Why Edmonton Oilers players are giving out a crowbar after wins

The Edmonton Oilers are already shaking up their postgame win tradition.

At the start of the season, it was revealed that the team was awarding the player of the game an original Wayne Gretzky Oilers helmet. That was a switch-up from last season, when the team gave out two awards: a piece of a pump jack and a high-vis vest.

With Edmonton picking up their seventh victory of the season against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night, it seems the Oilers wanted to make a return to the two-award system. In addition to the Gretzky helmet, a new award appeared after the thrilling 4-3 OT win over the Wild.

Leon Draisaitl, who notched two goals in the win, addressed the locker room postgame and said the team would add a crowbar as a new award for their after-win celebrations.

“Gonna add something to our postgame celebration,” Draisaitl said while reaching into a drawer at his stall. “We got the f**king crowbar! This is going to the guy that f**king battled his ass off the hardest: Sheasy, five blocks.”

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If the Gretzky helmet is meant for the most impactful player in an Oilers victory, the crowbar sounds like it’ll go to the hardest-working player. Owen Michaels was the first player to receive the helmet after scoring his first NHL goal against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 1, and Ryan Shea got the inaugural crowbar on Tuesday night.

The 29-year-old defenceman didn’t record a single point in the win, but he led the team with five blocked shots.

Edmonton has had a tradition of giving out two post-game awards to players after wins for a couple of seasons now. It seemed a little strange that they started the season with only one, but perhaps all the winning drew attention to the fact that some players weren’t being properly recognized for their efforts.

Oilers fans will hope to see the helmet-and-crowbar combination a lot more over the season and into the playoffs.