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New Oilers players were blown away by Edmonton playoff atmosphere

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
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Apr 21 2026, 7:29 pm
New Oilers players were blown away by Edmonton playoff atmosphere
Walter Tychnowicz/Imagn Images

Once the Stanley Cup Playoffs roll around, there may not be a louder place on Earth than Rogers Place.

Edmonton Oilers fans have earned a reputation as being among the loudest and most exciting fan bases in the playoffs over the past couple of seasons. Whether it’s deafening chants before the game, the emotional singing of “O Canada,” or the rowdy cheering inside and out of the arena, Edmonton is an experience during the postseason.

For opposing players, it makes for an intimidating arena to play in, but it’s a boost for the Oilers. Many players on this Edmonton team have experienced this over the past few seasons, but a few new players got their first taste of playoff Oilers fans on Monday night.

Jason Dickinson, in particular, seemed to be at a loss for words when talking about the atmosphere during Game 1 against the Anaheim Ducks.

“It was amazing,” Dickinson said after the game. “I had to take a couple of deep breaths during the anthem to centre myself and come back down to earth cause the adrenaline was just pumping.

“You were feeling every bit of energy in that arena. It was amazing.”

Dickinson wound up being an unexpected hero for the Oilers in the playoff opener, scoring two goals on the night. It was also the veteran centreman’s first playoff game in five seasons.

Connor Ingram was another who experienced the atmosphere for the first time. The Oilers goaltender joked that it certainly topped his previous experience in Mullet Arena, a 5,000-seat arena, while playing with the Arizona Coyotes.

“The bulk of my career I’ve played out of Mullet Arena,” Ingram said with a smile. “To walk out of the tunnel today, it’s a different animal. It’s loud in there. It was fun.

Ingram picked up his first career Stanley Cup Playoff victory on Monday night.

Another player who must have been looking forward to the rocking arena was rookie Matt Savoie. The St. Albert product grew up cheering for the Oilers and even said that he was in Rogers Place as a fan during the team’s 2017 playoff run.

“Getting to grow up and be a fan of them, to be on the other side of it now, it’s really special,” Savoie said.

Even for a player like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has spent his entire career playing in Edmonton and has 97 playoff games under his belt, he is still blown away by the atmosphere Oilers fans create.

It never gets old for the players.

“Especially the first game, starting at home, you feel the energy in warmup,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “Then the anthem really gets you going. You play so many games in front of them, you still get a little nervous starting playoffs.

“Definitely that excitement level immediately rises when you start hearing them.”

Oilers fans have become well-versed in playoff hockey over the past few years, and you can expect them to get louder the further Edmonton gets into the postseason.

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