Rogers Place resurfaced with ice from Oilers players’ hometown rinks for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final

Ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, Rogers Communications Inc. launched a campaign aimed at bringing Canadians together during the matchup.

The idea of This is Our Ice was to bring parts of Canada to the final by collecting ice from community rinks home to six Oilers’ players and combining it with the ice surface for Game 1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

The end result has given new meaning to “home-ice advantage.”

Rinks where the ice was collected:

• Ray Twinney Recreation Complex in Newmarket, Ont. (Connor McDavid)
• Harry Howell Twin-Pad Arena in Hamilton, Ont. (Darnell Nurse)
• Burnaby Winter Club in Burnaby, B.C. (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins)
• Confederation Arena in Edmonton (Stuart Skinner)
• The Rink in Winnipeg (Calvin Pickard)
• North Shore Winter Club (Vancouver)

When the Oilers made the playoffs, Rogers, which is partnered with the NHL and the Oilers, wanted to build on the This is Our Game campaign during the playoffs and 4 Nations Face Off.

“Hockey’s biggest stage should reflect where the game truly begins – in hometown hockey rinks across Canada,” said Terrie Tweddle, Chief Brand and Communications Officer at Rogers, in statement issued on Tuesday.

“This Is Our Ice is about rallying communities across the country to celebrate our collective pride in Canada’s game as the Oilers play to bring home the Stanley Cup.”

Rogers worked with facilities staff at each hometown rink to scrape ice into thermos-style containers, packing them in mini coolers, and bringing the ice to Rogers Place.

The ice from individual hometown rinks was then poured and mixed into the ice-making tank of the Rogers Place Zamboni by the Engineering and Ice Operations team at Oilers Entertainment Group.

Below is the playoff schedule, via Sportsnet:

• Game 1, Florida at Edmonton: Wednesday, June 4, 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT (Sportsnet/CBC)
• Game 2, Florida at Edmonton: Friday, June 6, 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT (Sportsnet/CBC)
• Game 3, Edmonton at Florida: Monday, June 9, 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT (Sportsnet/CBC)
• Game 4, Edmonton at Florida: Thursday, June 12, 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT (Sportsnet/CBC)
• Game 5, Florida at Edmonton: Saturday, June 14, 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT (Sportsnet/CBC)*
• Game 6, Edmonton at Florida: Tuesday, June 17, 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT (Sportsnet/CBC)*
• Game 7, Florida at Edmonton: Friday, June 20, 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT (Sportsnet/CBC)*

*If necessary

Related:

2025 Stanley Cup Final Preview: Oilers vs. Panthers

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