Oilers Octane

Last updated
Oilers Octane
Oilers Cheerleaders (7618790504).jpg
Oilers Octane in 2012
Type Cheerleading team
Headquarters Edmonton, Alberta
Location
Membership
16-36 a year
Director & Head Coach
Mailie Harris [1]
Website Official website

The Oilers Octane was the cheer-leading team for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team was the first cheer squad for a Canadian NHL franchise. [2] The debut of the cheer-leading team received a mixed reaction from the Edmonton community, including petitions to keep cheerleading out of the sport of hockey in Canada. [3]

The Octane performed for the first time on December 14, 2010 at a home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. [3] The first team had 19 cheerleaders, women aged 18 to 29, dressed in uniforms that resembled the original Edmonton Oilers jerseys, albeit with skirts and knee-high boots. [4]

In August 2016 the Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG), which owns the Oilers, announced it was discontinuing the Octane, saying the franchise was "looking for a new direction related to the fan experience" as the team prepared to move from Rexall Place to Rogers Place for the 2016–17 season. [1] The Group also announced auditions for a newly formed, co-ed group of "brand ambassadors" named the Oilers Orange and Blue Ice Crew for the upcoming season. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Edmonton Oilers disband Octane cheerleading team". CBC News. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  2. "Oilers debut new cheer team". CBC News. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 Ian Harrison (November 24, 2011). "Top cheerleaders: Raise a cheer! Oilers Octane". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  4. "Edmonton Oilers introduce cheerleaders". Toronto Star . December 15, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  5. Woollven, Mark (9 August 2016). "Say 'goodbye' to the Oilers Octane cheer team". iNews880. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2021.