McDavid dedicates Oilers season-opening win to late superfan Ben Stelter

The first one is for Ben Stelter.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid dedicated a season-opening 5-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place to Stelter, a six-year-old cancer-fighting superfan who captured hearts in the city before passing away in August.

“Tonight was for our buddy Ben,” McDavid said postgame in an interview with Scott Oake. “We miss him… for the whole Stelter family. We think about him. I said in an interview a little bit ago that I think about him after big wins and tonight was a big win and I’m thinking about him. His famous saying is ‘play La Bamba baby’ so I think we’ll have to listen to that tonight.”

McDavid dedicated the Oilers' win tonight to the late Ben Stelter. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nQHnkQ8u5Z

— Gino Hard (@Ginohard_) October 13, 2022

Stelter battled glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, after being diagnosed in 2021 when he was four years old.

He underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and 30 radiation treatment sessions to remove it, but the tumour returned before Christmas, prompting Stelter to continue his battle with additional rounds of radiation.

“This is a very tough day for the entire Oilers family, all the fans, but more importantly and most importantly, the family,” McDavid said after Stelter’s passing. “Ben meant so much to myself, to my teammates, and the relationship that kind of developed over the course of a year or so was something that I certainly won’t forget. He was an amazing little guy who lit up every single room he was in. Certainly lit up our room every time he walked in there.

“We’re thinking about the entire Stelter family.”

We couldn’t start the season without paying tribute to Ben. 💙🧡 pic.twitter.com/W6xzcZtUpG

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 13, 2022

The Oilers also honoured Stelter pre-game with a video tribute.

Chants of “Ben! Ben! Ben!” followed the feature.

“Thank you Edmonton Oilers for the incredible tribute to our sweet Ben,” Mike Stelter, Ben’s father, wrote in a tweet. “It was beautifully done and incredibly special to our family.”

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