Oilers mascot, explained: History behind Hunter the Lynx and his connection to Edmonton hockey club
Oilers mascot, explained: History behind Hunter the Lynx and his connection to Edmonton hockey club
Mascots are a key part of any sports organization. They act as a liaison between the fans and the team, getting the faithful followers of any sports club to get into the game with cheers and chants.
In the NHL, some mascots bear obvious connections to their teams, such as Wild Wing for the Ducks or Blades for the Bruins, whose species match their team names. Other mascots are more obscure — take Gritty for the Flyers or Youppi for the Canadiens, both of whom are creatures of unclear origin.
When it comes to the Oilers, they have Hunter the Lynx.
While a lynx is not exactly an abnormal mascot, it does leave people questioning why exactly a cat is the mascot for a team dubbed the Oilers. So how did Hunter become the character for the Edmonton hockey club?
The Sporting News explains the history behind Hunter the Lynx and the Oilers.
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What is the Oilers' mascot?
The Oilers' mascot is Hunter the Lynx. He has been the mascot for the Edmonton NHL club since 2016.
The character for the Oilers is named after "Wild" Bill Hunter, the original owner of the hockey club who founded the team in 1972.
Per the Oilers' website, Hunter was born in North Saskatchewan River Valley. His favorite players are Edmonton legends Grant Fuhr and Wayne Gretzky. He wears the No. 72 as an ode to the year the organization was founded.
Hunter loves green onion cakes and fish, and his hobbies are fishing, sleeping, chasing balls of yarn, scratching posts and ping pong. His favorite celebrities? A pait of feline-friendly musicians in Cat Stevens and Taylor Swift.
Why is the Oilers' mascot a lynx?
The Oilers existed for quite some time without an official mascot. That changed in 2016 with the introduction of Hunter the Lynx.
Edmonton did research in order to determine a mascot, conducting a survey of over 2,200 students from the region, ranging from kindergarten to Grade 9. The Canadian lynx was "far and away the most popular choice," the Oilers said, resulting in the creation of Hunter.
What is an Oiler?
An oiler is someone who works oiling machines. They sometimes can also be referred to as "greasers" since the purpose of the oil is to grease the machines.
This type of employment was much more common years ago. Oilers would be put to work on ships, on trains, in steel mills, or in mines. Now modern technology has greatly decreased the need for oilers.
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Why is Edmonton called the Oilers?
The Edmonton hockey club got its name due to the city's relationship with petroleum. Edmonton is considered to be the center of Canada's oil industry, hence the name "the Oilers."
It was the club's original owner, "Wild Bill" Hunter, who chose the "Oilers" name for the franchise. Hunter also owned the Edmonton Oil Kings, a major junior hockey club, and the team was often nicknamed the "Oilers."
When Hunter decided to found a new franchise in the WHA, he went with the Alberta Oilers, as the team was expected to bounce between Calgary and Edmonton. Due to financial reasons, the team switched its operations solely to Edmonton the next season, tweaking the name to the Edmonton Oilers, as well.