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Canada's next prime minister is a huge Edmonton Oilers fan

Noah Strang
Noah Strang
|
Mar 11 2025, 4:48 pm
Canada's next prime minister is a huge Edmonton Oilers fan
@MarkJCarney/X

Canada’s next prime minister has been decided, and there’s no doubting who his favourite hockey team is.

Mark Carney is the new leader of the Liberal Party and will lead the country after Justin Trudeau steps down. While much has been made of his political background, some might be surprised to learn about his lengthy hockey background, which includes supporting the Edmonton Oilers.

Carney was born in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, but spent much of his youth in Edmonton, moving there when he was six years old.

Multiple photos of Carney rocking Oilers gear have surfaced in the past few days, including a great one of him wearing a “McJesus” shirt.

When the Oilers were in the Stanley Cup Final last season, Carney posted to social media with his jersey on, showing support for his hometown team.

ā€œIā€™m an Oilers fan. Iā€™ve followed the Oilers ever since I left. I mean, I obviously grew up in the salad days of Gretzky, Messier and Paul Coffey, and Iā€™ve followed them through thick and thin. Iā€™m pulling for [McD] and the boys to pull it out yet again and get into the playoffs,” he told Bill Mah of the Edmonton Journal earlier this year.

The next prime minister’s hockey background goes beyond fandom. He also played growing up and even at the university level, acting as the backup goalie for Harvard University while attending the school.

When he went to Oxford for his PhD, Carney played again as a backup goalie and helped manage the team.

“I certainly had firm views I was going to play in the NHL, which didnā€™t come to pass,” Carney told Mah again.

Carney eventually married Diana Fox, who played on the women’s hockey team at Oxford University.

The Oxford University Ice Hockey Club is tied for the oldest hockey club in Europe and counts many significant Canadian politicians as alumnus, including Lester B. Pearson and Carney.

The 59-year-old Carney has an Elite Prospects page, which shows his stats from his Harvard and Oxford days. The profile has been one of the hottest on the website over the past few days, garnering clicks as Canadians explore their next leader’s goalie numbers.

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