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House where former Oilers owner Peter Pocklington was shot goes up for auction

Photo credit: Realtor.ca

By Zach Laing

Aug 28, 2026, 17:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 27, 2026, 20:28 EDT

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Ever want to own a piece of Edmonton Oilers history, one in which former owner Peter Pocklington was held at gunpoint and shot in?

Well, now’s your chance, as his former property at 8638 Saskatchewan Drive NW is heading to the auction block. It’s one of nearly 300 scheduled for a tax auction sale on Oct. 29 over unpaid property taxes.

The secluded home, tucked into Edmonton’s river valley, features beautiful views of Hawrelak Park and the sprawling landscape along the North Saskatchewan River, with seven rooms, eight bathrooms, an outdoor pool, hot tub and patio. Notably, as colleague Michael Menzies looked back upon earlier this month, it’s the location where Pocklington was held hostage by Yugoslavian immigrant Mirko Petrovic.

Fallen on hard times, Petrovic demanded $5 million from the flamboyant then-owner of the Oilers, but two negotiated it down to $2 million.

But unbeknownst to them, and to the police units negotiating with the gunman over the phone all day, a four-member team of Edmonton’s elite police task force had already broken into the house and were anticipating the two of them.
This communication breakdown later became a major snafu within policing ranks.
A tactical unit member burst through the door and yelled, “Halt, police!” firing a .22-calibre bullet from an M16. The bullet went through Pocklington and then hit the gunman, he said in his book, correcting claims made in the press that it was the other way around.
“It went through my arm, missing my bone by a hair,” he explained afterwards. “If it had hit the bone, my arm would have been gone because the bullet would have smashed it.
“Instead, the bullet started to spin, and I still have a scar in my back from where it came out.”

It’s not the first time the public has been able to get their hands on the 6,456 square foot property. It was up for sale in 2023 for $3.2 million, falling to $2.9 million and eventually $2.4 million by summer 2024, according to the Daily Hive.

Now, the property is up for sale for $1.98 million, but comes with a $143,000 tax bill, and a need for serious renovations, real estate agent Sally Munro told the Edmonton Journal. Bidding for the property start at the assessed market value, plus the amount owing on the property.

Zach Laing is Daily Faceoff Edmonton’s managing editor and The Nation Network’s news director. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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Photoshop by Tom Kostiuk

Daily Faceoff Edmonton wants to hear from you, the reader, in our new weekly “Letters to the Editor” segment. Letters can be emailed to Daily Faceoff Edmonton’s managing editor Zach Laing (zach.laing@bettercollective.com), titled “Letters to the Editor.” Please include a letter up to 200 words, including your name and place of residence (city, town, province, or state). Your letters may be edited for length and/or clarity. Letters must be submitted by 6 PM MT Saturday night to be considered for feature on Sunday mornings.