User Story

By Ann Moritz

On May 19, 1984 my husband and I were married in the afternoon where we planned a home and garden wedding on Saskatchewan drive. We had friends who played the piano and people read their poetry - in general a small but sophisticated affair. All went well until (if you remember the date) the Edmonton Oilers were on the ice in the Coliseum (as we called it then). Soon above the piano music, a roar and cheers came from the TV room where mainly the men had gathered. However, before the evening was over most of us ended up watching the hockey game. That was the night that the Stanley Cup came to Edmonton for the first time out west, with Wayne Gretzky and the dream team on the ice.

When we went downtown for our honeymoon night, we had to pass Jasper Avenue from the south side to get to what is now the Delta Hotel. Our best man and bridesmaid drove the car. Needless to say, it took 15 minutes to drive downtown and then it took 2 hours to cross over Jasper Avenue. There were a couple of other bridal parties there that night as well. What a way to start a honeymoon!! It was like the whole city was celebrating with us. I still have an old, unopened bottle of PILSNER beer that someone handed us. That was a night where Edmonton celebrated like never before, and thankfully without any incidents. The memory of excitement and feeling proud to be an Edmontonian is still with me. The memory of the wedding has faded out.