Vegas trolls take over 165 Edmonton billboards but Oilers fans shut it down
A Las Vegas-based sports bar attempted some lighthearted trolling in Edmonton, but it seems Oilers fans were having none of it.
The Vegas Golden Knights and their fans are feeling good after having defeated the Oilers in dramatic fashion in Game 3 on Saturday night. It was a game that seemed destined for OT, but a literal last-second goal from Vegas sealed the deal and cut Edmonton’s series lead down to 2-1. Reilly Smith got credit for the goal, but it was Leon Draisaitl’s stick that got the last touch.
To celebrate the win and get under the skin of Oilers fans, the PKWY Tavern in Las Vegas decided to take out an ad poking fun at that last-second goal on 165 billboards across Edmonton, a bunch of which were within just three kilometres of Rogers Place.
It featured a clock with 0.4 seconds left on it (the time remaining when Smith scored) with the bar’s logo and a message that read “Go Knights Go” on it. Once things went live this morning, the tavern shared a photo of the ad running at Edmonton’s City Centre Mall.
Next-level trolling (@pkwytavern/Instagram)
“We actually came up with it [on Sunday night], I was actually having Mother’s Day dinner and I’m like ‘Oh my gosh, I gotta put this up on a billboard,'” PKWY Tavern owner Jonathan Fine told Daily Hive.
Fine moved quickly to get the 165 billboards set up online.
They were definitely noticed by Oilers fans, and they caused quite a stir. The ads were supposed to run until puck drop for Game 4 on Monday at 7:30 p.m. MDT.
However, the local billboard company started to receive complaints about the ad and took it offline early.
“Typically, we allow creative to run that might be seen as provocative (even if in humour) but if complaints start to come in, we take it down,” the billboard company told Fine.
“We just did this in good fun, and we understand how good of a team you guys have up there,” Fine said. “So if we can throw a little mental curveball in there, we’re doing everything we can as fans.
“It’s all friendly, good rivalry, just having a little bit of fun with a great win.”
The rivalry between the Oilers and Golden Knights is alive and well. Edmonton will be hoping to make them regret that decision to run that ad by eliminating Vegas sooner rather than later.
Now, who will be the Edmonton fan to throw up an Oilers ad in Vegas?