Fandemonium picks up steam as Oilers make conference final

A California band is showing una poca de gracia to Edmonton Oilers fans who have adopted the band's cover of the rock `n' roll standard as the team's victory song.

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 folksong that became a hit when recorded in 1958 by Ritchie Valens, who was famously killed alongside Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson in the “Day the Music Died” plane crash.

La Bamba was famously a favourite 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.

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 p.m. 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 final in 16 years, and if you simply must be there to witness it in person, it's not too far a trip to make.

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.