Playoff fever changes plans for Oilers fans on vacation in California
When planning a trip to Disneyland, most people look forward to Mickey Mouse, Autotopia or Hyperspace Mountain.
Fitting in a couple NHL playoff hockey games usually don't make the list, until this week.
For the first time in over a decade the Edmonton Oilers are in the playoffs and have made it to Round 2.
Jason Geisler and his family arrived at Disneyland Wednesday and he and his eight-year-old daughter promptly got ready for Game 1.
'Can we go Daddy?'
"It was her idea. Well not really her idea, but I mentioned it and she was like 'Can we go Daddy, can we go?' " Geisler said.
"So we packed her pink Oilers jersey and the pompoms from Rogers Place and, yeah, just made it like that. She was excited."
And who wouldn't be? The Oilers have missed the playoffs since 2006 when they lost Game 7 in the Stanley Cup final to the Carolina Hurricanes.
For Geisler, the game was a break in what will otherwise be a full week of Disneyland adventure.
"Unfortunately for Anaheim there was a lot of empty seats there, but yeah it was a good time, " he added.
"I know some people would plan the trip around going to see the Oilers and 'Let's go to Disney,' and it just happened that we were in Disney and 'Let's go see the Oilers play.' That's just how it is."
'We're totally excited'
Some fans who have yet to catch a game, are hoping for a back-to-back win in Game 2 Friday.
Edmontonian Jana Pedersen and friend Taletta Wagner will be trading their Mickey Mouse T-shirts for Oilers jerseys. When they realized the Oilers would be playing while they were in Anaheim, they texted one other immediately.
After securing two tickets to Friday's game they became the envy of their husbands and friends.
"I said, 'Jana you want to go?' " Wagner said.
"Hell yeah," Petersen replied.
Word that they were going to Game 2 spread at the school Pedersen's children attend.
"Our school had a pep rally last week at Virginia Park," Pederson said. "The kids were really, really excited so when I told them we were going ... they were pretty pumped."
