City of Edmonton officials, Oilers Entertainment Group executives, and other partners gathered on a windy Thursday morning in the Ice District Plaza to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Rogers Place.
The event started with a sizzle reel video played on the overhead screens, ending with the phrase: “This is the city’s building, but this is your house,” before presenters stepped up to address the small crowd.
Mayor Andrew Knack was not in attendance, but councillors Anne Stevenson and Reed Clarke joined councillor Mike Elliott, who spoke on behalf of council and delivered a mayoral proclamation declaring Sept. 10, 2026 as Rogers Place Day in Edmonton.
“Over a decade ago, when Rogers Place officially opened, it ignited the spark to revitalize the heart of our city and build a destination people of all ages and abilities can live, work, and play in,” Elliott said.
Oilers Entertainment Group president and chief operating officer Stuart Ballantyne, city manager Eddie Robar, and Explore Edmonton president and CEO Traci Bednard also spoke about the arena’s economic and cultural impact on the city.
OEG executive vice-president of communications and gaming, Tim Shipton, called Rogers Place a “game changer” for Edmonton.
Shipton says the organization is looking forward to bringing 3,000 more residential units and the new event park to the core.
“We hope our investment brings confidence to other entrepreneurs, other businesses to develop, but it’s gonna take a village.”
Shipton was also asked about the Oilers’ controversial signing of Alex Formenton.
Formenton, a former Canada World Junior Hockey player, was one of five former teammates acquitted of sexually assaulting a woman earlier this year.
Thousands of fans have criticized the signing online, including prominent super fan “Mama Stanley.”
“We understand that people have different perspectives on this signing, and we certainly respect different points of view. Not everybody is going to agree with the signing. But, at the end of the day, Stan Bowman and Jeff Jackson did a tremendous amount of due diligence,” said Shipton.
He noted that Formenton had been reinstated by Hockey Canada.
“Obviously, expectation — he’ll come in and uphold the standards that we expect for Edmonton Oilers, and we’re excited to have him on the team.”
The event concluded with some attendees sharing a cake decorated with a photo of Rogers Place.
