Oilers fever sweeps Edmonton: "Play La Bamba, Baby!" added to city sign
Forget about the “City of Champions” or “Alberta’s Capital City” because Edmonton’s new official slogan may as well be “Play La Bamba, Baby!”
The slogan has become synonymous with every Oilers victory and now has a place on a sign welcoming people into Edmonton. Someone recently attached a placard on the “Welcome to Edmonton” sign reading the famous line, just in time for the playoffs.
Allison Stephen/Daily Hive
The playoff fever is so real.
You can see the sign when you approach the city from the south end on the QEII Highway. It’s on the right side of the road, just after the 41st Street exit.
Ritchie Valen’s “La Bamba” was the late Joey Moss’ favourite song and has since been adopted as the Oilers’ victory anthem during playoffs.
The song took on a new meaning during last year’s Oilers playoff run thanks to Ben Stelter, a six-year-old cancer-fighting superfan who captured hearts in the city before sadly passing away in August 2022.
Stelter battled glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer, after being diagnosed in 2021 when he was just four years old.
After every win, Stelter’s dad would post a video of him saying, “Play ‘La Bamba,’ baby!” which has since become a rallying cry for Oilers fans.
Play La Bamba, Baby!!! Awesome win, @EdmontonOilers #BenOilersStrong pic.twitter.com/ZZ4bCf7VXx
— Mike Stelter (@m_dan25) May 23, 2022
We just know that Ben and Joey are up there enjoying this playoff run and smiling at the impact they have made on the Oilers and this city as a whole.
The Oilers are currently up 3-2 in their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings. Game 6 will take place in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 29, time still TBD.