guy can win the hearts and minds of Edmontonians with the same
skill that will lead him to shattering scoring records we are in for a treat for the next
15 years.

A big thank you goes out to SpiderMable. Right
when we needed Andrew Ference the most, she saved him from Mysterio. Good luck
dropping the puck tonight at the Oilers game too, Miss – all of the OilersNation will be
cheering you on from the stands and around the World.