Edmonton Oilers Keep Their Diverse Legacy Alive with Alumni

The Edmonton Oilers have made sure to honor a diverse franchise history. The bond among their Black alumni has spanned decades.

The page may have turned on February and Black History Month, but the story continues when discussing diversity among one of hockey's most storied franchises of the past 50 years.

A few things have defined the Edmonton Oilers, including the Stanley Cups and generational talent. But this has also been one of the most diverse franchises in NHL history.

Numerous players of color have donned either the orange and blue or copper and blue, with 14 being Black, according to colorofhockey.com.

The likes of Grant Fuhr, Fred Brathwaite, Anson Carter, Georges Laraque and many others over Edmonton's nearly five-decade-long history in the NHL have been a part of a franchise that has had a unique mark on the game culturally.

Over the past few seasons, the Oilers have taken on a more prominent role in honoring their Black alumni, from recognizing them during Juneteenth celebrations in 2020 to involving alums in the NHL's Black Hockey History Tour Bus stop in Edmonton in 2022.

The work continued in 2023, praising the contributions of Edmonton's Black hockey community for this year's Black History Month game as alumni Shawn Belle and Joaquin Gage took part in the night's festivities on Feb. 15.

Gage was one of four Black goaltenders to have played for the franchise and was on the roster when it made league history with five Black players on the ice at the same time during the 2000-01 season.

"As a young kid growing up here, it was always easy to watch the Oilers and say there's a person that looks like me, and I can aspire to play like him or be like that person out there." - Shawn Belle

As someone who grew up watching Grant Fuhr play in net for the Oilers in the 1980s, Gage said he cherishes following in Fuhr's footsteps as a Black goaltender.

"You have the greatest player in the world ever in Wayne Gretzky saying if he'd choose anyone in a Game 7 for the Stanley Cup, he'd have Grant in net," Gage said. Fuhr is "someone I definitely looked up to as a kid. Saw someone who kinda looked like me."

Gage said seeing Fuhr led him to accomplish what he put his mind to, as the adage goes.

"It's cool that when he comes around, I can chat with one of my idols," Gage said.

In a city like Edmonton, the number of Black players may have surprised some, unaware of the cultures that call the city home.

But for those who know the city, it's not as surprising to see a team rich in diversity as the rest of the hockey world works to increase numbers that have been commonplace in Edmonton.

"Edmonton is such a diverse community as it is, so I think that has something to do with the reason why it seems so prevalent in Edmonton," Gage said. "But you see it growing all across the league. You can essentially look on almost every team and see someone that looks a little bit different to what a hockey player has looked like in the past."

For Shawn Belle, an Edmonton product who suited up for his hometown team during the 2010-11 season, growing up and seeing the level of diversity on the Oilers gave him a dream to reach. It also created a shared bond with players who looked like him and who played for the team he watched.

"As a young kid growing up here, it was always easy to watch the Oilers and say there's a person that looks like me, and I can aspire to play like him or be like that person out there," Belle said.

Belle got to know players like Sean Brown on his way to the NHL, who helped him on the on-ice and off-ice aspects of the game.

"When I was a younger player...I was skating with a bunch of guys on the Edmonton Oilers, and he was one of the first guys (saying), 'Hey, you're going to sign a contract – don't be like a lot of guys and go out and buy 15 different cars and all sorts of things like that. Go out, get your car, and then go buy a house,' " said Belle.

Having each other's backs and advising each other passed through many Black alumni and players of color. Belle said he appreciates how the team has worked to bring it further to the light.

"There were a lot of guys that were around – it almost felt like a mentorship in that sense," Belle said.

"Having the Oilers honor that was pretty special, and there's lots of history and lots of tradition of the different guys that made it over the years. It's nice to see that recognition finally being put out there."

For the next step, Belle would love to see all teams honor the contributions of Black people in the game all year long and not just for one month every year.

"It's great that we're doing it during Black History Month, but at the end of the day, you want just to say that we've grown this game enough that it doesn't matter whether it's February or December or January," Belle said.

No matter the era of the players or the wins and losses, the makeup over the years has allowed its diverse alumni to share a bond that has been one of the more cherished in the sport. The Oilers continue to work on keeping that knowledge alive.