Wayne Gretzky surprises two Edmonton Oilers fans with free Stanley Cup Final tickets
Two Edmonton Oilers fans got the experience of a lifetime thanks to Wayne Gretzky.
The Great One teamed up with social media influencer Zachery Dereniowski, also known as MDMotivator, last week to gift Stanley Cup Final tickets to two unsuspecting fans. Those fans were two brothers named Eric and Davin, who both have Down syndrome. They were surprised while shopping at a local Dollarama.
Not only were they given tickets, but also $1,000 in cash as well as a meet-and-greet with Gretzky at Rogers Place, where he gave the brothers a signed Oilers jersey.
The video of the experience was posted to Instagram by Dereniowski, where it has amassed over 200,000 likes in less than a day.
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One of the more touching moments of the video showed Davin regifting the $1,000 to another unsuspecting customer in the dollar store.
The tickets were provided by Gretzky and his son Ty, and they helped the brothers go to their first-ever Stanley Cup Final game. It was quite a first game, as the Oilers battled with the Florida Panthers to double OT in a tightly fought Game 2 loss.
Despite the loss, the brothers seemed to have an excellent time at the game, with Davin loudly exclaiming, “This is the best day of my life” as he was helped around the Rogers Place concourse.
They also got to experience one of the most electrifying playoff goals in Oilers history, as Corey Perry tied up Game 2 with under 20 seconds to go in regulation. It was truly a moment that the brothers will never forget.
At 19:42 of the 3rd period, Oilers Corey Perry scores the latest game-tying goal in #StanleyCup📷 Final history pic.twitter.com/CvRDw1Zqc3
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) June 7, 2025
This isn’t the first time that Dereniowski, who has amassed a 6.2 million following on Instagram, has helped Oilers fans accomplish their dreams. Last year, he also posted a video helping a young boy meet his hero, Connor McDavid.
With the Oilers back in the Stanley Cup Final, the hope is that many other Edmonton hockey fans will also have their dreams come true with a championship.