Oilers star Zach Hyman describes why he loves living in Edmonton
It’s safe to say that the Edmonton Oilers’ 2021 free agency signing of Zach Hyman has paid off, and he’s enjoying every second of it.
Not many people believed that Hyman would be this successful with the Oilers four years into the seven-year deal he signed. While he was a solid forechecker and was showing signs of being a more offensive player, his career-high in points at the time of signing was just 41.
Hyman has eclipsed that mark in every season since signing with the Oilers and even joined an exclusive 50-goal club last year. So, yeah, the on-ice results have been quite good for the 32-year-old.
However, things are going great for Hyman and his family off the ice as well. He joined the What Chaos! team earlier this week to discuss his time in Edmonton, and he gave a glowing review of living in the city.
“Toronto is a bigger city, so you don’t have that smaller city feel [that Edmonton has],” Hyman said. “You go around here and see a lot of the same people, I go to the same coffee shop. My kids go to school so I see a lot of the same people and have cool interactions with people every day.
“I’ve felt nothing but support here in the city and love. I felt like that in Toronto as well, but it’s amplified here… I feel very loved here, and it’s a special feeling.”
While Hyman is loving living in the Alberta capital, it’s become clear that he is also loved by those in the city. His hard-nosed, crash-the-net style of play is exactly the type of hard work that a blue-collar city like Edmonton values.
He also made sure to mention just how much he loves the passion that Oilers fans have for the team. Though the ups and downs of a season can get extreme in Edmonton, Hyman explained that he understands why and embraces it.
“I love being in a Canadian market; I love being in a place where people love hockey,” Hyman said. “They just want to see their team succeed, and they live and die by how you’re doing, and I think that’s where you get those emotional swings. One day, the fanbase thinks you’re winning a cup; the next day, they don’t think you’re making the playoffs.
“I’m a Buffalo Bills fan, I can relate. When I’m watching the Bills, one week they look amazing and the next week I’m like ‘Oh boy, they’re not making the playoffs’ and that’s what sports does.”
Outside of hockey, Hyman is just an easy person to root for in general. He is an author of multiple children’s books, founded an e-sports team, and just recently became the owner of the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs.
With how much love the Oilers fanbase has for #18, it’s nice to hear that there have been no regrets about packing things up and moving from Toronto to Edmonton.