While the Oilers hosted the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon, another major hockey event was taking place not far away in the neighbourhood of McCauley.
“I call it the gem of McCauley, the rink. It's a community meeting place,” said McCauley rink manager Dan Glugosh.
He spends countless hours preparing the ice for the much-anticipated game.
“We open December 2nd, and the first question is, when's the McCauley Cup?”
Not only do kids and residents get to play members of the EPS in a fun game of shinny, it is also an opportunity for the police and community to come together and build stronger ties.
“It's fun playing against them. It gives you more interaction with the police when they're not doing their job, protecting the community and all that,” said local resident Justen Herbert.
Organized by Downtown Beats, this year’s edition was the last for Chief Dale McFee who announced his retirement from the EPS last month.
“This community in particular has been a resilient community, and I’m just so proud of our folks for what they've been doing with the community and what the community's been doing with us. So, definitely gonna miss it,” McFee said.
McFee, Glugosh, and Oilers legend Al Hamilton, were recognized for their contributions to the event. It was Hamilton who helped bring the rink back to life after it had fallen into disrepair and neglect.
“They approached me many years ago to get involved and it seemed like a good thing. I came here and there were some old boards. I looked in and there was some guys sleeping inside…so we just jumped in and got going on it,” said Hamilton.
What started as a reclamation project is now an annual tradition in the heart of McCauley.
“There’re just kids being kids. And you know, for me that's the payoff,” added Glugosh.
The McCauley squad was able to score a late goal in regulation to pull off a victory against team EPS. But there’s always next year.