Awful news to share today as Edmonton Oilers superfan Ben Stelter passed away Tuesday night.
His father shared the devastating news on Twitter.
The six-year-old was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, two months before his fifth birthday. He underwent multiple surgeries to remove the tumour, thirty-five radiation sessions, and four rounds of chemotherapy, the back of his own Upper Deck hockey card wrote.
Through it all, Ben’s smile and positive attitude never wavered and in late March, he had the night of his life skating onto the ice at Rogers Place for the anthems. After the game, he and Zach Hyman gave an interview nobody will ever forget.
Stelter became a rallying point for the Oilers who welcomed him in as one of their own. After that aforementioned game, Ben got to tour the Oilers’ dressing room and towards the end of the season and into the playoffs, he attended many of the Oilers’ home games. At one point, the Oilers went on a 10-game winning streak at home with Ben in the stands.
As the playoffs went on, Ben and his family traveled to California taking in some Oilers’ action against the LA Kings. Setting aside whatever was going on on the ice, the Kings welcomed Ben with open arms as did the Calgary Flames in the second round of the playoffs and the Colorado Avalanche in the third round.
Ben’s impact on the Edmonton community was massive, and he will never be forgotten.
From us here at Oilersnation, we send nothing but love and strength to the Stelter family.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.