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A California band is showing a little grace to Edmonton Oilers fans who have adopted the band’s cover of the rock n’ roll standard as the team’s victory song.
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On Friday evening, the Los Angeles rock band Los Lobos gave a nod to Oilers supporters preparing for their first Western Conference Final in 16 years, congratulating the team and saying “keep it rolling and we’ll come play La Bamba live for you.”
Per Wikipedia, La Bamba is a Mexican folk song that became a hit when recorded in 1958 by teenage rock n’ roller Ritchie Valens — who was famously killed alongside Buddy Holly and JP Richardson in the “Day the Music Died” plane crash.
La Bamba was famously a favorite of Joey Moss, the Oilers dressing room attendant and Edmonton sports icon who died in 2020. Videos of six-year-old Oilers superfan Ben Stelter, who is living with brain cancer, saying “play La Bamba baby” have become tradition following Oilers wins during this year’s playoff run.
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And, in the spirit of previous playoff mega-raffles that have seen jackpots surpass $14 million, the Oilers are hosting a multi-day 50/50 draw that got underway Saturday.
Tickets can be bought online until 11:30 pm following Game 4 on June 6.
The winner will get half of the total pot, and playoff tickets, fan experiences and cash prizes are also up for grabs as daily early bird prizes.
Tuesday’s Game 1 will mark the Oilers first trip to the conference finals in 16 years, and if you simply must be there to witness it in person, it’s not too far a trip to make.
United Airlines operates a direct flight from Edmonton to Denver, including an early departure on Tuesday morning.
The three-hour flight would get you to the Ball Arena in plenty of time for the faceoff of Game 1, provided you can cover the $740 price tag.
That doesn’t include a hotel or tickets, which could be pricey as well, with this being Colorado’s first trip to hockey’s final four in two decades.
A limited number of tickets for Game 1 and 2 were available for about US$200 on re-sale and official sites on Saturday, though most available seats are significantly more expensive.
Don’t expect to find any bargains for home dates.
Games 3 and 4 in Edmonton on June 4 and 6 are unsurprisingly proving to be popular draws, with the cheapest ticket for either game hovering around $500 as of this weekend.
– With files from Matthew Black