If you’re on Twitter, you’ll know our next Woman of Oilersnation as Puck Princess but her real name is Melissa Blevins and she’s so rad! She’s been a hockey fan since she can remember, is an ambidextrous goalie, and even worked with the Oilers as a hostess for events! Let’s get to know her story (and grab some tips on wine, books, and travelling!).

MELISSA: My name is Melissa, and I work in the Alberta Protocol Office. It’s an incredibly interesting and dynamic role. My exact title is Venues and Facilities Assistant and I am primarily responsible for assisting in the day-to-day operations of the Protocol Office venues.

I come from working in the international education field where I assisted with incoming and outgoing delegations, student and teacher exchanges, international agreements, international student recruitment and a lot of other exciting things. It was my work in the international field that made me realize event coordination and planning was my path in life. Growing up I had maintained I always wanted to be a teacher that specialized in French and history but my work in the international field opened a whole new world for me (literally). I developed a love of travelling and languages, and learning how to interact with different cultures was fascinating to me. You really do learn something new every day when working with an international audience.

When I wasn’t working my day job in the international field, I was working part time for the Oilers. While I spent most of my time behind the scenes at games hosting receptions and the friends and families of players, I occasionally worked as a hostess in a section. I love people and interacting with them and it was so cool to meet so many new people on a nightly basis. I don’t work for the Oilers now but my time working as a hostess was one of the coolest things I’ve done to date. I have a lot of fond memories for sure.

Sports is one of my biggest passions in life. I love all sports – hockey, football (yes, both CFL and NFL), baseball, all of it. When I’m not cheering on my favourite teams, I love reading, history, spending time with family, and travelling. I’ve really missed seeing the world over the pandemic, which many of us have, and I can’t wait to visit other places again. I am also a HUGE Disney fan.

An interesting fact about me… let’s see. I’m an ambidextrous goalie. I was in a near fatal car accident a few years ago and suffered extreme damage to my right (dominant hand). I had to relearn how to write, hold a fork, all of that. When it came time to play hockey again, I couldn’t hold my stick or use my glove the usual way so I learned to swap hands and play the other way. Now I can do both quite easily.

MELISSA: My earliest memories involve sports, specifically hockey. My family is very passionate about sports, but hockey in particular has always brought us together. I don’t remember when I watched my first game because it feels it was just a natural thing I grew up doing. I’m an only child but my cousins all played hockey, and my whole family are avid Oilers fans so the passion was instilled in me early in life. As an only child, I spent a lot time when I was younger watching sports with my family, especially my parents and it seemed I just grew up knowing the rules to anything. To date, my friends and colleagues all know me as an avid sports fan and nerd, because I will list off statistics and facts about anything if given a chance. I just love sports a lot.

MELISSA: Having worked for the Oilers and growing up being such an avid fan, there are certainly many to choose from but I think I have two that are top of the list.

The first one is from the 2017 Playoff run. I was working the games at ice level and I looked up into the crowd during the anthems. The crowd was decked out in orange, fans were singing at the top of their lungs and there was such an electricity in the building, it still gives me goosebumps to think about. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen and I count myself beyond fortunate that I was able to experience that kind of electricity and passion in person.

The second favourite memory is from the Glenn Anderson jersey retirement game in January 2009. Being a hostess, I was behind the scenes helping with a reception and I got to meet almost all of the Oilers alumni in the building that evening. Anderson, Messier and Semenko still stand out as the most memorable to meet. I still feel so incredibly fortunate to have been able to experience such a cool moment with such cool people.

MELISSA: Being such a history lover, my favourite genre is historical fiction followed closely by fantasy or fiction. It’s extremely hard to pin down one specific book, but I absolutely love the Broken Empire Trilogy, The Nevernight Chronicle. Anything by Kate Quinn, Paula McLain, Donna Russo Morin or James Rollins is absolutely amazing for historical fiction.

My favourite wine – white wine would be a Riesling or a Sauvignon Blanc. Red would be a Cabernet Sauvignon. I love the Inniskillin or Robert Mondavi wine.

My favourite place I’ve ever travelled was England, specifically London. I fell in love with London and cannot wait to go back.

 

MELISSA: Swimming for sure. I used to swim competitively and I loved it. I’m a fish in the water and I love watching the different relays and individual events.

MELISSA: To me, hockey means community. I can’t say it’s been just one coach, but a handful of dedicated and selfless individuals that took the time to teach not only me but so many other kids and adults in the world not only the rules of the game but what it means to be friends, to be a team, to be a family.

Being part of a team teaches us things like trust and loyalty, and what it means to have each other’s back through thick and thin no matter what. I truly don’t know where I would be without the love of a sport and the feeling of an extended family. Everyone, be a kid or an adult, deserves to be included and have a true sense of belonging, community and family.

To me, Oilersnation is an extended family and through the highs and lows and thick and thin, we’ve made some pretty cool friendships and perhaps even met our partners, too, and that’s the best kind of community. We will always have our team’s back and each other’s backs, and I can’t wait until we can all hug and high five at the next Oilers goal celebration in person.