One Direction broke up 10 years ago, and Directioners were converted to Edmonton Oilers fans.

Or at least one was, and that’s Oilersnation’s very own Kennedy Burgardt, known online as Kennedystrash.

After the great split of One Direction, she was scrolling on Vine (rest in peace) and a clip of Connor McDavid ‘splitting the D’ against the Columbus Blue Jackets popped up on her feed. She thought, “Hmm… this guy is kind of cool!”

Now, she’s not just a fan of the sport, but she also works in it. The McDavid effect, ladies and gentlemen.

Burgardt started her love for the arts in junior high, when she travelled to Los Angeles every summer with her family to do the Warner Brothers Tour at Universal Studios. She went to Victoria School of the Arts in high school and aspired to work in the film and television industry in Hollywood.

At NAIT, she studied digital media and IT, while also posting on Twitter about her love for McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers as a whole.

Her introduction into the sports industry was unexpected, but not unwelcome.

Burgardt said she is most proud of providing elevated experiences on the Nation Vacations, which if you are unfamiliar with these events, they are hockey-centric trips where the Nation crew and citizens maximize their “conjoined slay” and bring the passion of Oil Country to other NHL cities.

This doesn’t come without added pressure for Burgardt though. Especially being a woman in the sports industry, which is an uphill climb on its own, even more so when you maintain an active presence online. She said, “There is definitely fatigue… and sometimes questioning if this is what I want to do forever. Especially with digital media changing and evolving all the time. There can be a lot of uncertainty and unpredictability.”

As for being the first woman in the office, she has found that the guys at Oilersnation are all very helpful and have her back.

“They’re all like my brothers in a way,” she said, adding on how the content production side started with Baggedmilk, Jay Downton, Wanye, and Dan Gallant. Then, she joined at the same time as Tyler Yaremchuk, Liam Horrobin, and Matthew Wozniak. This group has been together for a long time and they lean on each other when necessary. 

Except for right now as Burgardt and Horrobin are in intense negotiations over the “Oil to the Max” t-shirt idea that Horrobin is desperately trying, and failing, to sell Burgardt on.

These are all just jokes of course.